Pectus Excavatum: Struggling to Breathe

[AnnaC2020]

Hi everyone

Pregnant with my first baby. 24 weeks and 3 days - but he’s measuring quite big haha! (It’s a boy)

He is sitting very low but obviously my womb has expanded a lot. I’m increasingly finding it very, very difficult to breathe.

I suffer from pectus excavatum so basically my sternum is depressed so my lungs have always been a wee bit squished so I have asthma a long with that (not TOO severe I think). I don’t know what grade it is I just remember my GP saying ‘it’s quite bad’ haha!

I’m finding it increasingly hard to breathe or to catch my breath which is making me really light headed :/ it’s really getting hard

I have my 25 week app with my midwife over the phone next week so it’ll mention it to her then, but was wondering if anyone else has been through this and what happened?

Hi there!

Sorry to hear you have been having a difficult time - I also suffer from Pectus excavatum -but I am only 9 weeks at the moment! There is SUCH a lack of information out therefor women with this condition in pregnancy, it astounds me!
My midwife wasn't sure what it was, so I explained it and she put me straight under obstetric care!

Sorry I can't be much help just yet, but I'd love to follow your story and share more info with you once I get a bit further along and learn more too.

Best of luck xx

@charlottethevet wow it’s so weird actually having someone else with this condition haha! I think it’s quite common but nobody really thinks anything of it. I didn’t know I had it until I was 13!
Congrats on your pregnancy, I’m glad your midwife did that, my midwife wasn’t sure what it was either. I had really bad chest pains at around 11 weeks but it started to taper off, I ended up at A&E twice because I actually thought i was going to die. It was awful!! The breathlessness is getting progressively worse and I’m glad I’m currently signed off work as I don’t think I’d be able to continue working right now it’s getting so bad! I’ll definitely bring this up with her when I see her next. Best of luck to you too and congratulations! :)) xxx

@AnnaC2020

It really is amazing isn't it? So pleased to meet you (virtually.... haha you know what I mean!). What part of the country are you in? x

It's supposedly really common in males, but it's much less common with females! I'm so sorry to hear about the A and E trips... that must have been really scary

Hi ladies, I just wanted to wish you all the best with your pregnancies. My young daughter has PE which is why I popped in to your thread. If your midwives refer you to Consultants hopefully they will be able to offer you specialist support xx

@Charlottethevet I’m in D&G in South West Scotland! How about yourself? :)

I wish I knew why I had it because I worry that my baby has it, even though nobody else in my family has it so it obviously isn’t genetic?

I’ve always had awful flare ups that I can describe only as inflammation pain but the doctor has never said anything about it which is strange!

I looked at getting it corrected too but it sounds awful and who has the time to be off work for like 6 months, with the risk of it going back again anyway? I have never had any thought on what birth would look like, at my 20 week scan they said my placenta is too close to my cervix so I’ve got until an ultrasound at 32 weeks for it to shift or I’ll be in for a c section anyway! Baby is totally healthy but I swear he kicked it there just to be awkward

I’m definitely going to have to speak to someone sooner rather than later about this. It’s getting out of hand and the strain on my ribcage now and going onwards could cause serious damage!!

Have you ever felt self conscious about it? 50% I do but 50% I take a ‘IDGAF’ approach xxx

@liande thank you so much! I feel for your girl xxx

@Liande Thank a lot