Shortness of breath during pregnancy in early and late stages

One of the most unpleasant symptoms for expectant mothers is shortness of breath during pregnancy. If anyone doesn’t know, it’s a feeling of lack of air when you inhale, but you literally can’t breathe. There is a lack of oxygen. At the same time, the heart rate increases greatly.

Due to this ailment, the vast majority of expectant mothers are forced to keep windows or vents open around the clock and cannot lead a normal lifestyle due to very poor tolerance to physical activity - breathing stops literally immediately.

There are many causes of shortness of breath:

• overload of the mother’s cardiovascular system (the heart and blood vessels must now work not for one organism, but for two);
• lack of oxygen (oxygen inhaled by the mother is distributed between her and the baby);
• iron deficiency anemia (low hemoglobin);
• real heart problems (defects, etc.);
• the uterus, which supports the lungs from below (usually in the eighth month of pregnancy and later);
• rhinitis during pregnancy (hormonally caused “stuffy” nose), when nasal breathing is difficult, shortness of breath occurs;
• acute and chronic renal failure;
• thyrotoxicosis (pathology of the thyroid gland).

And although in most cases shortness of breath in expectant mothers is normal, it is imperative to complain about it to the gynecologist leading the pregnancy. And he will probably refer her to a therapist and, possibly, a cardiologist, endocrinologist and pulmonologist.

What tests and examinations are coming?

1. Measurement blood pressure. This procedure awaits a woman at every doctor’s appointment. But in case of shortness of breath and periodic surges in pressure (including the so-called syndrome white coat) a woman is recommended to take measurements independently, at home, 2 times a day.
2. Pulse measurement. Often shortness of breath is accompanied by tachycardia. This is a very unpleasant condition. Normally, the pulse of women during pregnancy is 80-100 beats per minute, slightly higher than outside pregnancy. But in some women the pulse goes off scale to 150-170 beats with a small physical activity. This is a very big load on the heart.
3. ECG. Standard pregnancy test. Normally, the ECG results should read “sinus rhythm,” but “sinus tachycardia” is also a variant of the norm. The main thing is that there are no records of deviation of the electrical axis of the heart.
4. General analysis blood with determination of hemoglobin. The fact is that the feeling of shortness of breath, lack of air and tachycardia is a clear sign of a lack of iron in the body. Usually happens when hemoglobin is below 100-110. Once hemoglobin increases, breathing will immediately become easier. And your strength will increase noticeably.
   

   Attention! Low hemoglobin is dangerous for both mother and fetus.

   Anemia in the first trimester of pregnancy provokes abnormal development of the placenta and miscarriages. In the second and third trimester - delayed fetal development and oxygen starvation. After birth, children also suffer from anemia and lag behind in physical and intellectual development.

5. Holter monitoring. This is a heart rate test. It is carried out throughout the day. This is something like an ECG recording that is done over several hours. Accordingly, this study is many times more reliable than it. Of course, a minus for expectant mother is inconvenient - you will have to walk around for a day with sensors on your body and a small device (recording) on ​​your belt. Plus keep a diary in which to record all your actions. Physical activity - walking - is especially important. Be sure to go up and down the stairs a couple of times and write down the time in your diary.
   If, apart from an increased heart rate in response to physical activity, no problems are identified, then you can relax. After the birth everything will pass. But doctors usually play it safe and advise you to also undergo an ultrasound examination of the heart.
6. Ultrasound of the heart. The procedure is even more unpleasant than Holter monitoring. It would seem like an ordinary ultrasound. What's unpleasant about it? But no. The fact is that during an ultrasound of the heart, the doctor presses very hard on the ribs with the sensor. And for women who have intercostal neuralgia, this action will bring severe pain. But this nuance, of course, is not a reason to cancel this examination. Especially if a caesarean section is planned.
7. Consultation with an endocrinologist and possibly an ultrasound of the thyroid gland. Especially if you have symptoms such as:

• weight loss;
• sweating;
• diarrhea;
• irritability;
• blurred vision.

How to deal with shortness of breath if no abnormalities are found?

If the examination results indicate that everything is in order, take the following measures.

1. Stay outdoors more often, or at least ventilate the room. You absolutely need an influx of oxygen. Always sleep with the window open.
2. Find a body position in which the uterus does not put too much pressure on the diaphragm, then it will be easier for you to breathe. Breathing problems usually occur when sitting.
3. Walk slowly, never rush. And if you are walking alone, always have a phone and some money for a taxi, just in case. You never know...
4. If your doctor does not mind, start taking motherwort and valerian decoctions alternately. They are very calming, including slightly reducing attacks of shortness of breath and tachycardia.
5. Eat little by little. Remember that a full stomach, coupled with a huge uterus, puts pressure on the diaphragm and does not allow you to breathe freely.
6. Avoid strenuous physical activity.
7. Humidify the air at home during the heating season. It is much easier to breathe with humid air, and the nasal mucosa will not dry out.

What to do if an attack of shortness of breath begins?

Try to calm down and stop if you are in motion. Next, you need to sit down if possible and start breathing as follows: take a deep breath and exhale. This way the body will receive enough oxygen for both itself and the fetus. Remember that your labored breathing threatens the child with hypoxia.

If you are at home, take a position in which your lungs will be as free as possible - get on all fours. And keep breathing deeply. By the way, such breathing not only saturates well with oxygen, but also calms you down. And during childbirth, it is very useful - it relieves a little pain by relaxing the muscles of the uterus and promotes rapid dilatation of the cervix.

Remember!

The causes of shortness of breath, especially acute ones, can be very severe, including cancer. Therefore, if you feel unwell, be sure to inform your doctor. Sometimes nine months of waiting for a baby seems endlessly long. It’s not for nothing that they say that waiting is the hardest thing, especially when you are waiting for the happiness, miracle and joy that a new little person will bring you. What a woman has to go through during these three semesters stretched out over time - anxiety for her own and her child’s health, hormonal revolutions in the body, pressure surges, depression, constant fatigue and a lot of other problems and inconveniences. This process begins from the first days and continues until childbirth, in connection with which various unforeseen situations and side effects follow one after the other. Many mothers recall that it took a particularly long time for them- and this is understandable, because by this time all the colossal changes planned by Mother Nature had already completely occurred with the expectant mother.

Of course, not everyone experiences certain unpleasant sensations to the same extent: some suffer most from heartburn, others from lower back pain, bloating or swelling. Sometimes appears itchy skin, pain in the legs or in the perineum, nasal congestion or venous network - and all this can happen in turn, or it can fall on you at once. The most common problem, found on last weeks- this is shortness of breath during pregnancy, when it becomes more and more difficult for the expectant mother to breathe, and sometimes it seems that there is not enough air for either herself or the child.

Reasons why an expectant mother may experience shortness of breath

Sometimes such breathing difficulties appear at 25–28 weeks, when the tummy has already become fairly rounded. And there is a very logical explanation for this.

So, the uterus with the baby inside it is constantly growing and pushing all the organs nearby in different directions. Because of this, your stomach may suffer (and you will suffer from heartburn), bladder(the uterus will put pressure on it, and you will run to the toilet very often), the intestines (but here it’s the other way around - peristalsis slows down significantly, and you will experience constipation) and your lungs will certainly experience discomfort.

If you have an idea of ​​how these processes occur inside you, you should know that the uterus not only increases in size every day, but also rises higher and higher. With the onset, it already noticeably compresses the diaphragm, and it becomes increasingly difficult for a pregnant woman to breathe.

Now shortness of breath is felt even with the most minimal physical exertion - for example, bending over or climbing the stairs to the second floor. This condition is constantly intensifying, but immediately before birth, 2–3 weeks, your baby will begin to move down, trying to take the most advantageous position for the “start.” At this moment you will immediately feel such long-awaited relief

Shortness of breath during pregnancy - how to minimize this problem?

If you have a good doctor, and you yourself are a responsible future mother, then about everyone possible problems you will certainly be armed with knowledge long before it occurs. Ask your doctor how to alleviate or completely prevent shortness of breath, and he will be obliged to give you detailed explanations on this matter. And we will only briefly outline the most popular methods.

1. Have you experienced shortness of breath during pregnancy? It's time to get busy breathing exercises for expectant mothers, because now is the time for this. Mastering the correct breathing techniques is very important - it will help you alleviate the suffering during childbirth, provide your little one with better access to oxygen at this difficult moment for both of you, and teach you how to behave correctly during alternating contractions with pushing. Get on all fours and try in this position to achieve maximum relaxation of all parts of the body. Then take alternately a very deep breath, then exhale the same way. Repeat the exercise as soon as shortness of breath becomes painful, and do it until you feel relief.

2. If you feel a sharp lack of air, immediately sit down or lie down. You can squat down if your legs don’t hurt - this option suits some people best. But more often, pregnant women feel relief when they are in a reclining position. Often in the last stages you even have to sleep in this position.

3. Change positions more often - sit, lie down, then walk and do light exercises. Change your location and don't sit still. If you feel that there is not enough air to breathe, sometimes it is enough to turn on the other side or get up and do a warm-up.

4. Don't stop your daily walks, even if it's very difficult to breathe. You must remember that the baby constantly needs new portions of oxygen. Take an accompanying person with you, lean on his hand - and go to the promenade in the nearest park. Very soon you will be walking here with a stroller! And you won’t even remember about the temporary difficulties associated with such a phenomenon as shortness of breath during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a special condition that will be remembered throughout your life, but the problems in this situation are also special. Many of the frequent complaints of pregnant women are typical conditions associated with the process of pregnancy itself. During pregnancy, the mother's body endures a load borderline between normal and pathological. Pregnancy itself is a physiological condition, but the mother’s body does not always optimally tolerate the loads placed on it. One of the common complaints of pregnant women at the appointment is the appearance of shortness of breath.

Dyspnea is a change in the frequency and depth of respiratory movements, which are accompanied by a feeling of lack of air and, less often, other complaints (chest congestion, breathing pain, cough, sputum production, dizziness, discomfort behind the sternum and in the heart area).

Causes of shortness of breath during pregnancy

Shortness of breath associated with pregnancy.

On early stages shortness of breath can be caused by sudden changes in blood pressure, especially towards hypotension, that is, a decrease in blood pressure below 90/60 mm. Hg Art. This is due to the action of progesterone, which relaxes the walls of blood vessels and fluid is deposited in the lower extremities, while the pulmonary circulation is somewhat depleted and the heart rate increases. This is not a critical condition, but it does cause some inconvenience. As a rule, such shortness of breath is accompanied by darkening of the eyes, increased heart rate, weakness, dizziness and occurs with a sudden change in position, for example, if a pregnant woman suddenly got out of bed, stood up from a sitting or squatting position, when bending over, that is, when the body must adapt to the change in position.

This condition is short-term, goes away on its own with rest and is not accompanied by any consequences. The period of shortness of breath in pregnant women in the early stages approximately coincides with the period of toxicosis in the first half and normally the condition improves after 12 weeks, in some it manifests itself up to 16 weeks.

This condition is temporary and functional (that is, not caused by structural changes or damage to any organ).

If shortness of breath in the first trimester is accompanied by discomfort in the heart area, congestion in the chest, you hear wheezing (sometimes wheezing in the lungs is heard at a distance, they are called remote) and some other symptoms, then shortness of breath requires clarification and further examination with the consultation of specialists.

Shortness of breath caused by pregnancy in later stages is a condition in which the growing uterus begins to put pressure on neighboring organs. First of all, the bladder, stomach and intestines are affected, as the closest organs. The diaphragm (a muscular connective tissue structure that, like a septum, separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity) becomes a “neighboring organ” only in the third trimester of pregnancy. The enlarged uterus puts pressure on the diaphragm from below and thereby limits the movement (excursion) of the lungs, it becomes more difficult to inhale deeply, and with a load slightly greater than daily, a feeling of lack of air occurs.

Normally, in the later stages, shortness of breath is present in almost everyone, but its severity varies.

Weight gain during pregnancy also plays a role here, if there is excessive weight gain or sudden weight gain. certain period, then the load on the cardiovascular system increases and increased heart rate and shortness of breath occur.

How larger sizes uterus, the more it puts pressure on the diaphragm and the more pronounced the accompanying effects. The size of the uterus must correspond to the term; with polyhydramnios or a large fetus, the size of the uterus exceeds the gestational age, and this is unfavorable for both the mother and the unborn baby.

Closer to childbirth, the stomach “lowers”, the baby’s head is pressed against the entrance to the pelvis. In primiparous women this happens closer to the due date, after 37 weeks, in multiparous women earlier - sometimes a woman notices that the belly has sank already from 35 weeks. At the same time, shortness of breath immediately noticeably decreases, as does heartburn, but it becomes a little more difficult to walk, nagging pain and a feeling of tension in the lower back are often disturbing.

To alleviate the mother's condition, simple, inexpensive techniques are recommended: sleep in a well-ventilated room and on the left side, placing a pillow under the stomach or using a special horseshoe-shaped pillow for pregnant women, do not eat immediately before bed and generally avoid heavy dinners, do not wear uncomfortable clothes. and tight clothing and underwear.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system (heart defects, rhythm and conduction disorders, arterial hypertension, myocardial dystrophy).

Diseases of the cardiovascular system and bronchopulmonary apparatus manifest themselves in various types of shortness of breath outside of pregnancy. But if you are aware that you have a chronic disease, then during the period of preparation for pregnancy you need to visit a specialized specialist (cardiologist, arrhythmologist, pulmonologist) and achieve maximum compensation for the condition, select those compatible with pregnancy medications and pass additional treatment(for example, treatment in a pressure chamber for bronchial asthma or high-tech types of treatment for arrhythmias).

Pregnancy is a state of increased stress on female body, including increased fluid load. The volume of circulating blood sometimes doubles, especially with twins, which adversely affects the functioning of the heart. The heart is overloaded with the volume of work performed and manifestations of heart failure occur (swelling of the legs and mixed shortness of breath, when both inhalation and exhalation are difficult). The effect of progesterone can also provoke an increase in arrhythmia attacks various types.

Treatment of cardiac dyspnea is achieved only by compensation of the underlying disease.

Diseases of the respiratory system (bronchial asthma, obstructive bronchitis and pneumonia).

With exacerbation of pulmonary diseases, especially such as bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis, shortness of breath occurs with difficulty exhaling, congestion in the chest and often a cough, dry or with scanty sputum that is difficult to separate, with the development of a pronounced inflammatory response, fever and all signs of inflammation also develop .

Any of these conditions requires consultation with, at a minimum, a therapist. And then you may need to consult a pulmonologist (a specialist in lung diseases) and carry out specific studies (FVD, in exceptional cases - chest X-ray).

Bad habits (smoking regular or electronic cigarettes).

Bad habits during pregnancy affect the health of both mother and child. Smoking is the inhalation of a mixture of tar and nicotine, which causes a short-term spasm of many small vessels. This effect is superimposed on the state of hormonal changes, which cannot be avoided, and the pregnant woman may experience shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness and palpitations. All these episodes are accompanied by periods of fetal hypoxia (hypoxia is a lack of oxygen, acute or chronic, read more in our article “Fetal hypoxia”). And the more often this happens, the more severe the lack of oxygen it experiences. future baby and the more pronounced consequences this entails.

Smoking electronic cigarettes or pipes is the inhalation of vapors of glycerin, propylene glycol and nicotine with flavorings. With this type of addiction, the impact of tars is reduced, but it causes no less harm.

It's obvious that the only way to minimize harm to a child is to refuse bad habit. Abrupt cessation of smoking, as a rule, causes withdrawal syndrome and exacerbation of chronic bronchitis of a smoker with a cough with viscous, difficult-to-discharge sputum. This condition requires consultation with a therapist. It is much better to give up the bad habit at least three months before the expected conception, then the harm from smoking will be minimal and the period of primary adaptation will pass.

Irrational physical activity.

Both physical overload and physical inactivity are almost equally dangerous. Irrational exercise stress not uncommon during pregnancy. Some, following the recommendation of older relatives, try to lie down throughout their pregnancy and not exert themselves, because they believe that pregnancy is practically an illness and rest - best medicine. But some, on the contrary, do not reduce their previous loads, walk or swim for hours, fearing weight gain and the appearance of edema.

Both cases are examples of incorrect activity. Rational physical activity is one that avoids excessive weight gain and does not exceed the tolerance threshold. You should not start an active sports life during pregnancy. On this matter, consult with your obstetrician-gynecologist, taking into account your state of health, previous diseases and the course and complications of this pregnancy, he will select the optimal level of stress for you.

Stress.

Stress can be acute or chronic. Both can cause psychogenic shortness of breath and palpitations. A feature of such shortness of breath is an anamnestic stress background (problematic situation in the family or at work, difficult financial situation, unwanted pregnancy and many others), an accompanying feeling of insufficient inhalation (repeated attempts to take a deep breath or yawn, which do not bring relief, there is a feeling that inhalation incomplete and there is not enough air). I may also have panic attacks when I find myself in a familiar stressful environment (at work, meeting with unpleasant person) and in an unusual situation (on a trip, during an unusual examination, for example, in an MRI machine or during an REG or EEG).

In order to decide that shortness of breath is of a psychogenic nature, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the heart and lungs and make sure that the patient does not suffer from anemia and digestive disorders. A thorough and friendly history taking is, in in this case, half of the diagnosis. As a rule, women at an appointment with a gynecologist do not talk about personal problems, and we are already dealing with the result. In this case, a consultation with a competent clinical psychologist or psychotherapist will be of particular help.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Often, gastrointestinal diseases associated with the reflux of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus are accompanied by the appearance of shortness of breath. This is a reflex mechanism. Considering that heartburn is an extremely common phenomenon in pregnant women, shortness of breath of this nature is also common. Particularly susceptible are patients who have a history of chronic gastrointestinal diseases, severe toxicosis in the first half of pregnancy, or who need to constantly take medications (for example, hormonal or antiplatelet agents - acetylsalicylic acid).

Also, shortness of breath is provoked by conditions in which the passage through the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted and disturbed by bloating, a feeling of fullness in the stomach and constipation. In such cases, eliminating the cause serves as a treatment for lack of air.

Anemia.

With anemia, the saturation of the blood with hemoglobin decreases, and accordingly it is poor in oxygen and nutrients. To meet the body's needs, the heart quickens its rhythm and “drives” the blood at a higher speed. This condition is always accompanied by weakness, episodes of dizziness and shortness of breath of varying severity.

Treatment for shortness of breath of this nature is regular therapy with iron supplements (for iron deficiency anemia) or vitamin B12 and folic acid (for B12-folate deficiency megaloblastic anemia). When the hemoglobin level is normalized, other accompanying complaints quickly disappear, weakness and shortness of breath decrease, and pre-fainting conditions disappear.

Forecast

If shortness of breath is of a somatic nature, then the prognosis should be clarified by a specialized specialist; it often happens that heart defects are first identified during pregnancy. If shortness of breath is associated only with the state of pregnancy, then there is no threat to life and health, this condition goes away on its own.

Childbirth

In case of severe somatic diseases, the question arises about the possibility of independent childbirth. In the third trimester, a patient with shortness of breath of somatogenic origin (primarily bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular diseases) should be consulted by a specialist to determine delivery tactics.

For functional (gestational) shortness of breath there are contraindications for natural birth No.

Don’t be afraid of new processes happening to you and accompanying sensations, talk about them with your gynecologist and ask exciting questions. Without the patient’s complaints, it is sometimes difficult to suspect a particular pathology and, accordingly, continue the diagnostic search and prescribe specific treatment. Your pregnancy is our common task; regular monitoring and implementation of recommendations for further examination and lifestyle adjustments will only benefit you. Take care of yourself and be healthy!

Dyspnea- violation of the depth and frequency of breathing, which is accompanied by an acute lack of air. This condition often overtakes a woman during pregnancy. At first it becomes difficult for her to climb to the upper floors, then she cannot breathe deeply, and then more and more often whole attacks occur when it is hard to breathe and her heart is beating too quickly. All expectant mothers should know why shortness of breath occurs during pregnancy and how to cope with it at different stages of pregnancy.

The reasons for this difficult and unpleasant phenomenon, which darkens the lives of many pregnant women, can be very different and depend on what month of the baby’s development it appeared. If shortness of breath appears during pregnancy in the early stages, it could be triggered by an inappropriate lifestyle that the expectant mother continues to lead, not wanting to give up the little joys of life, as well as some of the most serious internal diseases. On at this stage The causes of difficulty breathing can be:

• powerful physical activity;
• severe emotional stress;
• too sharp a hormonal surge during pregnancy can also cause shortness of breath;
• smoking;
• alcohol consumption;
• anemia;
• an increase in the amount of blood circulating in the body;
• pulmonary diseases: tuberculosis, asthma and others;
• wearing tight, synthetic clothing.

However, in the early stages, this trouble rarely bothers expectant mothers, and they fully enjoy the happiness of their situation. Most often, shortness of breath occurs during pregnancy in the second trimester, because it is during this period that serious changes occur in the body:

• the fetus gradually gains weight - accordingly, it requires more space;
• to give freedom to the growing “giant”, the uterus stretches and begins to put pressure on the organs that are next to it;
• its pressure is felt by the diaphragm, as a result of which in women from the second half of pregnancy the first symptoms of shortness of breath appear, although they are not yet so strong;
• degree of difficulty breathing this period directly depends on how high the uterus rises every day;
• symptoms of shortness of breath increase while the same anemia, smoking, alcohol, wrong clothes and some diseases internal organs, first of all in this case - the lungs.

Shortness of breath especially intensifies in the third trimester of pregnancy, since the enlarged uterus finds it difficult to fit into the body, and it begins to put even more pressure on the diaphragm. Here you will have to be patient, fortunately it will not last long. A couple of weeks before giving birth, the baby descends into the pelvic area, and the uterus stops putting pressure on the diaphragm. The woman herself will feel how easy it is for her to breathe. However, this does not happen to everyone, and some have to suffer from this misfortune to the last.

The above reasons for shortness of breath during pregnancy help expectant mothers understand that everything that is happening to them now is natural and completely natural. The only question is how to alleviate this unpleasant and rather serious condition.

Elimination methods

If already the 1st trimester of pregnancy is marked by shortness of breath, a woman should reconsider her lifestyle, eliminating all factors that could provoke this ailment.

1. See a doctor and get examined for various internal diseases (especially pulmonary ones).
2. Reduce physical activity.
3. Avoid emotional stress.
4. Quit smoking.
5. Avoid drinking alcohol.
6. Wear comfortable, loose clothing made from natural materials.

Every woman should follow these rules throughout pregnancy to relieve shortness of breath. In addition, if the problem is only in the uterus increasing day by day, it is worth trying to use long-proven remedies that allow, if not eliminating shortness of breath altogether, then at least significantly alleviating its attacks.

1. Start doing breathing exercises.
2. Try to sleep reclining.
3. Walk outdoors more often.
4. Regularly ventilate the room you are in for a long time.
5. While sitting in front of the TV or computer, change your positions as often as possible.
6. Eat in small portions, but more often: this will allow you to keep your stomach in a slightly relaxed state, and it will take on the main pressure of the uterus, since it is located in close proximity to it.
7. With the permission of a doctor, you can take fees during pregnancy soothing herbs- valerian or motherwort.
8. During attacks, you need to learn to pull yourself together and not panic.

If you take into account these simple, but very useful and effective recommendations, there will be no trace of shortness of breath during pregnancy. There is no need to endure and suffer from attacks of difficulty breathing: this will weaken emotional condition for the expectant mother and will not lead to anything good.

It evokes a double feeling in women: on the one hand, this is a pleasant expectation of their future baby, and on the other hand, there are many problems, difficulties and sensations, causing discomfort for such a long nine months.

And all this happens because the body undergoes a complete restructuring associated with the growth of the fetus.

Moreover During this time, a woman may experience a lot of unpleasant deviations: rashes on the stomach, nasal congestion, pressure surges, the appearance of venous “stars”, pain in the lumbar region, perineum, back, legs, stomach and legs and much more.

Some people endure pregnancy easily, not knowing at all what toxicosis and other difficulties are, while others go through it in full and count every minute when all the torment will end.

Each stage of pregnancy has its own difficulties. Thus, in the seventh month of pregnancy it most often manifests itself dyspnea, the woman has the feeling that there is less and less air in her lungs.

And the logical question arises, why is it difficult to breathe during pregnancy?

Causes of difficulty breathing

Shortness of breath has quite logical explanation– every week the fetus gains weight and needs more space, so the uterus begins to stretch and put pressure on nearby organs.

First to enter the pressure zone stomach(because of this, a woman may suffer from heartburn), bladder(the number of urinations increases noticeably) and intestines(this manifests itself in the appearance of constipation).

To the diaphragm the uterus rises only in the third trimester of pregnancy, which is undoubtedly a big plus. After all, it is too difficult to endure constant shortness of breath for nine months.

And because how high the uterus rises, the degree of difficulty breathing depends.

In most cases this phenomenon occurs two to three weeks before birth– the baby prepares to be born, descends into the pelvic area and the pressure goes away.

However, for some women, the lowering of the abdomen does not occur at all and they have to endure it until the last moment.

Most often, shortness of breath occurs when excessive stress, both physically and emotionally - walking on floors, quarrels, unnecessary excitement, etc.

If difficulty breathing makes itself felt at a time when you are emotionally calm and not doing anything, you need to consult a doctor. He will send you for a blood test and an ECG, since shortness of breath may be a consequence or disease of the cardiovascular system.

Many pregnant women mistakenly assume that the appearance of shortness of breath during pregnancy causes a lack of oxygen in the baby. It's completely unrelated, so don't worry.

What to do when shortness of breath appears?

Firstly, you need consult your gynecologist. Good doctor is obliged to warn the woman about the possible occurrence of shortness of breath and advise how to cope with this problem without the use of medications.

But since you are not always lucky with a doctor, you can read some useful tips on our page.

1. Breathing exercises.

Try to use the technique used during childbirth during difficult breathing. If you have not yet started learning different types of breathing, now is the time to do so.

Proper breathing will help you feel better and the necessary amount of oxygen will reach the fetus. And before the moment of birth, you will master breathing techniques perfectly.

Here's one way correct breathing : get down on your knees and lean on your hands, try to relax as much as possible, breathe deeply and slowly - inhale, exhale. Repeat the exercise until shortness of breath subsides.

2. If you experience difficulty breathing, try to find a place to sit and the best option, lie down. If there is no such place, squat for a while.

If you have difficulty breathing at night, try to sleep in a reclining position. Do not sleep on your back under any circumstances, this can also cause shortness of breath, plus the baby is not very comfortable in this position.

3. If you still work or often sit in front of the TV, try to get up and walk around the room more often, change positions. Walking in the fresh air helps improve your breathing, so take half an hour every day and take a walk in the park, by the sea, or just near your house.
4. Learn to control your food intake, eat a small amount at a time. It is better to eat a little 5-6 times than to eat a full plate three times - after all, your stomach is compressed on all sides by the uterus, and a large amount of food eaten will make your breathing even more difficult.
5. Take a comfortable position in a chair, completely relax your upper body. Place your right hand on your stomach and your left hand on your chest. Inhale for three seconds, exhale for the fourth second.
6. An infusion of motherwort and herbs helps well. However, before using it, you should consult your doctor to see if you can drink it.
7. Aromatherapy relieves shortness of breath - take a bath, adding a couple of drops essential oil rosemary or lemon balm. You can also use an aroma lamp.

AND Finally: do not panic if shortness of breath suddenly appears, remember everything you read above, try to calm down and put your breathing in order with the help of our tips.

Have a successful and quick birth!