Will it end? Exhausted, breathless 8wks pregnant

[daysfilledwithdappledlight]

Hello,

After 5 years TTC we got the amazing news that I was pregnant (naturally). But nothing prepared me for how little I'd be able to enjoy it, as I just haven't felt well enough to feel close to happy for weeks now.

Would love to hear that I'm not in alone in what feels like weird pregnancy symptoms and that it won't last forever as I currently can't imagine feeling well and myself again.

From 5 weeks I've had 24/7 nausea (thankfully not sick) and have learnt to manage it with small and often meals / snacking. I got a bad cold at 6 weeks which wiped me out. The cold has now passed but the past week my breathlessness has got worse and has now stopped me from doing anything. A shower leaves me shaky and needing to rest. Going from sitting to standing leaves me feeling winded. I'm so exhausted and doing absolutely anything leaves me out of breath so I've spent the week on the sofa hoping it'll improve.

I did speak to my GP last week, thinking the breathlessness was my asthma. I'm on a daily steroid inhaler now (which I hadn't been as didn't think I could be while pregnant) and she did some blood tests. Not anaemic. And have been to the hospital for a scan to rule out blood clots to be super safe.

Feel emotionally drained, I want to enjoy this time, but I don't feel myself. I haven't felt well for weeks and I'm scared of how long I'm going to be stuck on the sofa not able to do anything.

Would love to feel a little less alone if anyone is going through anything similar - or if anyone has stories that give a little hope that this doesn't last forever! Thanks so much xxx

Not to scare you. But I’m breathless and have been in my previous pregnancies and it’s got progressively worse the further on I got and I found out I had a heart condition which pregnancy makes heart conditions feel
Much worse as pregnancy is a huge strain on the body even in the early weeks all the extra blood flow.

I was breathless and it was that my iron had dipped. Maybe get that checked xxx

@Nikki037297

Not to scare you. But I’m breathless and have been in my previous pregnancies and it’s got progressively worse the further on I got and I found out I had a heart condition which pregnancy makes heart conditions feel Much worse as pregnancy is a huge strain on the body even in the early weeks all the extra blood flow.

Thanks - I did have a quick ECG when they were ruling out the blood clot 🤦‍♀️ So hopefully any heart abnormality would of been picked up on that? X

Sorry should've also said - I was like this first time round - so tired get so sick ... last for the first trimester then I felt better than ever for the remainder of my pregnancy! I'm now pregnant again (8 months later) and omg the tiredness and nausea is back in full swing! We will get through it xxxx

@RLou3

I was breathless and it was that my iron had dipped. Maybe get that checked xxx

Thanks for the suggestion - I've been tested for anaemia- which I think is iron related? And that came back ok - was hoping that was it as would of been a logical explanation with a fairly easy fix!

Oh I completely sympathise! I’m pregnant with an IVF baby so don’t feel like I can complain but just feel so rubbish! I’m just hoping and praying things will improve in the next few weeks.

@Nikki037297 Do you mind me asking about how you got your heart condition diagnosed? I’m on the (long) waiting list for investigation of POTS and the last few weeks have been so breathless and my resting heart rate has shot up.

Also an IVF pregnancy after years of TTC. I had fatigue, nausea and was breathless from doing simple things like a slow walk in the park at the start of my pregnancy. A lot of my symptoms improved almost overnight at around 10w and I have felt much better since. The nausea almost completely stopped after 13w. A full day at work still wipes me out and have been having a lot of early nights but otherwise have been feeling pretty good. Unfortunately background anxiety about something going wrong has still stopped me from really enjoying the pregnancy. I'm now at 24w and suspect some of the fatigue will return soon for the 3rd trimester.

@GodspeedJune thanks so much. Yes the guilt of not enjoying every moment of much wanted pregnancy is a real thing! Good luck with your referral, hope they can help xx

@trrk thanks so much for sharing. It's really reassuring to hear that it can just be a first trimester symptom, and that it came and went for you! Never expected anything but sickness to be so debilitating! Shortness of breath isn't something I expected to have an issue with until my lungs were getting squished! Hopefully the 3rd trimester won't be so bad for you as you e already had some experience of it?!

Good luck with the anxiety - I can relate a little as after 5 years of things only ever going wrong, I don't think I'll truly be able to relax and believe it until there's a healthy baby here.

Hopefully the second trimester will be more kind to us all!

I think listening to your body and staying on the sofa is absolutely the right thing to do at the moment days even though it’s not much fun. Do you have a supportive partner? I pretty much went to and from the bed and the sofa all weekend. Feel bad for DP but it’s not our fault we’re the one who have to carry.

@GodspeedJune yes, here's to the 2nd trimester for filling our pregnancy hopes!

I am very lucky re partner - he's taken on the lions share of everything round the house, driven me to appointments and has stayed relatively patient with how out of action I've been.

I freelance and have my own small side business so it means I'm able to rest when required (which has gone into weeks now), but also means no pay when I'm not well and active, so good and bad!

Was your b12 tested?

@Saltyquiche I'm not sure on that one - I know the GP tried to cover everything, but will check 👍

I'm not breathless but I am absolutely shattered despite being in bed 10 hours every night

@GodspeedJune my gp referred me to the cardiologist it took a couple months I got there they wanted a full story from the day I first thought something was up with my heart any family history of people with heart problems. I was then sent for ECG, echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) and blood tests and oxygen tests. Because I explained of the fast heart rate keep happening I was also sent home with heart monitor I could hold onto my chest and record for 30 seconds when I felt my heart rate was fast. They told me to record a good few times during each episode. Once I sent it all back I got an appointment in the post to go and see them. There was 4 of them sat me down and explained my heart condition. I was having episodes of super ventricular tachycardia and they told me the left side of my heart was very out of shape and looked like the heart of an old man! I was 22 at the time so I was shocked and upset!!