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Sharp vaginal pains at 38 weeks pregnant

I have been suffering with dreadful and very painful sharp shooting pains which goes right up inside my vagina for several weeks now!!
This is my first child & i am now 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant.
I have mentioned this pain to my midwife when i saw her and she just said it was preparation for the birth.
Does anyone know exactly what it is? Why have i never heard of it? Even my mum who has worked as a maternity care assistant for 10 yrs seems a little baffled by my symptoms!!
The pain over the past 3 weeks has got worse & more frequent and i seem to get it no matter what activities im doing.
The pain goes as quickly as it comes but its pretty awful & i find myself gasping in pain as it happens which is a little embarrasing if in the middle of a busy public place!!!
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Avatar universal
I know this is an old post but I wanted to respond for women looking for an answer that may come here. I have had two kids currently on my third and I have learned a few things along the way, the sharp pains you are referring to are called lightning crotch and it is caused by the baby dropping and hitting the cervix and or nerves. It is usually accompanied by sharp shooting pains going down the thigh and really the only thing that helps is buying a support sling or just really taking it easy. I wish you the best and I hope this helps someone, I know how scary it can be to not know what is going on.
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Avatar universal
hi i noticed you said you were going to ask to be induced did they do it for you i am 38weeks now and feeling the exact same its horrible x
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Avatar universal
hi i noticed you said you were going to ask to be induced did they do it for you i am 38weeks now and feeling the exact same its horrible x
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Avatar universal
I am 38 weeks & 5 days pregnant w/ my 3rd child & I've always gotten BH contractions early on during my pregnancies. I also had the shooting pains in my crotch w my 2 nd pregnancy & this one, but now it feels like every time the baby moves she's bruising something & the pains are so bad I grab a hold of anything close by & gasp in pain. They bring me to tears & just keep getting worse. I asked my midwife today & explained how bad the pain was & all she said was that's normal w your 3rd child... I'm having a csection in 3 days & it cannot come soon enough! This pain is absolutely miserable!!!
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Avatar universal
Hiya all i am 39 weeks 3 days pregnany due this thursday, ive had loads of aching down below loads of period pains in lower back and lower tummy and when baby moves it feels like she is coming out, but to be honest i cant really tell if i am having contractions!
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Avatar universal
I'm 34 weeks 5 days and i've been having that very sharp pain for weeks now. I asked my dr about it and she told me its the babys head sitting right where it needs to be and that i was already a little over 1cm and starting to thin out. At first only happened when I would walk but the past couple of nights and mornings it happens in my sleep and while i'm resting and the ":rock your hips from side to side" trick makes it worse. I've also noticed I get a lot of braxton hicks right after it happens. and lately every muscle in my stomach is so sore when my baby kicks i cant enjoy it bacuse it hurts so bad. it honestly feels like i've been doing crunches in my sleep. dont know if that would have anything to do with with pain but it definitely seems to be getting worse. This is my first pregnancy and I dont want to be a mommy that goes to the hospital thinking she sin labor every 2 weeks but it is a little worrysome...
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1275167 tn?1270870813
Hmm...I am 37 weeks and 2 days along. I have been having these same pains every day for the last couple of weeks. Also in the last couple of weeks I've gone from 2cm dialated and 80% effaced to 3 cm and almost all the way effaced + the baby's head being all the way down (whatever that means) My nurse told me she doesn't think it will be long poss in the next few days. I have been having increasing pains since my appt. 2 days ago and I'm wondering if this is early labor. I do think I've had some back pain but nothing regular however I have a lot of BH contractions and some hurt in the lower pelvic area. I really don't know if I should call my dr. or just wait until I have the type of contractions they say that start in the lower back and mover forward. I'm gonna wait it out for now, but I'm miserable and the waiting is deff. a hard thing to deal with. I want this baby + I want my body back.
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938326 tn?1300878804
I started having shooting pains up there and into my tummy, but the doctor assured me it was only because of the positioning of the baby, she is sitting on a nerve. It was to the point that it would bring me to my knees on occassion. OUCH.
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Avatar universal
Myself been start to feel them and im 18 weeks and 2 days. I just started to feel them for a couple of days now and having really bad stomach pain along with it. So i dont know what i should do.
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im 38 weeks  and 3days pregnant and also geting the same pains its horrible and making me very nervous this is my 2nd child and i dont recall avin these pains hope all goes well 4 u all whos pregnant congrats x
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Avatar universal
My mid-wife and my chiropractor said the same thing to me - it's the soft tissue in between your pelvis, in your between your pubic bone area that is inflamed/agitated. There's nothing you can do about it :-( (not even icing it) but it will go away after birth - which means a few more weeks of shooting pain in public places and at work!!! Sigh.
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Avatar universal
im 37 weeks 4 days preg and im gettin the same sharp vaginal pains its happening more regular and is very painful when i told my doctor he said that ur getting ready for labour and that it wont be too long b4 baby comes.i guess its just the waitng game now which does feel like forever,im goin to ask to be induced tmorrow i really cant take no more of the swollen hands and feet lower back pain n the vaginal shooting pains! i hate being preg.goodluck to u all xxxxx
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689265 tn?1251130087
my i hope it's not preparation for labour. i've had shooting pains in my vagina the past few days and i'm only 15 weeks!!!
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589762 tn?1330207135
I know exactly what your feeling.... I am 37 weeks and for the last couple weeks I have been having sharp shooting pains down there or what feels like in my Cervix and there pretty painful, they come and they go.... its not a constant thing but does occur every day, every once in a while.... and man it hurts..... The doc told me the same as your mid wife... Just the body prepairing for birth.... kinda feels like the cervix is thinning or stretching getting ready to dilate! Lets hope that this is the reason and its doing some work down there!!!
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