Sorry for the basically drive by and long post- but this is a new one for me. I think I started getting migraines this pregnancy, and that's not a problem I ever had before (including last pregnancy).
I got my first sharp shooting headache while flying, during landing specifically. Which, I have had before, except this time the pain was significantly worse and continued after we landed (which was new).
I also just woke up to the same type of pain. Sharp pain on one side of my forehead radiating down behind my eye to my cheekbone area. Except I'm not flying, I was literally sleeping.
Has anyone else experienced migraines only when pregnant? I took Tylenol so I'm hoping that at least takes the edge off.
@day38 I've been getting terrible headaches, too. I'm honestly not sure if they're migraines but they're absolutely awful and nothing seems to help. I've been trying to avoid Tylenol except when I'm desperate but I might even give it up because it doesn't seem to make a dent. I'm sorry you're going through this, too! It sucks. (Like last week when I DREAMED about having an awful headache and woke up with one. )
@day38: I'm so sorry! That sounds really horrible. I wouldn't go as far as to say I have migraines but I had really awful headaches with my first pregnancy and am having them again this time. I've been taking tylenol, even though it's pointless, and drinking a coke for the caffeine when they're at their worst. With my last pregnancy (in 2012) my OB prescribed Reglan for my headaches. I don't know if that is still common place though. It may be worth talking to your doctor to see if they have some advice. I hope you feel better!
Ahh so sorry for those of you dealing with headaches!
Sooooooo everyone talks about that "second tri burst of energy"... I didn't experience that with my first pregnancy. I was definitely less sick, but I think my fatigue was at a steady level my entire pregnancy. It never really went away.
*Also, I really don't want this to come off as braggy, or ungrateful, because I know so many of us are dying to feel relief and energy. I'm not ungrateful for this, and I am not posting this to rub it in anyone's face. I'm just sharing my experience with this pregnancy, which is veeeeery different from last time around, and a little shocking to me. So I really hope I word this in a way that doesn't rub anyone the wrong way, and if it does-I apologize.*
Anyway, this time around... holy shit second trimester energy boost. I wasn't expecting anything like this. I feel like I'm drinking espresso all day long. Sitting still is kind of driving me crazy and I feel like I need to be cleaning all day long. Nighttime rolls around and I'm not tired... which is WEIRD for me because I usually am in bed by 8pm, and that's without pregnancy. I just feel totally...amped up. Its really nice, but, I feel like even during the night I cant get into a deep sleep because my body is just buzzing all night. It's really weird, almost like anxiety.
@isntthatspeshul, indigestion is awful! I hadn't really had any problems with it until the other day when I ate a peanutbutter sandwich late in the day... Flaming fire burps are no fun.
@chasingroygbiv, I notice a lot of pelvic fulness/tightness in the morning when my bladder is full. I also get a lot of gas pain that moves around. But if you think it's not something like constipation, I'd definitely ask the doctor about it.
@jeanbean15 maybe ask to have your thyroid levels checked! (I feel like I always say this but I have a thyroid problem so I'm hyper aware of symptoms!)
@bravoandprosecco Oh man I never would have even thought of that. Can issues with thyroid give you hulk like energy? Cause that's about where I'm at these last few days lol. Ahh to google or not to google.... I'm thinking it's pregnancy related for the most part but it's definitely taken me totally by surprise
Headaches are the worst! I haven't had any migraines, but have been getting those dull annoying headaches with this pregnancy.
Anyone having lower back/hip pain? I have a bad back to start with- I broke it when I was younger- but never really had any back pain my first pregnancy. The last 2 days have been horrible! To the point where it shoots pain up my back and down my leg. I keep telling myself it's too early to feel like this, I still have a long way to go and can't deal with this pain the whole time. I'm a teacher and on my feet all day! Im hoping it goes away soon!
I've been getting the worst stitches in my right side lately. Like the stitch/cramp you get when you run right after eating. If that makes sense. It's made me double over a couple of times and I had a hard time getting off the couch the other day because of it. It had my DH's PGAL brain go a bit crazy. Anyone else have this?
@jeanbean15 So low energy, needing to sleep all the time would make you hypothyroid and then too much energy, unable to sleep, anxiety is hyper. It's so hard to tell with pregnancy bc are hormones are all over the place anyway, but next time they take blood ask them to check for you! But I'm totally hoping your energy is just a great 2nd trimester symptom!
Ok so totally weird symptom that didn't happen with my first. I sit at a desk all day and my butt is so uncomfortable! I've gained almost 10 pounds at 16 weeks but I feel like I'm 600 pounds and it's too much weight to sit. Am I crazy? Anyone else?
@bravoandprosecco I totally can relate. pregnancy just makes you really sore man. It's hard to sit or sleep in any position too long. Then the limbs falling asleep more often and leg cramps kick in later on... ugh. It's glamorous!
@bravoandprosecco I feel like my symptom is similar. I feel like my body parts fall asleep much quicker. This hasn't happened with my other two. Anyone else? Also, my MS is "gone", but I take Diclectin everynight. I'm so nervous to stop taking it. Any thoughts? I wonder if I can go down to one at night and see...
After a few good days, I just covered my apartment complex's parking lot in preggo puke. I must have looked drunk stumbling out of my car, then to the bushes. Literally running for my door haha. I was hoping the all day sickness would stop abruptly in the 2nd trimester. Definitely not stopping the unisom now. But seeing my baby do flips and move her/his little mouth on the ultrasound this morning makes it so much more worth it, ever more than before.
It's so weird.. every Thursday/Friday of each week, the slight cramps get more noticeable and the round ligament pain is really starting to set in on those specific days.. which Friday is my ticker change. I also feel like my belly really popped over night a few nights ago. Kinda neat!
@bravoandprosecco Does your work have the option of sit/stand desks so you can change position more often? You might also look at getting a stability ball to sit on to switch things up. And, it's also supposed to help in pregnancy to prepare for labor (I don't remember exactly how or why but my friend who just had one told me to start sitting on one as much as possible, especially instead of the couch).
@mcb0110 I've been dealing with pretty much exactly the same things. I have posterior pelvic pain that doesn't feel like a muscle and is definitely in the back of my pelvis, not just my lower back, as well as neck tightness that has been causing dull headaches. I asked my OB about it on Tuesday. Basically there's a muscle (I can find the name later) that attaches down there that is already feeling that the system is off kilter. Annnnd, it also plays a role in your neck and likely the dull headaches you've been experiencing. She said massage is a great way to help with that. I'm hoping to find a massage therapist around here who will be reasonably priced enough that I can go a couple times a month. I'm also going to try some prenatal yoga and see if that can help.
@jeanbean15 I think they should be checking your thyroid at some point anyways since pregnancy can throw it out of whack temporarily just like you can get GD. I would definitely make a note to ask next appointment if you have one coming up and if you don't, maybe call in or send your doctor a note. On one hand the productivity appeals after a couple months of the opposite but you need your sleep.
Me: 34 DH: 38 Married: June 2011 TTC since Feb 2016 BFP#1: 7/7/16 MMC: 8/16/16 BFP#2: 5/8/17 - CP BFP#3: 6/27/17 EDD: 3/10/18
@kiki75 omg. You have just completed changed my life! I knew most of my persistent migraines were coming from my neck and a dull ache there but I couldn’t figure out whyyy! I’ve been trying to leave my hair down more because it being up doesn’t seem to help. I know I need to start up the massages but I haven’t found the time or money in the budget yet. Anyway, thank you! I feel less crazy now. Haha.
@bravoandprosecco I second @kiki75 on the yoga or stability ball. I used one all the time in the last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy with DS and I felt like it made a huge difference—especially with my hips. They are supposed to be helpful with labor too and I have no complaints. I think I’m going to start sitting on mine again instead of letting DS play with it. Lol.
@kiki75 I never knew that about the neck muscle!! That explains a lot! I have been having neck pain since early on in the first trimester and I bet that's why! Also have been getting headaches the past week or so. The body is so interesting! I also have the fun symptom of cramping. It just feels like period cramps. I had it starting around this time last pregnancy too and it lasted the whole pregnancy so I guess this is my normal haha! At least I am not freaked out with as much worry this time around!
Yes!! I did a lot of googling on this and apparently it's common. You can have excess breast tissue in your armpit that becomes swollen and tender. My husband tickled me in my arm pit boob and I legit fell to the floor it hurt so bad. The week after I gave birth to my daughter I had a knot the size of a golf ball in my armpit. It scared the hell out of me but I figured out it was because my milk came in and the gland was clogged.
@mdfarmchick@kiki75@scoogy19 One option for more affordable massage would be to seek out massage schools in your area. They usually have a student and/or new graduate clinic that offers services for a discounted rate. The students are closely monitored and observed by their instructors so if you and your doc feel comfortable, it's a great way to get work done. (And it helps the students!)
@mdfarmchick@kiki75@scoogy19 One option for more affordable massage would be to seek out massage schools in your area. They usually have a student and/or new graduate clinic that offers services for a discounted rate. The students are closely monitored and observed by their instructors so if you and your doc feel comfortable, it's a great way to get work done. (And it helps the students!)
I had a persistent overuse problem with neck/shoulder. I got professional massage and chiropractic from amazing practitioners, but they tend to be booked and I could only get in for a massage once a month. The best thing they did other than provide amazing manual therapy care was to teach me self care.
Get one or two lacrosse balls (even tennis balls are OK), and if you can, a full-length foam roller. Stand by a wall, put the ball against it, and lean your trapezius muscle into it. (look these muscles up if you don't know what they are) Sway slowly back and forth in the direction of the muscle fiber so that the ball rolls along your muscle and massages it. Do rhomboids and lower traps this way. Do pectoral muscles too. Use the foam roller for lats, glutes, quads, and periformis (top of butt, gets very tight during pregnancy). You can't roll your lower back and smaller, more delicate neck muscles like the SCM, scalenes, and muscles at the base of your skull, but you can carefully knead the little neck muscles between your fingers. Lying down with a gentle hot compress around the neck (rice in sock in microwave) also does wonders.
I just started second trimester and felt worse, and it's hard to do self care when you're feeling icky, but it's worth it!
@ mcb0110 @kiki75 I've been having a lot of pain deep in my left hip, and everyone I've talked to thought it was sciatica. From what I've read it radiates up the back and down the leg on one side. My pain is more like a stabbing pain deep in my left gluteus max. My doctor said if it got really bad she could prescribe physical therapy, but that it was common in later pregnancy... I'm going to see about getting a stabilizer ball to sit on and see if that helps any. I sit a lot for work, and we have a killer 1 and a half hour drive to work and back home every day, so I think that's what has been aggravating my sciatic nerve. Can't wait to find a house that's closer to work!!!
Anyone been having weird dizzy spells? Just stated affecting me now that I'm in the 2nd tri.
@pregobeth Does it almost feel like a growing pain, or shin splints...but in your hip? Also, I've been getting dizzy spells but it's because I have a cold and my.blood pressure is low. Have some water and sit down when it happens.
@pregobeth Yes, I’ve been dealing with the dizzy and light headed spells since first trimester. They checked my iron and for now it is not that, they figure it’s my low normal blood pressure dropping to “low.” I wasn’t given any advice really other than to get up slowly, but it’s not just when I stand up. It happened the other day while standing in the dentist office waiting for DD to be done with her appointment. I had to quickly get to the bathroom to put cold water on my face and the back of my neck.
@kalawa I've never had shin splints, but I get the stabbing pains if I move suddenly a certain way, and when I walk. It's worse when I get up from sitting down for a period of time, but it can go away after a while when I start walking. Some times it doesn't go away and becomes a dull ache when I rest after walking for longer periods like when I'm walking around a department store with a basket.
@pregobeth I get that sometimes as well. Last pregnancy, my midwife said it has something to do with relaxin(sp?) and joints being loose. I just tried not to stay in the the same position for very long. Try standing every 15-20min at work...even just to stretch your hip for a minute. Hopefully it stops soon for you.
The base of the spine muscle thing is right!! Insane migraines were gone after one session of myofascial release in that area.
Another affordable option is physical therapy. Your copay might be cheaper than the price of a massage (Insurance has different prices/benefits for PT visits so it's worth looking into) and you would need an RX from your doc.
Re: Symptoms - week of 9/18
I got my first sharp shooting headache while flying, during landing specifically. Which, I have had before, except this time the pain was significantly worse and continued after we landed (which was new).
I also just woke up to the same type of pain. Sharp pain on one side of my forehead radiating down behind my eye to my cheekbone area. Except I'm not flying, I was literally sleeping.
Has anyone else experienced migraines only when pregnant? I took Tylenol so I'm hoping that at least takes the edge off.
Pregnant with #2:
Hope they ease up for you soon, I've had tons of headaches this pregnancy and honestly, nothing helps mine.
ETA: tag
EDD March 12, 2018
Sooooooo everyone talks about that "second tri burst of energy"... I didn't experience that with my first pregnancy. I was definitely less sick, but I think my fatigue was at a steady level my entire pregnancy. It never really went away.
*Also, I really don't want this to come off as braggy, or ungrateful, because I know so many of us are dying to feel relief and energy. I'm not ungrateful for this, and I am not posting this to rub it in anyone's face. I'm just sharing my experience with this pregnancy,
which is veeeeery different from last time around, and a little shocking to me. So I really hope I word this in a way that doesn't rub anyone the wrong way, and if it does-I apologize.*
Anyway, this time around...
holy shit second trimester energy boost. I wasn't expecting anything like this. I feel like I'm drinking espresso all day long. Sitting still is kind of driving me crazy and I feel like I need to be cleaning all day long. Nighttime rolls around and I'm not tired... which is WEIRD for me because I usually am in bed by 8pm, and that's without pregnancy. I just feel totally...amped up.
Its really nice, but, I feel like even during the night I cant get into a deep sleep because my body is just buzzing all night. It's really weird, almost like anxiety.
@chasingroygbiv, I notice a lot of pelvic fulness/tightness in the morning when my bladder is full. I also get a lot of gas pain that moves around. But if you think it's not something like constipation, I'd definitely ask the doctor about it.
Anyone having lower back/hip pain? I have a bad back to start with- I broke it when I was younger- but never really had any back pain my first pregnancy. The last 2 days have been horrible! To the point where it shoots pain up my back and down my leg. I keep telling myself it's too early to feel like this, I still have a long way to go and can't deal with this pain the whole time. I'm a teacher and on my feet all day! Im hoping it goes away soon!
I've also had wicked back pain for the last 2 weeks (2 prior herniated discs), but it seems to be starting to ease up today finally.
My major complaint is how congested I feel, but I blow my nose and nothing is in there! I just feel so stuffy all the time! Ugh
@mcb0110 I've been dealing with pretty much exactly the same things. I have posterior pelvic pain that doesn't feel like a muscle and is definitely in the back of my pelvis, not just my lower back, as well as neck tightness that has been causing dull headaches. I asked my OB about it on Tuesday. Basically there's a muscle (I can find the name later) that attaches down there that is already feeling that the system is off kilter. Annnnd, it also plays a role in your neck and likely the dull headaches you've been experiencing. She said massage is a great way to help with that. I'm hoping to find a massage therapist around here who will be reasonably priced enough that I can go a couple times a month. I'm also going to try some prenatal yoga and see if that can help.
@jeanbean15 I think they should be checking your thyroid at some point anyways since pregnancy can throw it out of whack temporarily just like you can get GD. I would definitely make a note to ask next appointment if you have one coming up and if you don't, maybe call in or send your doctor a note. On one hand the productivity appeals after a couple months of the opposite but you need your sleep.
Married: June 2011
TTC since Feb 2016
BFP#1: 7/7/16 MMC: 8/16/16
BFP#2: 5/8/17 - CP
BFP#3: 6/27/17 EDD: 3/10/18
@bravoandprosecco I second @kiki75 on the yoga or stability ball. I used one all the time in the last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy with DS and I felt like it made a huge difference—especially with my hips. They are supposed to be helpful with labor too and I have no complaints. I think I’m going to start sitting on mine again instead of letting DS play with it. Lol.
I also have the fun symptom of cramping. It just feels like period cramps. I had it starting around this time last pregnancy too and it lasted the whole pregnancy so I guess this is my normal haha! At least I am not freaked out with as much worry this time around!
EDD March 12, 2018
Get one or two lacrosse balls (even tennis balls are OK), and if you can, a full-length foam roller. Stand by a wall, put the ball against it, and lean your trapezius muscle into it. (look these muscles up if you don't know what they are) Sway slowly back and forth in the direction of the muscle fiber so that the ball rolls along your muscle and massages it. Do rhomboids and lower traps this way. Do pectoral muscles too. Use the foam roller for lats, glutes, quads, and periformis (top of butt, gets very tight during pregnancy). You can't roll your lower back and smaller, more delicate neck muscles like the SCM, scalenes, and muscles at the base of your skull, but you can carefully knead the little neck muscles between your fingers. Lying down with a gentle hot compress around the neck (rice in sock in microwave) also does wonders.
I just started second trimester and felt worse, and it's hard to do self care when you're feeling icky, but it's worth it!
Anyone been having weird dizzy spells? Just stated affecting me now that I'm in the 2nd tri.
Also, I've been getting dizzy spells but it's because I have a cold and my.blood pressure is low. Have some water and sit down when it happens.
The base of the spine muscle thing is right!! Insane migraines were gone after one session of myofascial release in that area.
Another affordable option is physical therapy. Your copay might be cheaper than the price of a massage (Insurance has different prices/benefits for PT visits so it's worth looking into) and you would need an RX from your doc.