Does anyone else get this (please read)?

[L0ngg0ne]

I'm 26 weeks and feel like I've been experiencing this for a good while now. Every now and then I'll get this sudden shortness of breath or tight/restricted feeling below my chest/breastbone. I think I've realised that it happens when the baby moves/changes position (in a sliding across my uterus kind of way), but I can't be sure that that's the only culprit. It can be quite frightening and usually lasts up to about a minute. It happens mostly at night, and sometimes I wake up in a panic to it happening. It's not exactly that I'm gasping for air, but something feels tight, restricted and cut off slightly. It's an odd sensation to describe. I can't even tell if it's my heart or my lungs that's affected (if any) - maybe it's just the baby squashing my organs temporarily, pushing them upwards?

Anyone else experience this? Just trying to understand if it's a benign pregnancy symptom or something a little more serious? I've been getting it a lot these past few days.

Thanks!

I had a similar sensation in my last pregnancy when I was 26 weeks too. For me it turned out to be just the position my twins were in. However when I told them about this at the maternity assessment unit they sent me straight to a&e. There is a small chance of a pulmonary embolism or some other serious conditions and feeling worse/more breathless when lying down can be a red flag. They did lots of tests and luckily ruled out everything serious. I would definitely call the maternity unit now and explain how you feel and that it is worse lying down/resting.

@Gunpowder thank you so much for your response - I'll call them now!

Def get checked out, but like with most pregnancy things its probably nothing. The amount of stretching and pushing and pulling your body goes through can account for some very strange sensations. But its always worth double checking with your midwives as you are carrying very precious cargo

Agreed that breathlessness is a potentially very serious symptom and should be investigated. Chances are that it may be simply position of the baby, as you say, but you cannot take the risk. Pulmonary embolism is one of the top causes of maternal death in the developed world. I don't mean to frighten you but shortness of breath definitely can't be dismissed as just one of those pregnancy discomforts.

Best wishes.

So glad you are calling and hopefully I haven’t freaked you out too much. I was umming and ahhing about saying anything but thought I should flag it up in case I was anaemic and I ended up being admitted!

To me, from my own experiences, it sounds like anxiety rather than a physical thing causing it.

Is it like you can't take a full satisfying breath?

@Gunpowder @sycamore54321 @seafooodplatter thank you all for your responses. I called my emergency obstetric unit and was told that I'd have to go to A&E since I'm having chest pain/shortness of breath. I'm quite anxious about going to A&E, to be honest, because I've been really immunocompromised this pregnancy and have caught some really nasty colds (the worst I've ever had). I seem to be catching EVERY cold I come into contact with, and experiencing really severe symptoms that last forever (much more severe and longer-lasting than the person I caught said cold from experienced). I've avoided ill people like the plague because of it, so the thought of being amongst/sharing equipment (such as the blood pressure machine etc) with actual ill patients in A&E (not just pregnant patients, like in the antenatal department) really scares me - I'm terrified of catching another horrible cold, or even this dreaded Australian flu (I wasn't able to get the flu vaccine because I was ill when offered it, and then ill again shortly after). I don't know about the rest of the UK, but in London hospitals, A&E is really overcrowded and, quite often, really quite filthy. A lot of people go/take their kids to A&E with contagious illnesses, too (usually people from other contributes, who maybe aren't aware that bringing a contagious illness to A&E isn't encouraged in the UK). I think I'm going to ask my partner to buy some bin liners and antibacterial wipes, and then we'll head down to A&E. Call me crazy/OTT, but I'll only be comfortable with sitting on a chair in A&E if I can wipe it with an antibacterial wipe first or place a bin liner on it. I'll also have to wipe the sleeve for the blood pressure machine and the contraption they get you to put your finger in, as the thought of sharing equipment with other [potentially contagious] A&E patients terrifies me. I know I probably sound really neurotic and unnecessary, but my germ-related OCD has really rocketed in this pregnancy due to how easily I've been catching colds etc, and the severity of the colds (and I'm someone who's super healthy and usually has a very strong immune system - never catching anything)! Now I'm anxious about going to A&E, but I know it's something I have to do!

I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck - I'll need it! 😬 thank you all, again! X

Is this not

Good luck!

Sorry not sure what happened there
Is this not a different way of describing Braxton Hicks? Mine were very similar to how you describe, especially the restricted/ shortness of breath feeling.
It’s obviously best to get checked, but hopefully they will just connect you up and be able to tell it’s just BH.

I really don't mean to sound harsh but consider talking to your GO about getting some support for your OCD. Firstly, if you are giving birth in a hospital setting you need to relax & concentrate on your labour, not obsess about germs but more importantly when your baby is here they will need to be exposed to germs to help develop their immune system. I grew up in an excessively clean household and developed asthma as a result when I was a teenager. It's had a significantly negative impact on my life.

I do say this with concern rather than to be critical, I really hope you're ok OP.

@mamaryllis a woman on a group I'm on on Facebook described her BH is a similar way, so it definitely crossed my mind. I'll definitely bring this suggestion up!

@Bobbiepin thank you for your concern (which I do sense is concern, not critique). I know it's a problem! :( It's only really manifested this way during the pregnancy, as a way of protecting my baby, I suppose (when I was ill with those colds I had really aggressive coughs, which I was terrified was harming the baby). I'm not scared of germs/hospitals in general, just departments where people may have contagious illnesses (which I don't suppose would be the case in the delivery suite or birthing centre - I'm fine in the antenatal department) that, if were I catch, may harm my baby :( in regards to post-birth, I'm hoping I'll relax once my baby is actually out of me and I can see/monitor him with my own two eyes (it's the whole not being able to see if he's ok thing that's hard for me, right now). I'm definitely eager to make sure he has a strong immune system, so I don't plan on sheltering him from germs!

Hey OP, do get it checked out of course but FWIW my last pregnancy sat very high and for several weeks I found breathing difficult and if I lay on my back I couldn't breathe at all.

OP are you getting short of breath on exertion? Any ankle swelling? I'd get checked out with your symptoms anyway but if yes to the above it raises suspicion of a pregnancy related heart condition.

I had the same symptoms with my first pregnancy and was sent to A&E by my GP. I had leg ultrasounds, a chest x-ray and a CT scan to check for clots. I was also told to stay in for three days to be injected with blood thinners and monitored but K refused as I lived 5 minutes away from the hospital and

I’m glad you are being seen. If it makes you feel better, when I was admitted it was to the antenatal ward.

My first though was braxton hicks too. Felt very tight... let us know how you get on x

OP, I realise that you have some MH issues surrounding germs but to give you some perspective here, you'll be feeling far, far worse if you do actually have a PE, not to mention putting you and your baby at risk of far more harm than a cold.

It may well be nothing to worry about - could be that baby is pushing on your major blood vessels as you lie down. It could be reaction hicks, it could be baby's movements, but there is also a small chance that it could be something far more worrying so you really must get it checked.

And please see if you can get some help for this escalating worry around germs.

I'm glad you're being checked out. Didn't read the whole post about germs in a&e but I think you should get help for this. Also- you coughing will not harm your baby in any way.

Coughing won't hurt baby, those things are surprisingly resilient. I made a similar comment about DD before she was born to a colleague, something along the lines of "I can't wait until she's here so I can see her and stop worrying". The response was "you're a mother now, you'll never stop worrying again!". Just be mindful of it - agree with you OH a point where you may need to seek help post natally. Hormones and that really do a number on you after the birth.

How are you feeling L0ngg0ne?

Hey, ladies! Thanks for all your advice and suggestions, and thank you @Gunpowder for your ongoing concern.

@Summer1986 shortness of breath isn't promoted by exertion, no, and no ankle or leg swelling!

I checked into A&E and was told to first have baby checked in the delivery sweet. Blood pressure and pulse were fine, as was baby's heart beat. Went back down to A&E and had bloods taken and an x-ray. All came back fine - clear chest, no clots or infection.

What I didn't mention in my original post (because I hadn't noticed it until afterwards) is that with this shortness of breath/tightness, my bump/uterus often tightens and goes hard (I can't be sure that this happens every time I experience it, but definitely the majority of times) - both hard to the touch and upon sight! It's really strange, but I guess it's just a weird pregnancy thing?

In regards to my MH, generalised anxiety has been something I've struggled with for a while and it often manifests in the form of hypochondria and OCD. It's something that comes and goes, but I'm aware that it's a problem. I've tried CBT but I never find that it gets to the root of the problem (unfortunately, psychotherapy isn't available on the NHS, and this model does use a 'root of the problem' approach), so the anxiety always returns. Right now I think I'll utilise a more self-help approach. I started reading a hypnobirthing book today to prepare for birth, and whilst it's designed to ease birth-related anxiety, I can see how a lot of the techniques might apply to anxiety in general. It's a start, I think. I'll definitely buy more books of this self-help nature.

Thank you all for your helpful words, once again!

Delivery suite*

Is it obvious I'm craving cake and custard? ☺️

I used to get the same, felt like I couldn't breathe sometimes. I then worked out my bump went hard at the same time and it was Braxton hicks. It was high up I felt it though so I was sure it was lungs but guess they got squished with the tightenings.