Stacey and Nikie, sharp pains from the sides sound like the round ligament pain.
I had very bad episodes of it as I had flu and been coughing a lot in the night. Coughing and sudden movements/changing positions while on bed, especially if you have your legs stretched out while sleeping, cause sharp pains as I experienced. Each time I wanted to shift position or cough, I curled up a bit and that really helped. Well, that's about sleeping positions. I think it will help if you try to move a bit slower than usual especially when you have the ligaments already stretched - over stretching them causes the pain as I read somewhere.