Fainting

[geenp]

Has anyone suffered with fainting during their pregnancy?

Iv fainted a couple of times from the age of 16 not pregnant then towards the end of my first pregnancy they became quite frequent, I got checked out a couple of times but was always just told it was down to low blood pressure and there's nothing you can do. I had to be off work sick from around 6 months (I'm a support worker).

I am now 15 weeks pregnant with my second and it has already started again, twice in 2 days the first one being whilst I was at work!
I really don't want to have to be off work already.

Has anyone experienced this and found something to help them? Is there anything I can request from my doctors/midwife?
Or is this really something I just have to deal with for the rest of my pregnancy?

There are things you can try.
Increasing salt intake, increasing water intake & compression stockings. I would discuss with your midwife or GP before trying though just in case.

Me. My midwife advised me to up my salt intake and also keep something sugary on me for when I started to feel rough. It was due to my blood pressure being so low.

My GP said it was just “one of those things”. I ended up being dismissed from work because I couldn’t be kept safe, I fainted twice whilst there. That should never have happened but I didn’t have the strength to fight it. My midwife was really helpful, please ring them to ask.

Thank you I have requested a phone call off my doctor but it won't be until Monday or Tuesday. I will try to increase my salt intake and see if that helps.

@Em8725 how early did it start for you?

I had this quite bad with my last pregnancy.
To the point I was scared to stand for long periods of time as I passed out several times whilst shopping!

Only advice I have is to keep something sugary with you just incase! It usually helps a little!

I’ve had this from about 22 weeks, seems to be particularly bad in cold weather. I can’t offer any advice unfortunately but I feel your pain - my GP’s advice was essentially to wait it out and now walk very far!

@geenp sorry I’ve just seen this. For me it started at 12 weeks and didn’t go away properly until about 30 weeks but I wasn’t fainting so much, just seeing the tunnel and had ringing in my ears like I was about to go.

I did in my first pregnancy and it was due to very very low blood pressure x

yes.
I have very low blood pressure.
when pregnant I couldn't put my arms above my shoulders or I would faint. I also couldn't stand on a bus or train as I would faint if I held on.

There's not too much you can do, take it easy, lots of fluids and elevate your legs! They told me elevating the legs helps x

If you've had this before PG what works for you normally? I've had low BP my whole life and now know what helps me. I also have a condition called "neurally mediated hypotension" that means my BP drops when it should rise. From years of experience I know what it feels like when a fainting spell is coming on and can usually avoid them. PG definitely makes it harder though as BP often drops through 1st and 2nd trimesters. It usually starts to recover in the third which is what I've found (although everyone is different).

The aim is to keep your BP high enough and there are things you can do to help with that.

Triggers/"fixes" for me (may not all work for you of course):

• Going from cold to hot environment (the heat makes blood vessels which were constricted in the cold dilate). I have to sit down (feet up) for at least 5 mins the instant I get in on a cold day - I don't even take my shoes off, I just sit on the stairs. After 5 mins if I start feeling better I move about slowly. Obviously not always practical but even if I'm bringing the shopping in I'll sit on the floor in the kitchen and slowly do the freezer and fridge stuff. (A yoga mat helps!) or at work I go straight to the loo and sit there for a few minutes. Just keep close to the ground to make it easier to pump the blood around your body. I sometimes get the same thing in the shower as it's warm so make sure to sit down to brush my teeth after.
• Dehydration. Drink twice as much water as you think you need. More water = more blood volume = higher BP.
• Hunger. I always eat before I go for even a small walk and take a salty snack with me. (My issue is definitely salt not sugar - sugar makes it worse as I get a high and then a low). Energy drinks can help with this as well - I keep crisps and Lucozade in my car for emergencies.
• Standing for a long time, especially if it is hot or have just come indoors. I just don't do it. Pre-PG I've sat on the floor in train doorways/buses/airport queues when no seats. I'd rather sit in the dirt by choice than fall in it - I've stopped worrying about what other people think. I'll go and spend 20 mins in the loo to have a sit down at concerts/networking events.
• Exercise. My heartrate drops too far too quickly after exercise (this is an NMH symptom) - I usually feel faint after climbing stairs for example. Normally I just make sure I sit down after. In PG I'm careful not to elevate heartrate too high - conversation test. That does mean doing some things painfully slowly!
• Avoid caffeine. While this increases BP in the short term I find I then have a drop which makes me dizzy. I just don't have any to avoid that feeling. Sadly alcohol is also a no for me in normal life for the same reason!

Sorry - long post but hopefully a couple of things in there that you could try. Good luck - fainting is horrid.

Thank you for your replies!
Whenever I fainted before my first pregnancy it was at standing concerts, in busy shops etc so I put it down to claustrophobia and heat.

When it happened at the weekend I had just had my breakfast and was sat on the floor getting my little boy ready, so I had ate and drank, wasn't stood up or anything I just felt a lot of heat come over me, felt very sick and knew it was going to happen so called for my partner In another room and laid myself down.

I'm not so worried about it happening as I know how to cope with it now, I'm just worried about it affecting my ability to work but I guess there's nothing I can do about that!

Fair enough. Sorry - didn't mean to be patronising. Can you explain to work and make some adjustments? It might be possible for you to go and have a sit/lie down when you need to - if that means you can work for longer they might be up for it?

Oh and I know that hot/sick feeling so well... I feel so ill and like I'll never recover and then 20 minutes later I'm usually fine!