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Lucia
Sexton

Heavy breathing during pregnancy?

I am 4 months pregnant and I have not had this problem before. This is my second pregnancy. For the past couple of days I have been waking up at night with a jerk and heavy breathing. I also seem to feel like I am suffocating, this feeling occurs during the day time, when I am generally sitting around doing nothing. I could imagine that I am exhausted and I am trying to catch my breath after doing something, but that is not what it is like. I am not getting any dreams at all, so I know for a fact that is not the cause of me getting up at night.

8 months ago

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ASHESH PANDIA | Aug 28 2011

This is a common phenomenon during pregnancy. Many women experience this at different stages of their pregnancy. Some may sense this early and some may sense it later. Sometimes, you may not feel it at all. But there is nothing to worry about it if you are not suffering from pre-existing respiratory illness.

The reason for feeling short of breath is very simple. Your body’s need for oxygen intake increases during pregnancy. While the number of breaths you take per minute does not change significantly, there is a substantial increase in the amount of air that you breathe in thus resulting in a feeling of breathlessness.

Breathlessness in the later stages of pregnancy is directly related to the growth of the uterus. The ever-increasing size of the uterus builds up pressure on the diaphragm thus leaving you breathless many a times.

While heavy breathing is discounted as normal during pregnancy, the same should be taken seriously if you are already suffering from any respiratory illness before pregnancy. If the onset of such attacks is sudden and the attacks seem to get severe in no time, you need to consult your doctor immediately.

Moreover, watch out for symptoms such as rapid pulse rate, faintness, chest pain, your lips, tongue, fingers and toes turning blue, persistent cough or fever or blood in your cough. If you do have any these, you better get a medical help on an urgent basis.