Sudden dizziness/faint feeling when sat down?!

[OptimisticRealist2024]

I'm 10+5 and have had two episodes of a kind of head rush/faint feeling when I've been sat down. First happened last week (after a terrible night's sleep, so I'd assumed it was that).

The second time was today after I'd walked about a mile (very slowly) to a bus stop, sat down for about ten mins and then "whooshing" faint feeling came over me, suddenly felt hot and sick. Took a minute or two to pass. I didn't lose my vision or get short of breath.

I'd eaten breakfast about an hour before so don't think my blood sugar could have been that low, and I was sat down so don't think it could be low blood pressure. Is this normal? Anyone else had this? 😕

What did you eat? I had this the other week at 18 weeks. I only ate a banana for breakfast (it’s known to lower bp) and then warmed my car up for my 1hr drive to work. It wasn’t a hot car, just taking the edge off the very cold start. 45minutes in and I felt light headed and realised what was about to happen. I had enough time to pull onto a side road and take ten minutes. I made the car freezing and just drank a lot of water to try and help. It didn’t happen again after that.

I think maybe for me it was a case of empty stomach, banana, sitting after being asleep for x hours. Likely low bp for me or maybe a drop of something if not bp, maybe blood sugar.

It’s not happened again since, but I’ve also avoided bananas for breakfast. I have been feeling a bit off though for weeks, not ill but just off. I can’t explain it in words. Like I’m ill but not fully. Tired but not fully. I had my DS and none of this happened with him.

Could you reach out to your midwife to ask for advice?

Oh I went to my doctors to check for uti and that was clear. I also requested a blood test for iron and I’m waiting to see about that. Failing that I have no idea I will put it down to pregnancy I guess.

@Blue2020 I'd had a bowl of Shreddies with milk about an hour before, and some Belvita breakfast biscuit things as soon as I woke up (takes the edge off my morning sickness!). I know not the most nutritious but at this point I'm only eating what I can keep down.

I'm waiting for lab results for some proteins in my urine but the GP didn't really say more than that and only asked if I'd had difficulty or pain going for a pee (which I don't), so assume they're not connected. 🤔

My midwife is nice enough but seems quite keen on barriers (you may only attempt to call me during business hours, I may take up to seven working days to respond to emails).

@OptimisticRealist2024 hmm yes I think that’s just typical cereal. Did you have a booking in blood test and that was all ok?

They say in pregnancy we have more blood flowing around so maybe it’s something like that? Hopefully you get your urine results back soon too.

Ah in my last pregnancy my midwife was great at responding but to be honest this pregnancy I’m having a similar response. Not the 7 working days but just never reaching them. To be honest she says to only call and then it always goes to voicemail. In the end if im worried I contact my doctors instead and due to being pregnant they usually respond to me fairly quickly. How is your doctors? Maybe you could call and explain to them or is that what the gp visit was for? Which makes sense.

@Blue2020 Thanks, I think I'll try the GP if it happens again. It was such a strange feeling, like it just washed over me. I had low bp in my teens and fainted often, so it is that sort of feeling but odd as I was just sat down. I wonder now if I'd just worn too many layers and it caught up with me when I sat down? The seats in the bus stop were angled oddly (the kind you lean against rather than sit) so I was kind of upright for too long? God knows.

Booking in appointments happen over the phone in my area so no bloods, urine or blood pressure tests or anything. I only had the urine sample test because I saw GP about morning sickness tablets - so if I hadn't gone in then I wouldn't know anything was wrong. 😑

I've only been pregnant once before (over the summer, ended 8/9 weeks) so still feel like I have no idea what's going on. I had the same midwife last time and when I told her I had lots of spotting, she told me it was fine and not to worry - I called 111, went to EPU and I'd had a loss. So as nice as she is, I'm not really sure she's got her head in the game all the time. The EPU nurse told me at the time she'd have brought me in for less 🤷🏻‍♀️

@OptimisticRealist2024 sorry for your loss.

I know what you mean, what you are explaining is how I felt. I put it down to pregnancy and the whole increase in blood- low bp. Only guessing though.

Ah when do you have your initial blood test then, at the 12 week scan? For all you know it could be low iron for you? Could you ask your gp to check your iron levels?

@Blue2020 Thank you ❤️🌈

That's a good call, I have my scan in a couple of weeks - I'll bring it up and ask. I should get urine lab results this week too so if anything sinister pops up from that I'll ask my GP at the follow-up. Thank you so much! Just a bit relieved it isn't just me...

I've had that in both pregnancies and for me it was tachycardia (fast heart rate) - they can stick a monitor on you to get a 24 hour recording if it happens quite a bit

I got my results back and it indicates low iron for me. Although I haven’t spoken to a doctor about them yet.