Why is there severe shortness of breath in the third trimester. Why does shortness of breath occur during pregnancy? Shortness of breath and palpitations during pregnancy

Shortness of breath is a violation of the frequency and depth of breathing, accompanied by a feeling of lack of air. Normally, a woman makes about 16-18 breaths per minute, with shortness of breath she has to breathe more often, and the expectant mother takes more than 18 breaths in the same time.

Shortness of breath may increase, for example, with intense physical exertion, excitement, in a stuffy room, lying on your back or because of tight clothing. It can arise due to a variety of reasons. However, during pregnancy, shortness of breath is most often not associated with any disease. It appears due to rearrangements of the respiratory system in the process of waiting for the baby and usually decreases 2-4 weeks before delivery. This happens because the baby's head descends into the small pelvis, the woman's stomach shifts lower, the pressure on the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities) decreases, and it becomes easier for the expectant mother to breathe.

Why does it become difficult to breathe during pregnancy?

In the upper parts of the respiratory system (nasal cavity, trachea, bronchi) changes occur in the mucosa - it becomes edematous, easily injured, and its cells secrete a lot of mucus. All this is a consequence of increased secretion of estrogen hormones. As a result, nasal congestion often occurs and breathing is disturbed. Changes in the configuration of the chest and the position of the diaphragm during the expectation of the baby begin to occur early and become more pronounced as the pregnancy progresses. The growing uterus presses on the diaphragm, which, in turn, rises, pressing on the lower sections of the lungs. And the body reacts to such constraining circumstances by changing breathing. At the same time, it becomes superficial and speeded up.

It affects the frequency and depth of breathing and the hormone progesterone, which is intensively produced in the body of a pregnant woman. An increase in its level causes the activation of the respiratory center in the brain, which “gives the command” to breathe more often. As a result of shallow and frequent breathing, more oxygen begins to enter the body - the expectant mother is constantly in a state of hyperventilation of the lungs, and the amount of carbon dioxide, on the contrary, decreases. Plenty of oxygen seems to be good. But here a problem arises: in such a situation, the blood is saturated with oxygen and less willingly gives it to the tissues. As a result, organs, including the brain, receive less oxygen, and expectant mothers may experience headaches, dizziness, fear, anxiety, yawning, drowsiness, fatigue, discomfort in the heart area, even nausea and abdominal pain.

An increase in the amount of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy increases the sensitivity of adrenoreceptors, which are located mainly in the heart and blood vessels. This causes an increase in heart rate. Accordingly, the more blood passes through the heart, the more oxygen it needs, and the expectant mother begins to breathe more often.

An increase in the volume of circulating blood in a pregnant woman also affects the increase in breathing during pregnancy. After all, an additional, third circle of blood circulation appears between her and the baby. This has been happening since the first trimester of pregnancy. Now the load on the heart increases - it has to pump more blood and it contracts more often, and the respiratory system responds to such changes by increasing the respiratory rate.

In expectant mothers, the appearance of shortness of breath is also associated with an increase in oxygen metabolism (muscles require a lot of oxygen during their work), which is explained by accelerated redox processes in tissues.

Shortness of breath during pregnancy: is it necessary to treat?

All processes of restructuring the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, including increased ventilation of the lungs, are designed to ensure the effective delivery of oxygen to the baby. Therefore, recurrent shortness of breath is not a disease and does not require treatment as such, and after childbirth, the body of the expectant mother will independently return to its previous state, and breathing difficulties will go away on their own. However, both excessive hyperventilation of the lungs and insufficient can lead to a violation (decrease) of blood flow in the placenta and a violation of the course of pregnancy and the development of the baby. Thus, although shortness of breath while waiting for a baby is usually not associated with any illness, all complaints during this period should be reported to your obstetrician-gynecologist.

Not an ounce of caffeine!
The expectant mother should give up caffeine in any form, as it can provoke the appearance of shortness of breath due to the effect on the cardiovascular system. The fact is that caffeine stimulates the activity of special adrenergic receptors that increase the contraction of the heart, increases blood pressure, excites the central nervous system, which makes the body need more oxygen. Foods containing high amounts of caffeine include coffee, black and green tea, cocoa, chocolate, and Coca-Cola.

In addition, there are times when you should not postpone a visit to the doctor and you need to urgently seek advice. It is necessary to do this if shortness of breath in a pregnant woman constantly bothers her or appears at rest, is accompanied by fainting, fever, cough, pain, heart failure, and also if lips and skin turn blue. These signs may be a manifestation of any disease of the heart (for example, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure), lungs (inflammatory diseases of the lungs and bronchi, asthma, pulmonary embolism, etc.) or anemia. Then the doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment for the expectant mother, aimed at eliminating these problems.

Shortness of breath during pregnancy: how to help yourself?

If breathing discomfort is associated with nasal congestion, then you can help yourself, for example, by ventilating the room well before going to bed or opening a window to provide fresh air. It is important to try to switch your attention to something else (for example, look through a magazine), raise the pillow higher, do not lie on one side for a long time, so as not to increase blood flow to one side or another, which contributes to swelling of the nasal mucosa and difficulty breathing. It is undesirable to use vasoconstrictor drops, as they contain a medicinal substance that can be absorbed into the bloodstream and adversely affect a growing baby. But if nasal congestion becomes completely unbearable, drops can still be used occasionally, giving preference to children's ones, since they contain a lower concentration of the active substance.

To relieve shortness of breath, it is advisable to take a position that relieves pressure on the diaphragm. For example, sit down, get on all fours or lie on your side.

If the expectant mother lies on her back, then compression of the inferior vena cava by an enlarged uterus can also be accompanied by increased shortness of breath, dizziness, and even fainting. To prevent such unpleasant consequences, it is not recommended to lie on your back, especially in the second half of pregnancy. It is advisable to sleep on your side or with your head end high (you can put several pillows under your head).

Do not wear tight clothing, especially with a belt or tightly buttoned on the chest.

It should be performed at such a pace that it does not cause shortness of breath. But if it nevertheless arose, then in order to restore breathing, it is necessary to get comfortable and put your left hand on your chest, and your right hand on your stomach. Inhale for “one-two-three”, exhale for “four” (while the shoulders and neck should be as relaxed as possible). It can also help to raise your arms above your head with a few deep breaths in and out (the opinion that pregnant women should not raise their hands up is a myth).

“Exercising for the lungs” - singing will help reduce shortness of breath during pregnancy. Therefore, expectant mothers can safely sing their favorite songs, and it will become easier to breathe!

Important
In order not to provoke the appearance of shortness of breath, it is advisable not to transmit, especially at bedtime! Eating large amounts of food leads to overflow of the stomach, squeezing and raising the diaphragm, which causes shortness of breath.

While waiting for the baby, in order not to provoke shortness of breath, it is necessary to protect yourself from passive smoking. Nicotine and carbon monoxide contained in tobacco smoke, getting into the blood, disrupt the delivery of oxygen to the tissues and organs of the mother and baby, cause a spasm of the blood vessels, the body responds to this by increasing pressure and increasing the heart rate, which then causes rapid breathing and shortness of breath.

The use of lemon balm essential oil (for example, in an aroma lamp) will help to relax and restore breathing during pregnancy, you can also drink herbal tea based on motherwort or valerian.

It is necessary to take vitamin and mineral complexes for pregnant women containing iron. It is also necessary to eat enough meat products rich in iron (beef, tongue, liver) to prevent the development of anemia in pregnancy, which contributes to shortness of breath. After all, with an insufficient level of red blood cells, the amount of hemoglobin that delivers oxygen to tissues decreases, so the brain “gives a signal” to the respiratory center to send impulses to the lungs more often and, accordingly, the frequency of respiratory movements increases.

We should not forget about the lungs. In addition to providing additional oxygen to the body of the mother and baby, the respiratory system will also be trained. Proper control of breathing, learning to relax and calm down expectant mothers well helps yoga for pregnant women. In addition, doing yoga, in the future, it is easier to endure childbirth and use breathing techniques to relieve pain during contractions and attempts.

In anticipation of the baby, the mother should avoid stressful situations that lead to an increased release of adrenaline (and the sensitivity of receptors to it during pregnancy is already great) and an increase in both breathing and heart rate.

A relaxing massage of the head, neck and shoulders helps to relieve tension and normalize breathing during pregnancy. You can make it yourself, but it is better to involve, for example, your husband in this activity. So relaxation will be more complete. These can be light stroking movements from top to bottom, along the course of blood flow in the vessels (if done from bottom to top, this will increase pressure). Light circular movements are also suitable (especially on the scalp), as if drawing a spiral on the skin, it is advisable to massage from the center of the head to the periphery.

If all these measures do not help and shortness of breath during pregnancy continues to bother you, you should consult with your doctor who is monitoring your pregnancy. He will understand the causes of this condition, tell you how to alleviate it, and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.

During pregnancy, many people lose their breathing rhythm, which causes a feeling of lack of oxygen - the so-called shortness of breath. The first signs appear when the expectant mother is forced to walk a long distance on foot or climb the stairs. Subsequently, it becomes impossible to take a deep breath and, in connection with this, panic attacks occur, which are also accompanied by a strong heartbeat. What is the reason for such shortness of breath during childbearing and how a woman can help herself at such moments, we will discuss below.

These frightening and unpleasant symptoms occur in expectant mothers due to a number of reasons, depending on how long they first appeared.

In the case when the manifestation of shortness of breath occurs at the very beginning of pregnancy, the reason for this may be the wrong daily routine and bad habits of a woman that she has not yet managed to overcome in herself, as well as various pathological diseases.

In the early stages, shortness of breath can occur due to a number of reasons:
Heavy physical exercise;
Moral and nervous strain;
A sharp surge of hormones;
Smoking, including passive;
Alcoholic drinks;
Anemia;
A sharp increase in blood circulation;
Lung diseases: allergic or bronchial asthma, as well as tuberculosis;
Uncomfortable clothes made of synthetic fabrics.

But, as a rule, at the beginning of pregnancy, a woman does not experience a feeling of shortness of breath and rejoices in her happy position.
In most cases, shortness of breath manifests itself already in the second trimester, as the body begins to change intensively.

The child begins to grow, he needs more space, and therefore the uterus increases and puts pressure on the internal organs of the woman.

The enlargement of the uterus directly affects the diaphragm, which entails difficulty breathing, which is rather weak at the first manifestations. The strength of shortness of breath in the second trimester of pregnancy is related to how high the uterus rises. In the event that the expectant mother has not coped with her bad habits, or suffers from anemia, wears uncomfortable synthetic clothes, or suffers from pulmonary diseases, difficulty breathing is most pronounced.

The most severe attacks of shortness of breath occur in the last stages of pregnancy, due to the fact that the uterus increases to its maximum size and puts more and more pressure on the diaphragm.

The good news is that soon this feeling will end.

When there are several weeks left before delivery, the baby descends into the pelvic region and the pressure of the uterus on the diaphragm stops, and the woman can breathe deeply. In a small percentage of women, the stomach does not drop and they will have to endure until the very birth.
The expectant mother should not be afraid and panic, as shortness of breath during pregnancy is the rule rather than the exception. The most important thing is to know how you can help yourself and relieve the symptoms of shortness of breath.

What to do when shortness of breath occurs

The first step is to report the symptoms of shortness of breath to your gynecologist. A competent specialist should advise a pregnant woman about possible difficulty in breathing, as well as give some advice on how to alleviate this condition without medication.
However, a rare doctor gives detailed instructions for shortness of breath, so we will tell you about it in detail:
Proper breathing. Many women from the very beginning of pregnancy learn to breathe correctly during childbirth. With shortness of breath, this practice will come in handy. In the event that you have not yet thought about the process of childbirth and breathing methods, you can start it right now.

The breathing technique will improve your well-being, at the same time, the child's body will also be saturated with oxygen.

In addition, when the time comes to give birth, you will be a professional in proper breathing, and this will have a beneficial effect on the birth process.
We will introduce you to one of the many breathing exercises techniques - get on all fours, lower your head down so that your neck is not tense, relax all possible muscles and try to breathe slowly and deeply. Breathe like this until you feel better.

As soon as the first manifestations of shortness of breath begin, it is necessary to lie down, if this is not possible, sit in a comfortable position. If you are in public transport, do not be shy and ask to give you a seat, to help open the window. If you are on the street, or in a room where seating is not provided, squat down.
If difficulty breathing occurs at night, during sleep, put a few pillows and sleep half-sitting. We draw your attention to the fact that it is contraindicated for pregnant women to sleep on their backs, as it is one of the positions that cause shortness of breath, and the baby also feels constrained.
In the event that you sit most of the day, try to get up and warm up, do light gymnastics, change positions more often.
For normal breathing, walking on the street is very useful, try to set aside at least forty minutes a day for this purpose. If you have a park or forest near your house, then walking there is a must.
Don't overload your stomach! Eat often, but little by little, as the walls of the stomach are squeezed from all sides by the uterus, and if you overeat, breathing will be noticeably worse.


Sit in a comfortable chair, sit quietly for a few minutes to completely relax. Take a deep breath for three seconds, then exhale until all the air is out of your lungs. Such breathing exercises must be done until the condition improves. Usually a few minutes are enough.
In cases of shortness of breath, herbs such as valerian and motherwort are excellent help to calm down. But do not forget that during the bearing of a child, before using even the most harmless drugs, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist.
Aromatherapy is also indispensable for relaxing and normalizing your breathing. In the early stages, you can lie in a warm bath with a few drops of lemon balm oils. At later dates, the use of scented candles or lamps is recommended.

Shortness of breath in early pregnancy

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience shortness of breath at the very beginning of pregnancy.
This may be due to the fact that the body has a hard time coping with strong hormonal changes. Also, attacks of shortness of breath can cause ordinary toxicosis. There is an opinion that toxicosis is a constant feeling of nausea, heartburn, flatulence, however, shortness of breath also happens as one of its manifestations.

Histosis in the last stages of pregnancy can also cause shortness of breath.

Quite often, for the first week of pregnancy, a woman experiences shortness of breath every time after eating, even if she ate just a little bit. It can also be accompanied by stomach pain, pronounced heartburn and belching. Such manifestations appear with a large accumulation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and an increase in its amount is affected by a hormonal surge in the body of a pregnant woman.

Shortness of breath in the second trimester of pregnancy

If shortness of breath occurs not so often in early pregnancy, then in the second trimester it happens in two out of three cases. This is due to the fact that at this stage of pregnancy, the body undergoes the strongest changes, which entails difficulty in breathing and other symptoms of shortness of breath.

The following factors influence difficulty in breathing during this period:
The child is growing rapidly, it becomes necessary to have much more space in the fetal egg than before. In addition, the amniotic fluid also becomes much larger and the placenta increases in size.
The growing uterus also causes shortness of breath, which intensely begins to put pressure on the internal organs of the expectant mother.
The uterus gradually rises up, which also provokes shortness of breath.
All of these factors increase the risk of shortness of breath. Also, some mothers who are not conscientious do not want to get rid of bad habits and a hectic lifestyle, despite all the warnings of doctors.

Shortness of breath in late pregnancy

No matter how difficult it is for the expectant mother to breathe in the first and second trimesters, the peak of this condition occurs in the late stages of pregnancy! It is very simple to explain this - the physiology of a pregnant woman is such that the uterus grows during the entire period and due to this rises higher, the fetus also increases in size and together they squeeze the internal organs.
There is also a lot of pressure on the lungs, and they are physically unable to fully open. In addition to all these reasons, the diaphragm is also constrained, which also has its effect on the respiratory process.

No matter how unpleasant it is to feel a lack of oxygen during bouts of shortness of breath, a pregnant woman must understand that it just needs to be endured.

There are also cases when the expectant mother winds herself up more and more and simply begins to suffocate, and this does not lead to anything good. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that if you have a large child or even a multiple pregnancy, then the symptoms of shortness of breath will appear quite often.
This is the so-called "cross" of the expectant mother, which she must carry. A few weeks before the birth, the baby moves into the woman's pelvis, the abdomen descends, and the woman's respiratory process is restored.

Could feeling short of breath indicate a serious problem?

In our time, such bronchi are common - lung diseases such as asthma (bronchial or allergic), as well as pneumonia.
If a pregnant mother is diagnosed with a similar diagnosis, then she cannot avoid breathing difficulties. To reduce the risk of such diseases, doctors insist on the introduction of a vaccine against influenza viruses, since it is this disease that can provoke more serious ones.

A woman's body undergoes dramatic changes during pregnancy, including the quality of blood clotting also changes, and this can provoke such a serious disease as pulmonary thrombi (emboli).

This extremely dangerous complication, however, is extremely rare.
In the case when the expectant mother's breathing difficulties did not increase gradually, but arose sharply and very pronounced, then most likely this signals a serious deviation in the woman's body. Contact your physician immediately. In the event that it’s impossible to breathe, frankly, immediately call an ambulance!

There is no need to postpone a trip to a specialist if:
You have chronic asthma and you feel that a period of exacerbation has come;
Breathing is very rapid, but at the same time heavy;
Heartbeat and pulse quickened;
fainting state;
Compression of the chest or painful breathing;
Lips, as well as fingers, have acquired a blue tint;
The skin of the face became bluish pale;
Panic attack;
Coughing began, body temperature jumped sharply.

If you have passed all the necessary examinations that have not revealed serious diseases and pathologies in you, then you need to reassure yourself that shortness of breath is just another common manifestation of pregnancy.

Almost every expectant mother experiences this, and all this passes without a trace when the tummy sinks to the bottom, or after childbirth. Don't worry, take care of yourself. Be healthy!

As the fetus develops, pregnant women may experience difficulty breathing after performing normal daily tasks.

In 2015, Israeli scientists conducted a study, the results of which showed that from 60 to 70% of women observe shortness of breath during the period of bearing a child.

Doctors usually attribute the cause of this symptom to the fact that the uterus is enlarged and begins to put pressure on the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. In the current article, we will discuss this and other causes of shortness of breath during pregnancy. In addition, we will provide strategies that can help relieve shortness of breath, and point out in which situations women should seek medical attention with this symptom.

Introduction

While shortness of breath is a common symptom of pregnancy, doctors are not always able to quickly and easily determine the cause of the problem.

Shortness of breath during the period of bearing a child can be due to several factors - from to changes in the conditions of the heart.

Some women may notice difficulties almost immediately after pregnancy, others see them in the second or third trimester.

Below we will take a closer look at the causes of shortness of breath in each of the trimesters.

Causes in the first trimester

During the first trimester, the fetus is usually not yet large enough to cause breathing problems for a pregnant woman. However, in some cases it does.

The diaphragm is a domed muscular structure that separates the heart and lungs from the abdomen. During the first trimester of pregnancy, it rises about four centimeters.

The movement of the diaphragm helps the lungs fill with air. While some women do not notice changes in the depth of their breathing during pregnancy, others may find themselves unable to take full and deep breaths.

Along with a change in the position of the diaphragm, increased levels of progesterone in the body lead to rapid breathing in pregnant women.

One of the two main female sex hormones. It plays an important role in the development of the fetus, but also stimulates the respiratory process. As progesterone levels rise, women's breathing speeds up.

During pregnancy, the level of progesterone in the female body rises.

While rapid breathing does not always cause shortness of breath, some women may notice changes in the nature of the respiratory process.

Causes in the second trimester

Pregnant women usually experience more noticeable shortness of breath in the second trimester.

During this period, breathing problems are usually caused by an enlarged uterus. However, it should be noted that changes in the work of the heart can lead to a difficult respiratory process.

During pregnancy, the amount of blood in a woman's body increases significantly. The heart has to work harder to move it throughout the body, as well as to a new organ - the placenta.

An increased load on the heart can lead to the fact that a woman begins to experience shortness of breath.

Causes in the third trimester

During the third trimester, breathing can either ease or become difficult. This largely depends on the position of the head of the developing fetus.

Before the child begins to roll over and lower into the pelvis, his head may be closer to the ribs and press on the diaphragm. This causes difficult breathing.

According to the US National Resource Center for Women's Health, this problem is more likely to occur between 31 and 34 weeks of pregnancy.

Other reasons

If a pregnant woman experiences acute shortness of breath, she should go to the hospital and tell the doctor about it.

While the changes associated with pregnancy often cause some breathing difficulties, hidden medical conditions can contribute to this problem. These include the following.

• Asthma. Pregnancy can exacerbate existing asthma symptoms. If a woman has asthma, she should talk to her doctor about available treatment options during pregnancy, such as inhalers or medications.
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy. This is a type of heart failure that occurs during pregnancy or immediately after childbirth. Common symptoms of this condition include ankle swelling, low blood pressure, fatigue, and arrhythmias. Many women believe that these symptoms are related to pregnancy, but it is important to understand that perinatal cardiomyopathy can have a serious impact on the health of the body and often requires medical attention.
• Pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism occurs when blood clots block the arteries that supply blood to the lungs. An embolism can critically affect breathing, causing coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

How to deal with shortness of breath during pregnancy?

Shortness of breath can cause serious inconvenience to pregnant women and impede their usual daily activities.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to make breathing more comfortable. Below are the most effective ones.

• Maintaining correct posture will allow the uterus to move away from the diaphragm as far as possible. This woman can be helped by supporting belts for pregnant women, which can be purchased at specialty stores.
• Using extra pillows to support your upper back while you sleep, which allow the uterus to sink down under the influence of gravity and thus free up more space for the lungs. Leaning slightly to the left in this position will keep the uterus away from the aorta, the large artery that transports oxygenated blood throughout the body.
• Using breathing techniques, which are often used during childbirth, such as Lamaze techniques. Such techniques can help a woman not only during pregnancy, but also during childbirth.
• Monitoring the state of your body and stopping activity if necessary. It is very important to take breaks and rest if breathing becomes too difficult. In late pregnancy, women are usually not able to be as active as they used to be.

If a woman has other medical conditions that cause shortness of breath, then she should follow the doctor's recommendations and strictly adhere to the treatment plan.

When should you see a doctor?

While many women experience shortness of breath during childbearing, some of the symptoms of this condition require treatment.

Pregnant women should seek immediate medical attention if they experience the following:

• blue lips, fingers or toes;
• arrhythmia or too high heart rate;
• pain when breathing;
• acute shortness of breath that worsens over time;
• wheezing breath.

If shortness of breath causes particular discomfort or a woman observes it for the first time, she also needs to talk to a specialist.

The doctor may perform some diagnostic procedures, such as an ultrasound examination (ultrasound) of the legs. This will make sure that blood clots are not causing shortness of breath.

During pregnancy, especially in the last trimester, the expectant mother may experience increased shortness of breath as the uterus expands, restricting lung capacity. Pregnancy hormones (primarily progesterone) also stimulate rapid breathing to help compensate for the limited space in the abdomen. As a result, you breathe more frequently to provide enough oxygen for yourself and your baby.

Is it normal to experience shortness of breath during pregnancy?

Shortness of breath is very common during pregnancy. About 70% of expectant mothers who have never experienced breathing difficulties before face this problem from the first trimester.

Shortness of breath can begin in the first or second trimester. Most often, it affects women who have gained excess weight or are carrying more than one child.

In addition, shortness of breath contributes to a low level of physical fitness. But even those who used to keep themselves in good shape may notice that during pregnancy they began to catch their breath.

At first, lack of air scares most expectant mothers. While breathing difficulty is often uncomfortable, it is usually harmless during pregnancy.

Why do pregnant women get shortness of breath?

Estrogen levels rise during pregnancy, before or in parallel with progesterone levels. This hormone increases the number and sensitivity of progesterone receptors in the respiratory center of the CNS (hypothalamus and medulla oblongata).

Also, the appearance of shortness of breath may be associated with active substances such as prostaglandins, which stimulate the smooth muscles of the uterus during childbirth and are present in all three trimesters of pregnancy. Some of them increase airway resistance by contracting bronchial smooth muscle, while others may have a bronchodilator effect (dilating the bronchi).

This is only part of the hormonal effect on the respiratory system.

physical changes

Hormones stimulate the body to accumulate fluids and increase blood volume. Deeper breathing helps the heart to cope with the increased blood supply. Thanks to this, the unborn child is provided with a full-fledged metabolism. The respiratory rate does not change due to this reason, but the breaths become deeper so that the process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide is more efficient. This is why expectant mothers sometimes experience shortness of breath even before the stomach begins to round.

The gradual size of the growing fetus also leads to a lack of air. The uterus, as it expands after the 4th month, increasingly begins to rest against the muscle located under the chest (diaphragm), which, as a result, compresses the lungs. It also leads to a change in the shape of the chest - its height becomes shorter, but other chest dimensions increase in order to maintain a constant total lung capacity.

Do not worry. Although anatomical changes during pregnancy reduce the so-called expiratory reserve and functional residual lung capacity, a healthy pregnancy still retains vital capacity, airway patency, and gas exchange. Simply put, you are able to breathe adequately despite the symptoms of shortness of breath.

How long will the breathing difficulties last?

Shortness of breath can be observed almost until the very birth, namely, until the moment when the baby's head falls into the pelvis and is fixed. As a result, the pressure on the diaphragm will decrease.

In the first pregnancy, this will happen around 36 weeks when the baby descends into the pelvis. In a multiparous woman, he may not go down to the last.

Immediately after childbirth, the level of the hormone progesterone drops, the pressure on the diaphragm and uterus decreases, and breathing normalizes.

But in some cases, it may take up to six months for the chest to return to its previous volume. However, even after that, it will be a little wider than before pregnancy.

Does shortness of breath affect the unborn child?

Barring other warning signs, shortness of breath is completely normal during pregnancy and does not harm the baby. In fact, you are breathing deeply enough to provide the fetus with the necessary amount of oxygen, even if it seems to you that this is not the case.

How to relieve shortness of breath?

How to prevent shortness of breath?

When should you worry?

Difficulty breathing, fatigue, and a racing heart can be signs of low iron levels in the blood (anemia).

Lack of air can occur in almost every person. There are many reasons for this condition - it can be excessive weight and physical activity. If it is difficult to breathe during pregnancy, then most likely this condition is associated with the new position of the woman, to which she is not used. For a 9-month pregnancy, a woman has to experience a lot of inconvenience and difficulties: heartburn, bloating, swelling, stretch marks, the appearance of age spots, and much more.

The situation is especially aggravated in the last months of gestation, when the size of the fetus increases significantly, and an additional load is created on all organs and systems of the expectant mother. Why this happens, many women do not know, they begin to panic and sound the alarm unreasonably, while calmness and a normal psycho-emotional state are the key to the health and full development of the child.

A lot of women complain about the condition when it is hard to breathe during the period of bearing a child. Expectant mothers are forced to stay awake at night, open windows to ventilate the bedroom, spend most of the night in a half-sitting position. How to get rid of this unpleasant condition, each woman finds ways for herself individually. Why this happens and when - for each individual woman, such a problem can be for completely different reasons. Shortness of breath may be present predominantly in late pregnancy, but such cases are not uncommon even in the first trimester.

Around the beginning of the third trimester, the expectant mother's tummy begins to grow significantly in size (for some women, this may happen even earlier). It is during this period that the greatest number of complaints about lack of air and difficulty breathing falls.

The increase in the size of the uterus occurs literally in all directions. This leads to the fact that additional pressure is created on all nearby organs, including the stomach (heartburn), bladder (frequent and increased urination), intestines (constipation), and also the lungs.

The pressure from the uterus reaches the diaphragm last, creating not the most pleasant sensations for a pregnant woman. At the same time, it becomes more and more difficult to breathe, lean forward, climb stairs and perform other actions familiar to the normal state. Shortness of breath may become even more as the uterus enlarges and its pressure on the diaphragm.

About 2-4 weeks before delivery, it becomes a little easier to breathe. This is due to the fact that the child begins to gradually descend into the pelvic region, and prepares for labor, taking a comfortable position.

In medical practice, there are also cases when a child does not descend into the pelvic region before childbirth and this happens only immediately before the birth itself. Such women have to experience difficulty breathing until the birth itself.

As gynecologists note, petite women with small stature are more likely to suffer from frequent and severe shortness of breath, as for tall women, they experience breathing difficulties to a lesser extent.

There are frequent cases when a woman does not have enough air to breathe not only during physical exertion, but also at rest, and the condition is also accompanied by fainting and dizziness.

• anemia, when the level of oxygen in the blood decreases;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system, which can thus respond to increased stress;
• deficiency of minerals in the body, such as magnesium;
• neurosis, stress.

What to do with heavy breathing?

Experienced gynecologists have no difficulty in making a diagnosis when complaining of shortness of breath. The main task of the doctor is to check whether this condition is associated with any diseases and reassure the expectant mother, explaining what the problem is.

One of the main tasks of a woman on the eve of childbirth is learn proper breathing technique. This will help not only to cope with shortness of breath, but also to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming labor activity. Proper breathing during childbirth will be the main help in the “battle” with the difficult process and will provide the baby with enough oxygen.

Simple, but quite effective ways to cope with a lack of oxygen are:

• just sit down, no matter on a chair, sofa or squat;
• adapt to a semi-sitting position for sleeping, as well as change sleeping positions more often;
• do not sit in one place and periodically walk around;
• regularly perform feasible gymnastics;
• do not overeat;
• walk outdoors more often.

The expectant mother should remember that her child really needs oxygen and her positive emotions. Only by receiving them, he can fully develop, be born easily, grow strong and healthy.