Pregnant and really struggling to breathe

[Onegoingontwo]

Im 32 weeks pregnant and for the last 4 weeks I've just been struggling to breathe. It started in the morning for a couple of hours after I had eaten but now it's all the time and it's gotten so much worse. I went to the hospital about a week after breathing became painful and they ruled it out as "nothing they can do" and "some woman just get breathing problems". I had an ECG and bloods done again and all came back okay but I really don't feel okay. I feel far from okay.

You know when you have just done loads of exercise and you get that hot burning pain in your lungs/back of your throat? And it feels like your gasping for air? I feel like that ALL the time now. I could be sat on the sofa or laying in bed and it'll still feel like I'm struggling to breathe. I don't have covid. I don't have asthma. I'm not anemic. I do however have gestational diabetes but that doesn't affect your breathing and if anything it makes sure you eat smaller ultra healthy meals so surely it would be helping my breathing situation not hindering it.

I just don't know if I can go on like this. I have a little one who is 18 months and a climber so I'm constantly having to pull her out of harm's way. I just can't cope with it anymore. I can't breathe. Ever. I've tried yawning, head between legs, stretching with my arms above my head to try and stretch out my squashed lungs... Nothing works and Im so sick of this constant feeling of drowning. It's genuinely painful and knackers me out. I'm exhausted all the time both from being pregnant and because I'm expending all this energy trying to breathe. It is now seriously effecting both mine and my daughter's daily life's and I just can't seem to concentrate on anything else.

I go into the kitchen to fill up my daughter's water bottle I have to hold onto the countertops or sit on the floor because I feel like I'm going to pass out and all I've done is move slowly from one room to the other.

I just don't know what to do anymore and to tell you the truth I'm actually quite scared.

PS this is also not anxiety. I've seen a few threads where people have said anxiety can cause shortness of breath but there is no way this is anxiety. I'm not anxious about anything and there's no "triggering" event which makes it worse it is just permenantly like this 24/7

If you are that breathless you need to go to A&E. Ring your maternity triage and see what they say first if you like but A&E is the right thing to do here. It's scary, I was in with a suspected PE when pregnant with ds. Turned out to be just being pregnant, asthma, hayfever and the weather. I hope you feel better soon.

@Onegoingontwo these sound identical to symptoms I get with acid reflux / heartburn which has got so much worse in this pregnancy (my second). I get to the point where it feels like I will have a heart attack walking short distances, I can't breathe and my heart pounds against my chest. I had this in first pregnancy and had ECGs, an xray of my lungs, I was checked for blood clots, iron levels checked etc. Sorry if it's something you've already looked at or are being treated for. Hope you feel better soon.

When was the last time your iron levels were checked?

I was like this OP. My babies were both 9lbs and over and in the latter stages I felt like I couldn't breathe at all. I'd have to sit down moving into a different room. On a positive note, the moment my dds were born I was fine! Just rest lots and take it easy.

Call 111 at the very least. I would be extremely concerned about the possibility of pulmonary embolism. If you are really struggling call 999. The call handler will assess you and decide if you need an ambulance.
Difficulty breathing should not be downplayed.

I struggled with breathing at times. Your diaphragm is restricted because of baby.
Try and take deep slow breaths when you feel this happen. Ask your midwife if they have any exercises you can try.
Heartburn in pregnancy doesn’t help this either. rennie do sugar free heartburn tablets that are ok to take with gestational diabetes- can get them from boots