Can't breathe ):

tygraa1

I'm 14 weeks, 3 days (baby #5) and this past week I feel like I cannot breathe, especially at night when I'm trying to sleep. I have to sleep in a semi upright position to get some type of relief and any type of clothing that is even remotely tight around my tummy makes it worse it seems...I've never had this this early in any of my other pregnancies before so I was just wondering is anyone else is experiencing or has experienced this early in their 2nd trimester? It just seems a little early to feel like I'm being suffocated by my internal organs, lol...

niknak1208

Are you sure it's not anxiety?  I only say that because I had that issue ALOT when I was pregnant with my daughter.  I went back and forth between thinking I couldn't breath or thinking there was something wrong with my heart. I felt short of breath.  I felt like I could never get a deep breath.  And it happened all the way through.  Finally, when I met with a doctor at work that I was close with.. he said ya know I've listened to your lungs and you sound normal.. I really think that you're experiencing panic attacks or some anxiety. I had a late loss prior to being pregnant with my daughter and it never occurred to be that it could be anxiety.  

tygraa1

@niknak1208‌ You know what, that's probably exactly what it is!! After my pregnancy loss in 2012 I started having severe panic attacks and was on medication up until I weaned myself off of it all in my first 6 weeks of this pregnancy, I just don't feel the traditional "I'm losing my mind" or "this is it, I'm dying" feelings like I had with my other panic attacks so it didn't cross my mind that it could be anxiety, but then again anxiety can manifest itself differently with every attack...I'll have to talk to my doctor when I go next week bc this is driving me crazy(er)...thank you so much (:

mdogan29

SOB is common during pregnancy, especially during the second trimester:
https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/symptoms-and-solutions/short-breath.aspx

I have also experienced the same thing, finding it hard to breathe (especially when trying to sleep) and I'll find myself forcing each breath to be deep, but I can't hold it in and let it out immediately, when I try not to pay attention it gets back on track. I also noticed recently that I feel like any shirts without a v-neck or scoop neck feel like they're choking me, before bed I change into a tank top. I also had the palpitations too, every once in a while my heart just races, I think that's also common during 2nd trimester.

But it could definitely be anxiety too! I had a loss last year too, but I think I've been much better since around 10wks along.

niknak1208

"@"tygraa1 You're welcome!!  It's definitely worth talking to your doctor about. It actually helped to alleviate my symptoms because then I knew what was going on.  I was seriously convinced at one point that there was something really wrong with me. My heart would race and I couldn't breathe and I just sat there thinking OMG am I having a heart attack?  Once I knew what was really going on, I was able to cope with it better. 

Loss really messes with you. For me, it shook me up in ways I didn't even expect and in ways I didn't even fully understand until much later. It's so hard and it's hard to be pregnant after losing a pregnancy/child because you're just scared all the time. It also evoked so many irrational fears about my son who was 4 at the time.  I swear I would get up multiple times during the night just to make sure he was in his bed. I had horrible dreams about someone trying to take him or hurt him.. it was just crazy.  It's been 3 years for me now and while the loss never really leaves you.. I am better and not quite as anxious this time around.  Still worried but not quite as bad as I was then.  

mattandlora

I started feeling shortness of breath about 1-2 weeks ago, especially when carrying around DS. He is technically past the weight limit I should lift while pregnant, but I was lifting a lot at the gym prior to the pregnancy and didn't think it would be a big deal. I can usually carry him around fine, or walk up the stairs fine, but I simply cannot carry him (or anything else, like laundry) up the stairs. I'm done with that. I remember the same thing happening with my first pregnancy, but not this early. I was well into the third trimester. I also notice it's much worse when I'm dehydrated.