[cdmommie]

I have been having fainting spells if I am on my feet more than a couple minutes. I am not dehydrated by any means but they told me today that I am anemic and that might be the cause. Anyway, I am with an OB right now (switching to a birth center in January

and he says it is quite common to faint in mid pregnancy. I just didn't realize it was "normal" I guess. I am 23 weeks. Anyone experienced this? I have a 15 month old to care for so it really is a big deal for me.

 

[Gwen42]

I don't know the relationship between anemia & fainting. I had fainted before I was pg so it didn't seem unusual for me to feel faint during pg. For me, I think it's caused by low blood pressure & low blood sugar. What helps is to salt food to taste and eat a small meal or snack at least every 2 hours. The meal/snack should be a combination of carbs, protein, & fat (like cheese & crackers). Juice will help raise your blood sugar quickly but it doesn't help stabilize it in the long run. I always carried juice boxes & granola bars when I was away from the house.

My OB also said fainting is "normal" although I didn't really like that response. Fainting is scary & dangerous, especially with a small child. Good luck finding a solution that works for you.

 

[mamayarn]

I have had some near-miss episodes and found a good article on this at another parenting site. I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link or of MDC has one too. If you google fainting in pregnancy it is the first hit for me.

I was anemic with my first pregnancy and I feel the same way I did before I started iron pills last time so I expect I am again. I try to maintain a steady blood sugar with balanced nutrition as one of the previous posters suggested, drink plenty of water, and keep my showers short. That is where it hits me the hardest and I had the room-swirling, ears ringing, rushing-noise close call a few weeks ago.

I don't take very hot showers either.

I am home with a toddler too. It can be scary.

 

[Jojo F.]

I'm in the same boat as Gwen42. I fainted before getting PG- even when I was a little girl- from heat, low blood sugar and low blood pressure.

Just last week and today I almost fainted while talking with my MW, nice huh? I think it was the fact that I just ate and was sitting up and had a bunch of pressure on my full stomach and last but not least the room was *REALLY* hot. I was bundled up cuz it was really cold outside but the office was at least 80 degrees, no joke.

It is scary when you ahve a young child to care for. I fainted while on vacation in front of all my family and my 5yo DS. I'm very thankful DH was there to catch me because I could have gotten seriously hurt. DS was terrified to say the least and was balling his eyes out when I came to

Do you know the feeling so you can sit/lay down in time? For me I have a few minutes before I actually faint so I can usually get myself sitting or laying down safely so it doesn't happen. Just keep a close eye on yourself, watch for any warning signs and get into a safe place/position. Keep hydrated, snacks on hand, and keep the temp cool so you don't get too hot.

 

[MangoMommy]

I had it with both pregnancies and very bad w/#1, it starts about 20 weeks for me. I think it has to do with increased demand on your bloodflow. I'm a fainter anyway but I dropped quite a bit during pregnancy. I just learned to recognize the "symptoms" and sit/lie immediately, drink water, etc. It seemed like forever for the feeling to pass but it proabably all happened over a 5 min period.

For me it's the overheating/low blood pressure/low salt thing too. Do you normally have blood pressure on the low side? I know I do and it makes me prone to dropping like a fly. It was horrible, I passed out several times in Rome on vacation but at that point I could feel it coming and try to get down.

I hope it doesn't last for you. It is tough!

 

[dawncayden]

Fainting is a normal thing for me but that doesn't mean I can't do things to stop it.

I have a history of fainting in showers, and its because of my low blood pressure. I just had to make sure my showers weren't too hot and I never fainted in them again.

With pregnancy, I have fainted on our transit system (like a subway) 2 times, but it was almost 3 times. The 3rd time I was able to stop it from happening by getting off the train and sitting.

I have tried protein in the morning, trying to raise my blood sugar by eating something sweet, drinking water.
I had my iron levels checked and was surprised to find I wasn't anemic. But my MW said that 'normal' iron level for some isn't normal for others so she wanted me to try some Floridex to see if it helped. And it did. I don't take it everyday but maybe 4 days a week, especially on days I'll be taking the train. The train is a very crowded, hot, air tight place and I think my breathing starts to get shallow. I feel lightheaded with ringing in my ears about 3 minutes before I actually blackout. I'm usually standing because we are seriously packed in like sardines, so there isn't even room to bend down often.

I think people say its normal because there often isn't specific things wrong or that can harm the baby. But they should tell you things that might help.

 

[dearmama22]

I fainted once during my pregnancy- so far. I was at work and my vision got blurry very quickly and I nearly fell over. It was very scary for me but I was totally fine and doctor didn't act like it was a big deal at all! Hope you're feeling better..

 

[cdmommie]

Thanks for the suggestions! I do normally have low blood pressure and as a teen I had low blood sugar as well. Never fainted from it, but I guess pregnancy makes it that much worse. Weird the doc didn't mention anything about that stuff though. All the more reason I am so happy I get to switch to the birth center

Thanks!!!

 

[Auraji]

I've fainted several times throughout my life and I know t's because of low blood sugar. I try to always have something in my purse that I can munch on.

 

[nuwavemomma]

I passed out cold this pregnancy - like out for a couple minutes, had to be carried to safety, etc. I think I was about 12w. Very scary. A few other near misses as well.

If it's low BP, salt your food more (preferably celtic sea salt, not processed table salt crap).