Is it normal to feel like this??

[Blue_Spiral]

I have a million questions about things but I'll just stick with this one...

So, I developed asthma a couple years ago and since I've been pregnant it's been much worse, probably due to the pressure from the baby.

I'm 23 weeks, btw.

But, I was wondering if it's normal to feel like you have a bowling ball in your stomach all the time? I mean like, literally. a BOWLING BALL.
It gets worse when I eat, even a little. I'm out of breath and moving is so hard.
I feel like my whole body, especially my tummy, is completely made of lead.

Moving is so difficult and sluggish, plus my breathing problems don't help.
I'm just tired and exhxausted ALL THE TIME and I'm not even in my third trimester!

Is that just something that happens to some people???

I cant bend over or get off the bed easily, or reach to grab things that are far away from me because of my belly, it's SO uncomfortable. I'm like an invalid, making people get things for me. It's embarrassing.

I always imagined being pregnant would be somewhat uncomfortable but not this horrible. It just doesn't feel right to me.

[lillymonster]

My first pregnancy, I was out of breath pretty soon. It was the way she was positioned I guess, but I had to start sleeping sitting up at like 15 weeks because they way she was on my diaphragm. I was always gasping or out of breath and actually felt the pressure.

This pregnancy is very different, I don't have that out of breath feeling yet.

Also have your iron levels been checked? I remember before mine were checked, I was very out of breath and tired and felt like my legs were lead weights. I could hardly walk. I needed more iron that was was in the pre-natals.

[Just1More]

Yeah, have your iron and your blood pressure checked.

I feel like I'm constantly preaching about blood pressure now, but it helped me SO much when I figured out that mine tends to run LOW. Usually high bp is what they worry about in pregnancy, but low can make you feel pretty lousy, too.

[lotusma]

i knew from the title of your thread and from my own experience that this would be the issue you're dealing w/. i've been feeling this way for *months*, and it's always worse in the morning after i eat (even just a morsel!)

for me, it's not blood pressure related, and the only other thing that makes sense is low iron, so i've been pounding the vitamins/floradix/cast-iron-skillet-cooking lately like a mad woman.

o, and i describe it as like moving through molasses. i literally have to beach myself in the morning after i eat and don't semi recover to a half-functional state until early afternoon. (it has been getting slightly better after all the iron-poundage, however)

and no, pregnancy doesn't always feel like this. this is the first for me, and i'm having #5. but my last babe was only a year-and-a-half and still nursing when i got pregnant, so i likely wasn't in the most optimal physical/nutritional condition.

[WifeofAnt]

I'm pretty uncomfortable too. My belly feels like it weighs a lot more than it does and is in the way more than it would appear to be, especially when I'm on an incline like when I lay down in bed. We went to the lake today and I had to sit down and rest quite often too. I wasn't out of breath, just tired. My iron was pretty good when they checked it at 10 weeks but it has been... 11 weeks since then, lol.

[Blue_Spiral]

Thanks for the replies!

Actually, my iron was checked a few weeks ago (I was feeling this way then too) and it was perfect, and since then I have kept a very iron-rich diet, so I would be surprised if my iron was low.

My blood pressure is perfect as well.

It has dropped slightly since I got pregnant, but I did lose 15 pounds in the first three months and now my blood pressure has stayed about the same.

I think last week they said it was 110 over 60??

But anyway, at least I'm not alone in this

Maybe subsequent pregnancies will be different.

[Blue_Spiral]

I'm always afraid people will say something like, "jeez, you're just pregnant. It's not that hard."

And I feel like pregnancy has brought on SO MANY weird things that I feel like a hypochondriac and people will think I'm just milking it for all its worth lol.

Even my mom gets tired of my "I'm so tired today" excuse.

And I live out here in hell, I mean southern Arizona, and it's so hot all the time
I walk outside all clumsy and I feel like my stomach is so huge and taut and I don't want to be a whiny cry baby or something, so I try but it's so hard.

lol ok enough venting hehe

[WifeofAnt]

I think I got through to my hubby when he tried to feel the baby move the other night. Unless it was a good kick he couldn't feel anything over my pulse! Well my heart is beating for two people!! Ignoring that he's taking my sugar, my water, and dumping his waste into my bloodstream I still have to physically breathe and keep blood flowing for an extra person so OF COURSE I'm tired! While I'm not actively doing as much (besides carrying around an extra 12 lbs so far) I still have to do the things to keep us alive 24/7.

[lotusma]

hmm, considering now that mine may be related to low blood pressure then, as it was quite low the last i checked...

anyone know what causes low blood pressure?

[WifeofAnt]

I have naturally low blood pressure but once I hit the second trimester it stayed low (95/65 or lower). Heat makes it worse and I think dehydration too.