Lack of Sleep

I would suggest you see a chiropractor and try some yoga. It sounds like a pinched nerve. Look for a prenatal yoga class. Are you doing any type of exercise? It is very important to stay active while pregnant - just walking each day is great.

Good Luck.

Hello.
One suggestion (as I had a number of aches and pains similarly- with both pregnancies)....Find a good Massage therapist. You may have a "pinched" type nerve. It can really be painful. Make sure you see someone who knows physiology, not just someone who does relaxation massage. You sound like you will need "deep tissue". Good luck. I hope this works. It is hard enough on your body just making a person, let alone having other aches.
:)

hi D.! have you tried getting either a neck or pregnancy massage? sometimes nerves become impinged just from a tight or contracted muscle over an extended period of time. a massage will loosen that muscle which will release its grip on the nerve(s) which will make you feel better. maybe your insurance will cover physical therapy. aphysical therapist would be able to show you how to relax and stretch certain muscles safely. ask your physician for a referral. good luck!

M.- sahm of 2 boys....8 and 3 y.o., retired P.T.

Hello D.,

I feel for you. I did experience the same thing and it was agonizing to me! First let me say that you probably should seek a second opinion. My GP was able to diagnose me immediately with carpel tunnel. It seemed to have run from my shoulder down my arms. At first it would be numbness but as the night went on and I continued to lay in bed it would acually start feeling as if my arms were on fire. The good news it that after the baby came, 90% of the symptoms went away within a few weeks, unfortunely I had it for the whole pregnancy and it did get worse the further along I was. The doctor did tell me that they can prescribe a a suport glove for my hands however I don't know if that would also alleviate the syptoms in the arms. They also gave my physical therapy exercises that seemed to also help a bit. Also, I did sleep elevated to a reclined sitting position, that delayed the worst of symptoms. Good luck....and keep in mind that it will pass!

I had this same problem when I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 21 months. However it didn't really bother me until the 3rd trimester. My ObGyn told me that the baby was probably pressing on a nerve and that it would probably go away which it did a few months after she was born. If I was you you may want to look into getting a massage - it may really help. Good luck and take care.

I am a massage therapist and it sounds like the same pain that I have experienced. It is most likely due to tight muscles in the arm, shoulder, neck and chest. It could be considered tendonitis. It is very painful and can cause numbness and sharp pain. I experienced this before my pregnany due to overuse in my profession but I also had it when I was pregnant even after I had stopped working. I was confused by this and went to my accupunturist. She said that when you are pregnant the body keeps so much in your core to nourish the baby and somethimes your joints don't get all of the blood flow and circulation that they need. Accupuncture and massage helped me. There are a lot of aches and pains that happen during pregnany and the Dr.'s may tell you that there's nothing you can do about it but massage, accupuncture and chiropractic can relieve most of these discomforts. One other note, I notice you have a 2 year old. I do as well and I still tend to pick her up and carry her quite a bit particulartly on the left side so I can use my right hand. If you are doing this as well that could contribute to your muscle tension. Yoga would be beneficial for you too. I don't know what city you are in, I'm in St. Pete. If you are looking for a Massage Therapist or need any other referrals please feel free to email me ____@____.com.

Hi D.,

I'm so sorry to hear about the pain you're experiencing. I started to experience pain and numbness at 25 weeks. By the time I delivered both my hands were numb and I could only feel parts of my thumbs. My arms were also slightly numb. The pain was the precursor to the numbness. I wish I could say it got better, but it wasn't until after my son was born that I got the feeling back and the pain stopped.

Some suggestions: you can take tylenol which is safe during pregnancy. Also, I wore carpal tunnel wrist and arm braces while I worked or drove my manual car. They helped keep my wrist straight and blood flowing to the hand.

A word of caution: I had the numbness due to swelling and water retention. I ended up having to be on strict bed rest due to preclamsia for a month prior to delivery. Make sure . your doctor is watching your blood pressure. Also, play close attention to other swelling in your body. There are some classic signs of preclamsia that you may want to research and watch for.

I hope this helps and that the pain goes away fast.

S.

Mommy to 4 month old boy

Hi D.,
Yes, I had this pretty bad as well. I went to see a neuromuscular massage therapist who helped me TREMENDOUSLY both during and after my last pregnancy. They massage the muscles around the bones that keep you from being out of alignment...I'm telling you, if you are anywhere near the St. Pete area, I can give you the name of my guy, if not, maybe they could steer you in the right direction for someone near you. It was caused (for me) by the bones pinching on nerves as my body changed and stretched, with the pregnancy. I used them afterwards because I was all twisted from the birth and also from nursing and holding my baby and having my neck in one position for too long while looking down at him...it's alot of stress on the body to make these babies!! I hope this helps, let me know if you want their number.

C.
Mama to Amber (6) Aubrey (5) Aidan (2) Aren (1)

It absolutely sounds like a pinched nerve. My advice is to go to your OB/GYN or your regular doctor, and tell them about the pain. Do not underemphasize the pain - be honest about how BAD it really hurts. If you make light of the pain, they will not take you seriously.

If it were me, I'd ask for a prescription for physical therapy. At physical therapy, they can do massages, heat packs and exercises to help release the pinched nerve. If you have health insurance, it should all be covered.

I would definitely not just wait and not do anything. If a nerve stays pinched long enough -- especially as badly as yours is pinched -- it can cause permanent nerve damage. :-( So go to the doctor right away and get a prescription for physical therapy!

If I were you I would get a second opinion. If you really think it is carpal tunnel, it may be. A friend of mine got that REALLY bad with her pregnancy. Don't give up - you deserve to enjoy your pregnancy, as pain-free as possible! Good luck.

D.,

I had that problem too when I was pregnant. My Dr told me it was similar to carpal tunnel but caused by normal pregnancy swelling around the nerves of the wrist. He reccomended a wrist splint which I bought at Walgreens and used till the end of my pregnancy when I was sleeping. Some nights I would switch it back and forth but most of my trouble was on the right side.

I would try the splint, its cheap and easy to find at drug stores, if you do experience pain on both hands make sure you buy a splint that is reversible...

I still had some tingling postpartum, but it eventually went away and all that keeps me from sleeping now is a teething 6 month old...:)

Good luck!

M.

It sounds like you may need to go to a chiropractor to get them to look at your spine... you may have some nerves pinched.... Find one that uses gentle moves and understands the proper way to adjust you when you are pregnate....

Good luck...

Oh and you may want to try that wax you soak your hands in too...

L. G.

My mother experienced this same pain when she was pregnant with me... SEVERAL years ago. She said the doctors diagnosed it as me pinching one of her nerves. Does your child tend to sleep on one side as opposed to the other? My mother said the doctors did nothing for it, as there is really nothing they can do. A massage may help, but if it is in fact your baby pinching a nerve, try moving them away from their prefered spot. You may get kicked several times for this, but I am sure that is better than the pain. I am currently pregnant and I know my baby prefers to sleep on my right side.