33 Weeks Pregnant, Problems Breathing?

I have three kids, and this happened every single pregnancy. It was the baby getting bigger and making my lungs not be able to expand fully. I was tired all the time and all it took to wind me was to walk from my car to the door.
Sorry I don't have anything that can help you, but at least you know it's not just you :)
Jen

I am 31 weeks pregnant and feel winded from time to time, but never to the magnitude that you are. I would call my doctor. He may want to have you go to the ER to be checked to be sure you don't have a PE (pulmonary embolism... blood clot in the lungs) Good luck with everything.

In my opinion, when it's a medical issue like this, don't come to an online group first... talk with your doctor first. We're all here to support you, but I doubt many or any are doctors and even if they are, they would need to see you to diagnose anyway. Please go see a professional.

You'd better get checked out for asthma, I got that during my pregnancy, although it turned out to be permanent (something set it off, and it stayed). Or it might be the baby is bearing up on your lungs somehow? But go to the doctor.

You are lucky to have not had this with the other two! I am 30 weeks and have had this problem for the last 2 weeks. My pregnant bumps are always very high tho. I am pregnant from my ribcage to my pubic bone and all the way around! It would be nice to have a little bump down low :) Anyway, that problem breathing is your baby pressing on your diaphram that is why you feel like you have to make yourself breathe deep. Because you do. Your babe is pressing hard on that muscle that usually works on its own with no trouble. You can try doing some excercises, if it is ok for your pregnancy, to dislodge your baby from your ribs. One thing that helps me is to get down on all fours, arch your back like a cat with your head up and back. Then hump your back slowly and tilt your chin to your chest. Doing this always make my back feel much better too. With my first son floating in water always helped when he was really making it hard to breathe. I loved getting into a pool or a COOL hot tub and just floating along, course this pregnancy that is impossible since I am wearing casts on my ankles. BAH! Good luck with you baby to be!

T.

K.,
My friend had that....definitely get checked out...always...but her deal was the baby was pressing her feet and pressing against her diaphragm, causing her to be challenged with her breathing until she was born! it was like the baby was standing on her diaphragm! go figure!

I am a grand mother of eight , and your story puts me back to when i Gave birth to one of my five children, yes i deveoped asthma , please look into this for i am not a doctor but sounds so simeler
take care Sharron
you can email me if you want at ____@____.com, Aalso live in Florida

I say check in with your doctor. I know it's a common symptom, but it can also be a signal that something else is wrong, such as HELLP. i just had a friend have to have an emergency C section because of this same symptom leading them to diagnosing HELLP.

Call your doctor, tell them you want to be checked out. Mention HELLP by name.

K.,
I would tell my dr for sure. It may not be a big deal, but it could be something serious. My mother in-law had CHF with my husband and this caused her to have trouble breathing. Not trying to worry you, just want you to know that a professional should be the one to make the call.
God Bless,
R.

I get this alot now at 30 weeks, its just the bigger the baby gets the less room your lungs have to expand. I would just rest for a while. You should have seen it in Easter Mass, they had the incense going like crazy and it just made it all the worse. I have asthma too, so this was very pleasant. Ha. Also I found that my bra's have alot to do with the feelings of breathlessness. I switched to sportsbras that are not so restricting. Good luck! Jen

Yes i had problems breathing when i was 30-40 weeks pregnant. My daughter sat very high though so the doctor said thats why i was having issues because she was literally squishing everything up there by my ribcage. She showed me a picture of a pregnant woman and all her organs and how as she got bigger the organs moved up higher. Pretty crazy. But as everyone else has said just double check with your doctor incase it is something else, but to me it sounds like the normal pregnancy symptom that unfortunately didnt go away with me until my delivery. I just laid down alot and walked slow, didnt do to much, for me just walking to the kitchen got me winded! But good luck and hang in there, your almost there!!

K., you are not alone, although i am motherless until friday, i too have the same problem,, of course, i am carrying twins and am really big, so breathing is hard for me, too, i feel like a obese woman, having to pant every step of the way, passing out a few times, I'm 13 and in junior high school and i have been having a lot of sick bouts, runs to the bathroom and going to the school nurse lately, i passed out one time outside of one of my classrooms before i went to class, i was so winded, dizzy, woozy, my head was spinning, and i felt real sick, i threw up, then collapsed and fell to my knees, saw a friend, weakly called her name as i reached out my hand, then passed out, the next thing i was in the schools infermory, a nurse checking my vitals and wiping my sweaty head, as i looked up, my head spun and i said " whoaaa, wh- where am i? '' and my head plopped back down, the nurse caught it in her hands and laid it down gently then said " sh, it's ok, M., your in the school infermory, you passed out, your friend anna brought you in, she found you lying outside your classroom n the hall, she said you had been sick, you threw up, and she saw you threw up blood, you passed out before you saw it, you were really out of it from what i saw of you when you were brought in '' i survived that, but i'll tell you, K., if i get pregnant again, i'll wait until i'm older and can handle the pain beter

Please please please call your Dr. I went thru it during 2 of 4 pregnancies. The first was just a cause of pluersy. Yuck but manageable. The 2nd I had blood clots in my lungs. I could have died and had I waited much longer to go to the ER I may have. Shortness of breath is not something to mess around with. Esp when there is 2 of you to worry about.
Not to worry. It was treatable and baby (3yrs old) and I are just fine. Except there is always a chance I could get clots again.

Good Morning, K.! I had that issue as well. I was told to try and sleep elevated a little. Also, to sleep on my left side (I think!!!)- one side or the other allows more room for your lungs. My Dr. sent me to a specialist who told me it was just the lack of room for my lungs to inflate. Granted, you might be experiencing something totally different...good luck!

I am 33 weeks pregnant also- My c-section is on Memorial Day. I am having a similar problem but I believe it is just the way the baby is positioned in my tummy. I am unable to lay on my back and sometimes it helps just to push my tummy out (as if I had eaten too much). Have you spoken to your doctor? Have you been checked for anemia. I am borderline anemic and that has contributed to that feeling. Good luck and try to take it easy.
K.

Hi K.,

I agree with the other ladies, check with your doctor. I wouldn't worry though. Both of my pregnancies were like this and it was just that the babies were so HUGH that they pressed against my lungs. My lungs were at "half-mast" lol!

If this is the case, a good chiropractor can move them around so they are not stretching on your lungs. Mine did wonders....

God bless and congratulations!

M.

You need to give your doc a call just to be on the safe side. Doesn't matter that it's Saturday-there is always someone to answer the phone and relay a message and have a doc call you back. You should never ignore symptoms like that. Could be nothing but much better to speak to the doctor about it. Like the nurse says at my OB-"that's what we're here for. Call anytime!"

I don't want to alarm you, but if this persists get to the ER. I had similar symptoms in the eighth month of my last two pregnancies, and each time I had gone in to Atrial Fibrilation. I would feel alright if sitting or lying down, and could hold a conversation with no problem, but the minute I got up to move around, it was as if I were carrying a huge weight, and I'd get very winded and feel very faint. Check your heart rate. Mine got up to 190 in a stationary state. If your heart rate is very high I would go to the ER. If it is A-Fib, then they will get your heart back into it's proper rhythm with medicine. My cardiologist felt that the stress of pregnancy put me into A-FIb and wouldn't expect me to go into it again unless I were to get pregnant again. It can be a little scary, but you'll be fine as long as you get treated. Good luck!

It is not uncommon for women at your gestational age to become winded. The most common reason why is that your growing uterus is now putting "pressure" on your lungs and your lungs do not have to room to expand as before. Also, because of your short-windedness, you are not receiving the oxygen that your body needs. At this point, the only real cure is delivery. Until then, it will be helpful to make slow movements (instead of sudden movements) and do deep breathing exercises. You also need to watch you weight gain because the extra weight will not help your problem. Other tips: Do not lie on your back for long periods of time, do gentle exercises to strenghten your lung capacity and do not panic whenever you become short winded. If you feel that you may faint, then you should sit/lie down immediately to avoid being hurt in a fall.

It could just be the baby pressing up into your diaphragm, but I would definitely call my dr today just to make sure.