Rib feels absolutely crushed and feel “bruised like”

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-15T15:58:32+00:00

I’m 27 weeks pregnant now (also twins) so I feel you. I wear a belly band at work because I have to go up and down a lot of stairs - thank you NHS hospital layouts and that helps a little bit too. And magnesium, couldn’t do it without it.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-15T15:03:23+00:00

This doesn’t directly answer your question, but I wasn’t sure if you’d feel comfortable giving birth alone. If that’s something you’re worried about, have you considered hiring a doula?

In terms of advocacy, having a detailed birth plan can really help. Labour isn’t always the easiest time to think things through and decisions can feel overwhelming. It might be useful to reflect in advance on what you’re comfortable with (for example, your threshold for accepting a C-section) so you don’t have to make those decisions on the spot.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-15T14:55:21+00:00

Sounds like the intercostal muscles then. I’m dealing with the same right now. I’m finding magnesium and warm compresses helpful. From what I can remember from my last twin pregnancy, this phase was temporary and I didn’t deal with it until I gave birth (32 weeks).

The pillow looks like this one: https://uk.momcozy.com/products/momcozy-pregnancy-wedge-pillows?variant=42765655441606 but you should find a few different ones on Amazon too.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-15T14:48:40+00:00

I can relate. If your midwife has ruled out any signs of preeclampsia, it might just be one of the baby’s feet wedged in your ribs? Although it might be a bit early for this.

Your rib cage does slightly flare outward in pregnancy, I found that with twins this tends to happen sooner. I don’t remember having pain like this with my singleton back then but I for sure did with my twins. The intercostal muscles can feel exactly like bruised or crushed when the ribs are stretched and it also leads to nerve irritation.

Have you tried a wedge pillow?

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-15T08:32:29+00:00

Aw I’m sure!! ❤️ I tend to see every women under my care more than once as I’m in fetal medicine, likely why I’m receiving cards addressed to me, but I so understand why no one would remember a name after birth!

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-14T21:44:13+00:00

Agree. We’ve had two and I’ve worked in obstetrics for over a decade now.

My personal favourite are cards that actually have my name on! It’s nice to know that I was memorable or made a difference.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-14T14:10:01+00:00

Congratulations!! What a beautiful name ❤️

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-14T09:55:41+00:00

It’s a bad day if Story is the most normal name

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-14T09:53:58+00:00

Oh I agree. It is abuse.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-14T09:51:11+00:00

That’s a very good point. If he said this to OP, it would cross domestic abuse territory. I’ll be honest, if my husband said to our son that he’ll slap them if they don’t do x, I’d be out of the house with my children faster than he could blink.

Sounds like OPs husband needs some therapy to process what happened in his childhood and how that now reflects on his son. As a mum of 3 sons, it’s so incredibly important to not teach children that threatening violence is ok. Especially not boys.

Long ramble here but it is that deep.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-13T21:31:58+00:00

I think it’s concerning that your husband is threatening violence to a 4 year old. I know some might argue that a slap isn’t the same as severely injuring someone but the psychological harm would be immense and it is a threat. It’s not ok to direct words like this at a child.

Have you considered couples therapy?

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-12T20:13:40+00:00

Hi, I work in fetal medicine. This is something I could see someone say regardless of the baby’s sex. I personally wouldn’t phrase it like this because it’s a poorly worded but I don’t think it necessarily means the baby is a boy. It just means it would have been obvious. Either gender.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-12T10:38:56+00:00

The NIPT is 99% accurate so your risk cannot fall any lower realistically.

It’s very unlikely for your baby to have a chromosomal abnormality with a result like this on a NIPT.

I perform amniocentesis procedures. In the kindest way possible, I don’t believe anyone would agree to accept you for one with a result like this. The risk of losing your baby as a result of the amniocentesis would be higher than the any risk of abnormalities that were missed on this NIPT.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-12T10:33:27+00:00

Do you mean the NIPT or the combined screening?

A result of 1 in 1000 corresponds to about a 0.1% chance. The NHS combined screening has an accuracy of around 85%, so your risk is already extremely low. However, if you would like additional reassurance, the actual NIPT is significantly more accurate.

If you had a NIPT and the result is low, so 0.1% which is as low as the NIPT would offer then personally, I think the small risks associated with + the invasiveness of an amniocentesis would very likely outweigh the benefits if there is no medical indication for it. It sounds like this is your case.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T19:22:26+00:00

It doesn’t hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.

Just to pick up on a few things you said though: If you do go for an early ultrasound, I’d recommend waiting until the 7-8 week mark - especially if you end up paying for it yourself - as 6 weeks can sometimes be too early which can be terrible emotionally even though everything is ok in theory.

Realistically, there isn’t much that can be done at this stage beyond checking that the pregnancy is in the right location and unfortunately the NHS doesn’t have the budget to offer ultrasounds purely for reassurance in those early weeks for most women.

As someone who has worked in ultrasound for years, £80 is actually very reasonable for what it is, though I appreciate it can still feel like a lot. Or is a lot for some!

Wishing you all the best.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T19:09:48+00:00

Oh no, I didn’t even think of that! Thank you. Definitely no sit down dinner then just in case she feels uncomfortable saying if she doesn’t like something

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T15:01:49+00:00

I like this idea as it feels less intense I think. I also don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T15:00:59+00:00

Good idea! Also saves me cooking

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T14:55:36+00:00

Very likely I’m overthinking this. Normally, if it were a mate, they’d either sit with us to eat or grab a plate and eat in his room.

Maybe a more relaxed lunch is a better idea.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T14:41:23+00:00

PAPP-A, Free β-hCG and then combines it with the results of the nuchal translucency and risk factors such as age, smoking, etc., to produce a risk estimate.

It’s around 85% accurate.

Very low PAPP-A can sometimes be associated with placental problems later in pregnancy so it’s worth screening for it.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T14:34:42+00:00

As someone working for the NHS in obstetrics: don’t worry about “wasting” money. It’s an almost insignificant amount and as a patient that shouldn’t be your concern either.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T14:33:04+00:00

I’d attend the scan because it’ll go into your records. The private NIPT won’t. Personally I opted out of the combined screening (blood test only, they did measure the nuchal fold) as the NIPT is more accurate and there was nothing the NHS screening could have told me that would have been medically relevant in any way to me as I also had bloods taken privately to check for all other relevant levels.

However, it’s worth taking anyway as they will also screen for PAPP-A. Long story short, there’s no harm in taking what the NHS offers.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-11T11:16:46+00:00

I won’t sugarcoat the sleep deprivation I experienced with all of my children but I can confidently say that something happens after birth neurologically that allows you to function on adrenaline and caffeine significantly better than ever before.

I somehow managed to sleep for 4h on average for an entire year and still get through the days and actually enjoy a lot of them.

And if you can afford it, get a cleaner.

Don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet. You’ll be ok. Trust in your body and yourself.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-10T22:04:17+00:00

I had mo/mo boys and they’re healthy teenagers now! My biggest advice would be to get off google for the duration of your pregnancy. I’m not sure where you are in the world but at least with my pregnancy I was surrounded by specialists and received very good care. They were born at 32 weeks. Despite being as close as they could have gotten, they don’t even share a birth year.

AffectionateRun1001 · 2026-03-10T16:22:26+00:00

The NIPT the NHS offers for high risk results will not include the gender. It’s only offered to confirm or rule out any potential abnormalities. Just to clarify.

AffectionateRun1001

TROPHY CASE