Weekly Questions (2/18)

izza2

Let Madame Mimosa answer all of your questions with her crystal ball!



Or the rest of us will answer them because Madame Mimosa charges $10 a minute and she's kind of a whacko.

amys614

Does anyone else's round ligament pain present as just a dull ache or cramping? I am not getting sharp pains, well except my pelvic issue that has been going on since week 13, but these things that started last night felt like mild menstrual cramps. They freaked me out for a second until I realized they didn't have a clear start or stop, no pattern. Just a constant lower stomach discomfort. I feel like I remember having something similar around 15 weeks when things were stretching. Maybe it's just more stretching, but it had me 3am googling. 

catlady1215

@amys614 I have no real solid answer. cause I really have no idea when what I'm feeling is round ligament pain or some random cramp etc etc. But I will say I've had random moments when I'm like 'oh, why does that feel like a menstrual cramp?!'. my go-to is upping my water and relaxing... cause it atleast makes me feel like I'm doing something for it? sometimes I also wonder if its just my digestive tract. but just so you know you're not alone!

becca_123

@amys614 I woke up in the MOTN a couple nights ago with a menstrual like pain on my lower left side.  It didn't go away instantly like what RLP does and it was a little uncomfortable for a while so I just drank some water and adjusted positions, which didn't work but it went away on it's own after about 20 mins.  I can't speak to what it is either but I would assume it is just some pregnacy related bodily function.  

taykc90

Same!  I had this a couple weeks ago (also in the middle of the night....are we noticing a pattern here?) and it freaked me out!  FTM....it felt like pretty bad menstrual cramps and lasted like a half hour, then I had more mild menstrual-like cramps for an hour or so after that.  DH and I were up for a couple hours because I couldn't sleep (and he never sleeps well) and I was worried.  Called my OB the next day and they weren't concerned, said it could be RLP or even constipation.  As long as it's not accompanied by bleeding I think you're pretty much in the clear!  But yeah it's not fun.  I've also had random sharp pains that go away quickly and happen when I quickly change positions (like getting out of the car) and that's what I was thinking RLP was like based on what I've read.

doxiemoxie212

Hip flexor pain on right side - pregnancy related or just normal pulled muscle stuff? Anyone have any ideas? It’s been pretty painful for 4 days. 

ramennoodlegif

@doxiemoxie212 I've had the same thing going on for awhile. I tend to always have pregnancy-related hip issues, though. If it doesn't go away soon, or gets worse, you may want to consider PT. 

doxiemoxie212

@kfren ugh I’m nervous about anything related to my hips opening too wide too soon because I have loose ligaments to begin with and was warned this might happen in pregnancy. Nooooo lol

marcus7676

@doxiemoxie212 I have terrible hip pain from DS - it never really went away. I was diagnosed with bursitis and snapping hip before this pregancy.  Are you sleeping with a pillow between your legs (that extends from your knee to your feet)?  Try foam rolling your butt (I almost said bum) and hip if you have a foam roller - that could help.  

ramennoodlegif

@doxiemoxie212 Sorry! Pregnancy is the only time I ever have hip issues and this time around it seems like it's starting earlier than the others. Before though, it was my internal rotator cuff. This feels more like a ligament and I'm thinking it may be because this kid is about as freaking low as he can possibly get while still remaining in utero.

krash_

@marcus7676 what exactly is bursitis and snapping hip? I have been able to pop my hips since I was probably 16. It would actually start to hurt if I didn't pop my hips. Like cracking knuckles. I've never brought it up to a dr because it never really bothered me all that much. But I have been having a lot of hip and lower back pain that started at about 15 weeks. I have started sleeping with a pillow between my legs but it has been getting worse sleeping on my side. 

doxiemoxie212

@krashke yes I pop my hips too. @marcus7676 also curious about bursitis. I have always slept with a pillow between my legs (huggy pillow has been my body pillow since second grade... lol). This is really along my hip flexor, like I can definitely stretch it. 

amys614

@doxiemoxie212 yes to the hip pain. Mine feel strained and achy. I have also been having pelvic pain due to loose ligaments since week 15 . The pregnancy support brace helps me a lot--keeping things kind of tight and aligned all day. Has also been helping with my sciatica. No miracles, by any means, but the fact that I can feel a big difference on days I skip it,  and the fact that it hasn't gotten worse from weeks 15-24 has me feeling like it's worth it. Judging by the level of pain at week 15, I was wondering how I was going to make it to week 40 if it got progressively worse as I assumed it would. So far, so good....or well, as good as it can be .

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 do people always freak out when you do it? MH hates it and says it looks like I am trying to push out a fart lol. Sometimes I don't even notice I'm doing it and people will see me and ask "was that your hip?" all appalled. I have never known anyone else that does it.  

doxiemoxie212

@krashke I crack everything - hips, back, neck, wrists, knees, ankles, feet, toes, fingers, etc - and yes, it freaks everyone out. It happens without me even trying. Apparently I’m likely at an increased risk for pelvic or spinal issues during pregnancy because of how naturally loose my ligaments are + relaxin. DH is mostly jealous of my cracking rather than grossed out. 

dinodna3

@krashke @doxiemoxie212 I can pop my hips out too. I have to do it to relieve pain sometimes. My H hated it and it really creeps him out. I tried to take a belly dancing class once and couldn’t do it because that motion just pops my hip out constantly. 

May14th2011

+1 to the cracking everything. Everything loosens up during pregnancy so I don't even have to put effort into it, I sit up and six things crack. It does kind of gross DH out, more from like "that has to hurt!" Perspective. 
Also, I can't spread my legs open too far or I get intense pain. That sounds sex related but really it's like if I'm laying in bed and roll over, if I don't move my legs together I get terrible pain. One of those fun things that seems to get worse with age/number of pregnancies and makes me so glad this is my last.

silvergreen

+1 to popping hips and experiencing aches lately. I am tossing and turning all night as my hips begin to ache being on one side too long. Found it's significantly worse on days where I've been on my feet a lot. I've just been shrugging it off as loosening joints.

I have also experienced menstrual-like cramps at night now and then, but find if I bend my knees up it will subside. Almost like it's too much stretching of the uterus/abdomen with legs fully extended/stretched.

Had a sleepgasm in the early morning hours yesterday and baby went crazy with movements. Was kind of weirded out by that - like, did it love it or hate it?

doxiemoxie212

@silvergreen I've heard babies in utero love orgasms because they get some of the endorphins lol

marcus7676

Snapping hip syndrom is different from cracking/popping your hips (like you would crack your knuckles).  When I walk, I can feel a tendon or something snapping into and out of place - it's on the front inner portion of where my leg meets my pelvis.  It is painful over time - by the end of the day, I can't walk when its at its worst.  Bursitis is unrelated to that - I have swelling at the greater trochanter (outside of my hip).  I can't take NSAIDs, so I have very little that I can do to treat the bursitis except PT (stretching and strengthening).  While they aren't related to pregnancy, the Ortho thought pregnancy excacerbated both. 

@doxiemoxie212 sometimes stretching in pregnancy can make things worse (overstretching) because of the looseness.  Try foam rolling.  It will be painful at first, but should help.

katie121209

Lol at the sleepgasm!!:)

doxiemoxie212

@marcus7676 I don't know how I would get a foam roller there. It's basically like, my inner hip? Like where my hip flexors are. Like where my leg meets my abdomen? In that dip there? Sort of along my pubic bone and then up/down from there a little, but along my pelvis, if that makes sense? Will foam rolling my butt/outer hip help that? Or should I try to get like a tennis ball or something and try to wedge it in there and roll on that?

silvergreen

@doxiemoxie212 OMG, I hope so. I swear if I counted all the movements I'd probably be at 30+ within 10 mins of having it and was freaking out like, "Are you okay in there?!" I've kind of been trying to avoid them this whole time because I hear about painful cramps, and being PGAL any thoughts about contractions just generally stress me out. The sleepgasm I had prior to that one a week or two ago was super weird as it had my tailbone area in a constant cramp for like 5-10 mins. I kept trying to remind myself of what I read in Bringing Up Bebe with the French magazine saying an orgasm creates a jacuzzi-effect for the baby, lol.

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 you could rest the front of your hips on the foam roller kind of like you are in an upward dog or on one side with your other leg up bent at the knee. As long as you aren't rolling over the bump it should be fine but obvi if you are concerned I would ask your doc. 

doxiemoxie212

@silvergreen this baby moves so much all the time that I haven't noticed much of a difference post orgasm personally. Just the regular boxing she appears to be doing. But I also have had very little interest in seeking out orgasms. Started in first tri being nervous for the same reasons, and since then I just haven't gotten back into it. I told DH last night we need to start having bad sex this week so we can get it out of the way and have good sex on vacation next week. 

doxiemoxie212

@krashke the pain is lower down... or like.... inside? I don't know, I would have to spread my legs maybe and sort of try straddling it? I'm not really sure. I'm not worried about hurting the bump at all, I just logistically have no idea how to do it. I've tried, but I just can't get to it. 

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 haha!!! I love your logic to get the bad sex out of the way so you can have good vacation sex! 

TBH...FFTC...most of my orgasms don't involve MH ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ when we have sex nowadays I require things to be very specific and I feel bad because I'm being very particular and one second I will be totally there and the next its gone. So it's just easier if me to handle things when I need to. 

doxiemoxie212

@krashke that's how I am under the best circumstances. Like, I think I'm pretty boring to have sex with (unless I just give up on having an orgasm myself) because I need everything to remain exactly the same, no distractions, and I have to close my eyes and just focus focus focus or I can't get there. Now being pregnant, I don't even really know what I have to do to orgasm. Even by myself, the process and signs that I'm getting close seem to be different (I mean, I can get there, it's just... different). It's so weird. FFTC, we've had sex like 4 times since BFP, and two of those times I've actually found that sex sort of hurts -- almost like it burns? We use lube, and the lube itself doesn't burn so it's not that, but almost like... almost like my body does NOT like the friction. I googled and I guess I might have varicose veins in my vagina or something? That's my only guess. Which just sounds SO FUN!  But I'm going to keep on keeping on and hopefully by the time we're on vacation my body will be used to having sex again and will maybe even want to have sex lol. 

LaceyBee522

@doxiemoxie212 This is the pose I use to get to my hip flexors. I think it should hit your sore spot.

https://www.foamroll.net/foam-roller-exercises/hip-flexors/

doxiemoxie212

@LaceyBee522 hmmm ok I will try that... I feel like I tried that before, and it didn't work, but maybe knowing that it SHOULD work will help me figure it out lol

doxiemoxie212

Do you guys want to hear a funny story from our first lets-get-the-bad-sex-over-with escapade last night? Of course you do! 

So, we were going to do it spoons because lazy, and neither of us really like to touch the lube with our hands if we can avoid it. I usually just lay on my back briefly with my legs in the air and squirt it on my vagina. So DH is trying not to fall asleep and also stay hard (guys, our sex life, it's so sexy), and I roll onto my back and realize that I can no longer see my vagina because of the bump, so I'm trying to physically lift the bump up so I can see, but it isn't working. This devolved into a fit of giggles from both of us, and I ended up blindly squirting the lube down there, and sort of hit the target but not really. So. Maybe next time will squirt on DH. Probably a better plan. 

LaceyBee522

@doxiemoxie212 Loling at your story! Also, if you use the end of the foam roller instead of the middle, sometimes that helps. 

dinodna3

@marcus7676 I've never actually looked up or asked a doctor about my hip popping but I just looked up snapping hip sydrome on youtube. My hip does the same thing as what the girl in this video does. Thankfully, it really only causes a lot pain when I'm dancing. That sucks that it bothers you so much when you walk. Is there any exercises that you can do to help it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIbY0v-k3nk

llamamama14

1. Noooo cracking or popping ick. I just can't. It's like nails on a chalkboard. Sorry to those with aches and pains. The only thing I find that helps me handle pregnancy with fewer aches and pains is being active. I think being a bit more toned keeps the loose ligaments in check or something. Or maybe getting my blood flowing helps. IDK. (I wish I had less sanctimonious sounding advice...I also know exercise isn't an option for some pregnancy complications.)

My question: Do others find their weight can vary by several pounds from day to day depending on the time of day, how constipated/backed up they are? I had a mild heart attack yesterday at the number on the scale having jumped up 6 lbs. overnight but I think a lot of it was me being really backed up because I've been sick and not active and not drinking coffee (tea or hot water instead) so my BMs were  infrequent. I had an OB appt. yesterday and by their charts I gained 8 lbs since my last visit a month ago but I honestly think it was more like 4. I was also wearing my Hunter rain boots at the appointment and those are 3.4 lbs (I of course weighed them at home.) 

doxiemoxie212

@llamamama14 I actually suspect I hurt my hip flexor doing squats. I've been doing 100/day, and I think my body must not have liked one particular round. I'm pretty careful about form so IDK. And yeah, my weight fluctuates based on how recently I've eaten/drank water, etc.

amys614

@llamamama14 all my weight gains are whack. My last 3 visits have consisted of: gain 7, lose 1, gain 6. Some of the first was winter boots, no explanation for the loss of a pound besides no winter boots, and today most of it is legit except for I haven't had a BM in almost 2 days. So yeah...

marcus7676

@doxiemoxie212 this is the first link, but there may be better ones: https://www.foamroll.net/foam-roller-exercises/hip-flexors/ It's an awkward position to get into, but may help.

@dinodna3 I have stretches and exercises that helped the snapping hip (it's all but gone now due, I think, the relaxion from pregnancy) pre-pregancy, but I got lazy doing them so my hip is tight again.  

ffw0617

@Llamamama14 for sure. I mean if you go from pooping everyday to having to think "when is the last time I pooped" like I do of course you're gonna notice a change in the scale.

llamamama14

@doxiemoxie212 Maybe with that many squats your hip flexors started to take more of the impact than your glutes.  Lightly stretching your hip flexors and doing some moves to strengthen your glutes and core in isolation might help. (Tightening your glutes loosens your hip flexors.)

 https://www.livestrong.com/article/536009-glute-exercises-that-fix-tight-hip-flexors/

llamamama14

@amy614 Yeah. The first doctor's appointment where I wear flip flops and shorts is going to be my moment of triumph. 

buffalove1211

@llamamama14 I pay no attention to any weight besides what I see on the scale in the morning after not eating all night.  That number seems to be going up consistently.  I don't even look at the scale when I'm at the doctor because maybe I have a sweatshirt on or maybe I just chugged water.  I mentally don't even want to know!