First trimester & shortness of breath

[danik]

Hi ladies

Has anyone else experienced shortness of breath early on in their pregnancy?

[wattle]

Yep I've had it too in the last month or so (I'm 17 weeks). I often find myself puffing if I dash to answer the phone.

Apparantly its normal.

[Seekrit]

you slowly all get squished inside. :eek:

At 23 weeks I have to stop at the top of stairs sometimes and breathe LOL Someone had the gall to tell me I was unfit.... :rolleyes:

[Tam-I-Am]

I had breathlessness in the first trimester too - I have a really great book called "What to expect when you're expecting" which answers just about every pregnancy related question known to woman. The authors basically say that mild breathlessnss is a normal part of pg, usually beginning at the start of the second trimester, and is caused by the pg hormones, which "stimulate the respiratory centre to increase the frequency and depth of the breaths, giving you the feeling that you're breathing hard. They also swell the capillaries of the repiratory tract and other capillaries in the body, and relax the muscles of the lungs, bronchial tubes and other muscles. As pg progresses, deep breaths become even harder to take as the growing uterus pushes up against the diaphragm, crowding the lungs and making them difficult to expand fully".

They also say that if the breathlessness is severe, this is not normal, especially if its accompanied by blue lips and/or fingertips, and/or chest pain and rapid pulse. In this case, it's important to seek medical attention.

Hope that helps, and that all is well!:)

[only1mica]

Yep..I had this when I was about 13 or 14 weeks for about a month, I would get short of breath after eating...then going for a walk.

I have found that it has gone away (or I have gotten used to it) but I am sure it will come back with attitude soon :cool:

[SuperWoman]

I had shortness of breath in my first trimester too. It was even worse if I was walking around the house and chatting away on the phone,LOL!!!

[SammyD]

I had SOB very early too. I was going to check with my doctor at my next appointment but it had stopped by then so I didn't worry about it.

[MustangMumma]

I did too, and it's normal!!! Good luck with your pregnancy!!!:smiliedance:

[Refresh]

Yup, definately normal. I especially notice it when I exercise. Your heartrate speeds up a little when you're pregnant too:)

[kadownie]

I had SOB as well- it turned out for me that I was low in iron- and once I started on iron tablets in my 3rd trimester- it seemed to ease up a bit!!

[maybe1more]

Yeah definately! When i awnser the phone the person on the other ends always askes if i ran to the phone, and i reply no its just normal:laughing:

[jessgray]

yes i had it really bad during my first pregnancy i was also diganosed with asthma early on in my pregnancy too.
this time round i havent noticed my astham or SOB getting worse they are there but i dont get it that often :D:smiliedance:

[danik]

I think my SOB is related to being deficient in iron. After I ate a huge t bone steak I felt so much better! Lately I have been feeling lethargic and a bit off centre and I think that is my body telling me to eat more iron.

I have been taking Elevit since just before ttc but they are just supplements and not to be relied on instead of food.