Breathing problems in pregnancy? 15 weeks....Heart..

[debgunn23]

Since about my 6 weeks marker or so i have a hard time breathing. It got worse. I dont feel like i get enough oxygen and its driving me nuts! When i walk stairs or just walk in general or even sitting down watching tv. i feel like i might start to hyperventalte (spelling?) which i dont but was close to it when walking through the courthouse this morning. I was really really angry yesterday, me and my husband got into it (were good now :p) but i tell you my heart raced all day and my breathing was hard all day. I felt like ****. Its like yesterday made it even more difficult today. What can this be??? this cant be hormones.....Can you develop asthma during pregnancy? And does your heart get faster in pregnancy?

[debgunn23]

im only 14 1/2 weeks though, and i started brething problems maybe around 7 or 8 weeks so it cant be from the baby. I think he/she is only about 4 inches now. That could be why im getting worse week by week though, because the baby is gettin bigger and my organs. I was thinking before hand maybe was due to hormones and some congestion could of aided it. Hopefully i will find out whats going on. Thanks for the help. I do feel better that this can be normal.  

[babydreams9]

I had breathing difficulties and really elevated heart rate during my pregnancy as well. I'd get totally winded just getting out of bed. I carried very high and I think that may have had something to do w/it (your uterus pushes your diaphram up, the large flat muscle below your lungs, which decreases lung capacity and makes you short of breath & feel like you just can't get enough air), as well as the fact that your body's in overdrive providing everything for your baby. It drove me crazy that I couldn't even walk down the hall at work without being out of breath. And unfortunately, it only got worse as the pregnancy progressed; I just managed to get used to it I guess. My baby never dropped but most people's do and say they find breathing much easier after that. Be sure to keep your stress levels down, get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and take breif walks when you can. Staying moderately active is hard but it will help. Best wishes!

[nikko*ttc]

Well, you also have to take into account that as our uterus grows everything gets pushed up and around. It is normal for it to get harder to breath the less space we have in there. I am now 29 weeks pg and I get winded going up and down the stairs, sometimes walking around the yard, etc. I have also noticed that I can hear my hb in my ears after these little excursions. This was honestly one of the last things that I thought that I would have a problem with since I was a runner before pg. I just did a mini-marathon (13.1 miles) in April and now I can barely breath to walk from one room to the other. BLAH!!! I will be glad when the baby drops so that I can get some lung capacity back. At least that is what all my preggers books are saying.

[debgunn23]

Its nice to hear im not the only one. I noticed 6 months ago before i was preggo that my breathing was a little difficult but not bad to where i notice it. I thought maybe it was allergies from outside. Or have to do with the heart palpitations, but when i got pregnant it got worse! Today is really bad. Blood clot??? ugh...I will talk to my doctor next appointment. I dont think that may be it  because of having it for about 8 weeks or so. And a little before pregnancy. but i guess anything is possible. I just know it *****. I told my doc last week at an appointment and she listened to my lungs but didnt tell me anything! She didnt tell me much of anything, i guess they will call... i dunno. I hate doctors... They never do there job right.

[Mumita]

I don't know, that is something that I would try to get check out anyways.  If you don't have any insurance you can apply for emergency medicaid since you are pregnant they will cover pregnancy.  You should do that and go to the Dr.  Asthma is no joke and you could be starving your baby of oxigen, I used to have asthma and it really isn't funny.  Also and even more serious which does happen to a lot of pregnant women is a blood clot in your lungs which is very dangerous.  I would say try to go to some urgent care clinic or emergency room, I don' think that this is something that you could ignore.

[KellyA74]

I have the same problem....I'm almost 34 weeks and it's been going on for about 10 weeks now...It's scarey sometimes.....The other day it was so bad in the shower that I thought I was going to pass out and had to sit on the edge of my tub to catch my breath.  Nothing seems to help....I've tried sitting upright on the couch, opening a window while in the shower.....nothing works though.  I totally understand what you're saying though....I can't wait to be able to breath again!  Oh yeah, this morning it hit me while I had my arms up blowdrying my hair!  UGH!

[AnitaRFrith]

Sounds like you have ashma.  I have ashma an it got worse when I got pregnant.  My dr said allot of woman get it when they are pregnant because you heart is working so much harder.  Talk to your dr about it.

[mamaof6]

Yea ive had it w. all my pregnancies. i remember thinking w. my last one, if it was asthma also. sometimes felt like i couldnt get a good breath in. with this one, i do feel short of breath oo. i was thinking it was b/c i had been sick w. bronchitus and ****, but thats pretty much gone and i still get like that. i can walk from the bedroom to the LR (no steps) and be out of breath.  i also have palps :(  ughh! ive had them since i was 22 yrs old.  i may ask my doc about it too when i go back. it is frustrating :(  Good luck!

[Avanaar]

Your body is pumping a lot more blood thru it because of the baby, so your heart has to work extra hard!  This can leave your heart "racing" and make you feel out of breath a lot.  Just walking up the stairs from my basement to the main floor makes me feel like I ran a mile!!

Another reason you start to feel out of breath and have problems with breathing is because your uterus is shoving all your organs up.  This compresses your lungs a bit.  There are times that I will go to lay down on the couch ...starting on my back then switching to my side ...and my lungs will feel like a huge weight is sitting on them.  Usually this sends me into a gasping, coughing fit.  

Just try not to move too fast ...if you feel out of breath, stop and take the time you need to catch it.  Perhaps starting a regimen of short walks in the evening will help your heart and lungs cope with all the changes going on in your body!  But don't over exert yourself!!  Start small and build from there!

[debgunn23]

Youve had the breathing problems in your pregnancies? The heart thing doesnt bother me as much as the the breathing though. I cant take it anymore. I think my heartrate is fast and irregular anyways, ive had heart palpitation for 3 1/2 years but havent been to the doc yet about it (no insurance) Anyone have advice for the breathing? Will a paper bag help? lol Ugh...I know with pregnancy your heart works harder which im sure explains the fast heartrate.

[mamaof6]

Hi. Yes I have the same thing happen to me during my pregnancies. Im not sure why it happens or what it is. My doc did tell me last week that when you are preggos your heart does beat faster. Mine was RACING when i was in his office. He said dont worry i hear this all the time in pregnant women. But i have anxiety/panic disorder, so Im not sure if thats why either. AND I was "diagnosed" w/ appropriate sinus tachy. But they did that in a matter of 4 hrs in the ER :/  So who knows. I was always worried id have a heart attack in Labor ( i worry about EVERYTHING) but i was fine. But you should talk to your doctor about it and see what he says. Good luck!