breathing problems

emmaandabean1

Im21 weeks and my allergies have been unbearable throughout this second trimester but in the past few days I have had a lot of issues breathing ... feeling like a weight is on my chest and im not getting enough air. My breasts have gone from a B to a D so I considered this but position changes dont seem to help. It does seem like the baby would be big enough to have that much of an effect on my diaphragm yet.. my appointment isn't for a few days. Anyone else experience this at this point in their pregnancy?

vpine

Yes, being out of breath is normal. I started feeling breathless at night starting 2nd tri, at times I would worry but Ob assured me it's common symptom unfortunately.

ST3WD

Normal, yet annoying. *breath* It's driving me nuts, too. 

jennypolkadots

It's not the actual size of the baby that's causing this, it is changes in your body to accommodate the baby. At 21 weeks your uterus would only be to your naval, so crowding isn't yet an issue. But your body is continuing to increase blood production and you have to increase your oxygen intake in order to oxygenate all of that new blood. By the end of your pregnancy you will have 30-40% more blood, it is really amazing. So the lungs are expanding, as are your ribs/chest cavity. Later in pregnancy, around the time you enter the third trimester, crowding will come into play as the baby stretches to your rib cage. So sorry to say this will likely get worse.

Totally normal, but still really uncomfortable. The best thing you can do is try to stay in good cardiovascular health throughout pregnancy, do what you can to limit weight gain to what is necessary for you, and don't overwork yourself. I'd also go bra shopping and get a few that are soft without any underwire. Your band size will probably have gone up 1-2 sizes. I started at 34C and am now 36D at 24 weeks. My midwife says I will probably gain at least another 1/2 cup size when the milk comes in, and go up to a 38 band size by delivery. So it's nice to have some soft bras that I can't feel on my ribs during all of this growing! After delivery your blood and lung capacity will decrease again, so don't throw out your bras. I also have found hot tea and fresh pineapple really help my allergy symptoms and breathing. I hope this helps!

mommybelanova

jennypolkadots said:

It's not the actual size of the baby that's causing this, it is changes in your body to accommodate the baby. At 21 weeks your uterus would only be to your naval, so crowding isn't yet an issue. But your body is continuing to increase blood production and you have to increase your oxygen intake in order to oxygenate all of that new blood. By the end of your pregnancy you will have 30-40% more blood, it is really amazing. So the lungs are expanding, as are your ribs/chest cavity. Later in pregnancy, around the time you enter the third trimester, crowding will come into play as the baby stretches to your rib cage. So sorry to say this will likely get worse.

Totally normal, but still really uncomfortable. The best thing you can do is try to stay in good cardiovascular health throughout pregnancy, do what you can to limit weight gain to what is necessary for you, and don't overwork yourself. I'd also go bra shopping and get a few that are soft without any underwire. Your band size will probably have gone up 1-2 sizes. I started at 34C and am now 36D at 24 weeks. My midwife says I will probably gain at least another 1/2 cup size when the milk comes in, and go up to a 38 band size by delivery. So it's nice to have some soft bras that I can't feel on my ribs during all of this growing! After delivery your blood and lung capacity will decrease again, so don't throw out your bras. I also have found hot tea and fresh pineapple really help my allergy symptoms and breathing. I hope this helps!

You sure do make a girl feel like a super hero! \:D/

Lauracox3

@jennypolkadots‌ this post was very inspiring and reassuring. I have read over and over that there are benefits to staying active. However, seeing it presented like that is awesome! It gives me more motivation to keep it moving! That was very helpful. Thank you.

Salsera29

It sounds like your issues are due to asthma and hormones, but I just wanted to add to see if you are also having anxiety. I ended up in urgent care at around 15 weeks because I felt like I couldn't breathe, and it turned out that I was hyperventilating without even realizing. It feels like you aren't getting enough oxygen when in reality you have too much CO2 from not exhaling enough. Just something to think about.

RaeKM

I will be at my 21 week marker tomorrow and feeling breathless when doing something as simple as climbing a few flights of stairs - a small annoyance for a great payout.

emmaandabean1

Thank you everyone!!! I haven't been diagnosed with asthma, I was given an inhaler for allergy issues in the past and it hasn't seen to help with this.  Benadryl has become a nightly ritual but just knocks me out during the day.  The new constant sneezing and swollen sinuses and eyes are leading me to believe this is all allergies... that never seem to go away!!

menta84

Since you mentioned allergies, it seems to me that it may have developed into asthma? I wasn't diagnosed with it either at first but had the same symptoms you mentioned. The doctor told me it was just rhinitis and to not worry about it. Well, I ended up being hospitalized because apparently it escalated to the point where I had a lot of trouble breathing, just like an asthmatic person. I would follow the doctors instructions but always listen to our body, if your allergies keep bothering you and you feel like you still have problems breathing, I would go see an allergist or a lung specialist. You don't want it to get out of hand. Good Luck!