Postpartum Abdominal Pain: Causes & When to Seek Medical Advice

Question
I had a baby eight days ago.  Yesterday I had pain in my right side below my rib cage.  The pain has increased over the last few days and seems worse in some positions than others.  With my first daughter, I developed a corpus luteum cyst of about 7.5 cm at 35 weeks gestation, which required an ovarian cystectomy after I delivered.  The pregnancy that just ended eight days ago was a very difficult one from beginning to end, complicated by severe migraines and hyperemesis.  While I feel much better migraine and hyperemesis wise, the pain in my side seems reminiscent of the cyst of my first pregnancy, through not as severe.  I've spent a lot of time in hospital with this last pregnancy and am reluctant to return.  Should I be concerned about the pain in my right side or can this be a normal for the post partum period?

Answer
Dear Jill,

Because you have a history of the previous cyst, you really need to let your doctor know and have this checked. A simple (painless) ultrasound should be able to determine whether this is the cause of your discomfort. Normal post-partum recovery would not include an acute one-sided pain such as you describe.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and congratulations on the new little one!

Brenda