heart palpitations

[spec]

I am 20wks pg, and for over a week, I've been having "pvc's".  For those of you that do not know what this is, it is an irregular heart rhythm or a skipped beat.  I had them about 2 years ago, and I saw a cardiologist and had a couple of tests that were normal.  He put me on some medication (beta blocker) for a couple of weeks, and they went away.   It does not hurt, but is annoying and sometimes at night keeps me from going to sleep.  I talked to my doctor about it and he told me if they continue, that he would get an EKG and that beta blockers were safe to take while pregnant.  I really do not want to take anything unless absolutely necessary.  Has anyone else had any experience with this?  

[DML100607]

I was told that occasional "skipped beats" (which are actually extra beats, but it feels like a skipped beat) can be somewhat common in pregnancy due to the increase of blood causing the heart to pump little harder.   I guess it depends on how often they're experienced.

[pcarsey]

Hi again,

I haven't experienced this, but my sister that I mentioned in the other post went through this, they just kept her on a heart monitor during her labor and she had to have a C-Section because they were afraid her heart would act up during labor and delivery. Her and baby came out just fine, but she and her DH were scared to death when they found out that she had heart palpitations early on, I think she was about 10 weeks. Good Luck to you!

Patty

[spec]

thanks for your responses.  I work prn in a cath lab and plan on talking to one of the cardiologists that I saw previously for the pvc's.  I am going to work on tuesday, so I plan to talk to one of them then and also get an EKG.  The pvc's are sustained, so I think they could last for a while, and I don't want to cause any harm to the baby.  Thanks again for your responses.

[Tanker Chic]

I occasionally take beta blockers for situational anxiety.. My ob/gyn told me they were safe to take during pg... I haven't taken them, because for me it isn't all that necessary, but if you need them, I would take them.  

good luck..

[1nana]

Although pvc's can be benign, they can also cause serious problems. For the babies'  sake, I would follow through with at least an EKG and maybe even a holter monitor.