shaky and a little lightheaded?

carladillon

the past two mornings around this time I've been feeling a shaky and a little lightheaded....I wake up around 7am and have a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.  Do you think it's just low blood sugar and I need to eat more in morning?  or eat more when I get into work?  I don't like this feeling....

 

Laura Cochran

That's sounds very much like low blood sugar (I tend towards low blood sugar),. You definitely need to be eating more and make sure it is carbohydrates. Either add it to your breakfast (some fruit, toast, OJ?) or eat it shortly before the time you usually feel shaky.

gobigblue

yup, eat more often.  small portions every couple hrs will help.

mommy_bear

Are you drinking caffeinated coffee? If so, maybe it's the caffeine? I get shaky (and highly irritable) if I drink coffee.

carladillon

kdbennett:

Are you drinking caffeinated coffee? If so, maybe it's the caffeine? I get shaky (and highly irritable) if I drink coffee.

I do drink regular coffee - but it's just one cup (and I cut that down from several cups a day pre-pregnancy).  And that's about three hours prior to me feeling weird. 

I just ate my lunch and could still eat more.  Starting to feel better.  I'm thinking my little Laney Bug might be going through a growth spurt - I know at this point she's starting to pack on some fat so maybe she's using a lot of what I'm eating lately.

busybea

So sorry you're not feeling well, I know it can be scary.  Try switching to decaf if you can and definitely eat more with more snacking in between meals as well (fruit, nuts, cereal bars, etc)  Hope you feel better soon!

mommy_bear

carladillon:

kdbennett:

Are you drinking caffeinated coffee? If so, maybe it's the caffeine? I get shaky (and highly irritable) if I drink coffee.

I do drink regular coffee - but it's just one cup (and I cut that down from several cups a day pre-pregnancy).  And that's about three hours prior to me feeling weird. 

I just ate my lunch and could still eat more.  Starting to feel better.  I'm thinking my little Laney Bug might be going through a growth spurt - I know at this point she's starting to pack on some fat so maybe she's using a lot of what I'm eating lately.

Awww, feed that girl. I bet that is exactly what it is - a growth spurt!

Like someone else said, frequent small snacks should help.

p.s. I am normally a HUGE coffee drinker. I only drink it now as it keeps me 'regular'. I'm like you, I drink 1 (possibly another in the afternoon) cup per day. 1/2 Caff, for me, takes the edge off. I'm usually a 1/2 a pot drinker - so weird for me.

howleyshell

Do you know what your blood pressure has been?

Mine was LOW during the second and 3rd tri.  I experienced what you're describing and also thought it was low blood sugar but extra food didn't help.

Turns out my BP was low.

I asked the OB what to do about it. Her response:  "Sit down before you fall down - especially if you're holding the toddler".

Gee.... thanks.

8 years of medical school for that pearl of wisdom?

Seriously there was little I could do for it except make sure I had lots of water on board and eat a little extra salt.  Frankly I don't think the salt did much.

It eased up a bit near the end of the 3rd tri but it was a really sucky pregnancy symptom that I didn't have with my first and was unprepared for.

GL to you! 

rsd12

I have the same problem as howleyshell.. very low blood pressure.  I have to make sure I drink plenty of fluids & get up slowly.  I fainted a few weeks ago at a friends house & rushed to the ER.  With my 1st I was also told to increase my salt intake to help with my pressure.  But definitely drink water & eat small frequent meals!

JenniferTCU

Hi Miss Carla-

Sorry you aren't feeling well. I'd definitely try to eat more..and make sure you're getting enough water

Hope you feel better soon!

Peppernut

Another thing you could try is eat your bowl of cereal first, then have your coffee with a midmorning snack instead.  Then the coffee has a little more padding to land on.  My thinking is maybe with the growth spurt you're processing your first meal really quickly, letting the caffeine hit harder than it usually does.

I hope it clears up soon, feeling dizzy stinks!