19 wks pregnant & blacking out incl shaking.can this harm the baby?

[mumandlovingit]

im 19wks pregnant and had a funny turn yesterday.ive been dizzy on and off since the beginning of the pregnancy and had blood tests etc which havent shown anything wrong. yesterday my ears were ringing, went dizzy and hot and then i remember nothing.i blacked out. according to the physio person i was with my eyes were rolling, breathing wasnt good and i was shaking like in a fit.

i went to hospital in an ambulance and 6 hours later i still didnt feel right, a bit dopey.they took a series of blood pressures and tested my blood and urine and did an ecg. all came back normal.

they told me i had a vasovagal syncope episode, fainting. they also said that it could keep happening and to lay down asap when i go dizzy and raise my legs. dont stand for too long etc

ive looked it up on the net and cant find anything about the risks to the baby. surely if the blood isnt getting back to the brain properly it isnt getting to the baby while im blacked out? also if it keeps occurring where im shaking/twitching, is that a risk to the baby? all i can find is one article about placental abruption after a syncope.

any advice/experience is appreciated.im so worried to be on my own now with the children ive got and incase it happens again and something goes wrong with the pregnancy, has anyone else had this?

thank you

No advice, but a friend of mine is about 25 weeks pregnant and has had to be signed off work as she keeps fainting. It is ghastly for her and she can't stay on her feet for very long or she faints. She is basically living on the sofa.

Don't worry too much about the baby - they are very efficient parasites little creatures and your body will prioritise baby's needs in most cases, whether that's for blood or for nutrients. The main risk is that you might clonk yourself on something as you fall, so you need to be very aware of your feelnigs and sit or lie down immediately when you start feeling queasy.

Fainting is pregnancy is crap because you feel like a feeble Victorian lady. But normally it is not harmless.

If there are issues with possible seizures then make sure you are seen regularly by your GP and pester them for checks as often as possible. If seizure-type symptoms definitely happen again, I'd demand to be admitted for observation...

Good luck, I don't really know what I'm talking about but just wanted to offer some reassurance.

I had the same thing (dizzy, hot, passed out, seizing slightly), but only once, during my 20 week scan. It was from lying on my back during the scan, and my uterus cutting off the blood supply to my brain. So the only thing I'd advise is, if you feel faint, lie on your side rather than on your back.
I don't know if this is scientifically accurate, but I would have though that blood reaches the baby more easily than it does the brain, as the baby is below the heart.

thank you for your message.im going to the doctors today to get blood pressure checked again and let him know whats happened and ask his advice.

fingers crossed things will settle down and if i lay down soon enough when i go dizzy hopefuly it will stop me completely blacking out in future. scared the hell out of me and other half. didnt have any of this when i was pregnant with our other two, just other problems!

thank you again

thank you buzzymissizzy i will keep the left hand side thing in mind. im hoping it was just a one off too.

Hi mumandloving, I am 39 wks pregnant with my first child and since about 30 weeks I have suffered from dizzy spells which come on suddenly with my ear blocking and then everything spinning. I don't black out as such but have to lie down for at least an hour before I can even think about doing anything.

I went to doctors and initially they also thought it was some sort of vasovagal episode to do with overheating and blood not reaching the brain but the ear blocking also made them think it was something like labyrinthitis (middle ear infection).

I was referred to an ENT (Ear/Nose/Throat) specialist who said that my ears were fine and that the episodes were just my brain trying to balance me and that they were caused by my stress/anxiety (which I didn't really realise I had but sort of made sense as I am a bit of a worrier).

All in all their diagnosis hasn't helped much as I am still getting the dizzy spells and I think they are related to ear infection as when I feel more bunged up with a cold then they are worse - Olbas oil has helped clear my head and seemed to stop the frequency of them.

I have no idea if any of the above would help you or even be what you are suffering from but from my experience, everyone I spoke to seemed to say dizziness was common in pregnancy for various reasons and there was not much you can do to stop it.

Without exception, everybody said it would not cause the baby any harm so I hope that gives you some reassurance.

Good luck at the doctors and I hope they give you some reassurance.

I'm now 37 weeks and have had this throughout this pregnancy (it's baby number 2 for me). I've had heart monitors, blood tests and weekly reviews but the upshot seems to be that it's alot to do with low blood pressure and just all round pregnancy woes! These started for me about the same time as you and I've had several scans since all of which have the baby happy, healthy and growing enormous! Genuinely I think they feel worse than they are and cause you far more worry and discomfort than the baby. The general consensus is do less (not so easy with a toddler in tow, work etc I know)and if you feel one coming on sit with your head between your legs in a kind of airplane brace style pose! Eating regularly and drinking lots also makes a big difference and I was given some support stockings (very glam)which can help with the blood pressure.

I can feel mine coming on now (last one was Xmas Eve) and just have to stop everything and try to stay calm as I'm sure panic makes me feel worse. It's awful I know and you've every right to feel freaked out by the whole thing but keep pushing your mlidwifes and GP for regular checks because of it as just hearing that heart beat from time to time and knowing the baby's doing OK will help you deal with them much better.

If it's any consolation in pregnancy one I bled off and on for the entire thing (which sent me into no end of a headspin)but my little boy is a very healthy two year old who keeps tapping the delete key constantly as I'm typing this!! Any spelling errors are down to him... Good luck! x

thank you very much for all your responses. ive been to the doctors today and my blood pressure is ok. ive bought a blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on it.

he's given me iron tablets to be on the safe side and told me to take it easy.

my ears and sinuses have felt bunged up for weeks so i will inhale menthol to try and keep them clear and hope that that helps.

its reassurring to know other people have had similar experiences and that baby should be ok.
thank you

Hi mumandlovingit that sounds like a very scary experience for you. I haven't had syncope while pregnant but had it in the past (passed out when driving). Not sure if this advice is relevant but I was told to make sure that I keep properly hydrated as dehydration can make it worse. To test mine they did a tilt-table test, not sure if they do that for pregnant women though. Really hope the docs look after you. Good luck.

Okay. I have epilepsy, so have some experience with having had actual fits during pregnancy. I think if your doctors were worried that you had that sort of problem they would have mentioned it, so don't worry on that front, but I can say that my DS wasn't harmed by me having fits while I was pregnant, and mine were very convulsive.

As long as your baby's heartbeat can be read loud and clear after any incident like that, it will be fine. Each time I had a big fit I got carted up to ante-natal and they strapped on the heart monitor, only to see that sprog was fine. The only worry they have is if you stop breathing completely, which it doesn't sound like you did.

As for what's causing your fainting spells, it could be all manner of things, but it's possibly worth asking the doctors if there's any possibility that you had a seizure rather htna just a faint. They can happen to anyone, and doesn't mean you actually have epilepsy. Everyone has a seizure threshold, and if stresses on the body get beyond what it can handle, the body goes into a seizure. Whether that's caused by mental or physical stress doesn't really make much difference, and obviously, being pregnant is very stressful in both respects.

As I say, I do want to reinforce that you definitely don't have to have epilepsy to have a seizure like that, so don't panic, but do get it checked out because not all doctors are good at picking up on that sort of thing.

I get the same thing when I'm tired or dehydrated - could it be that do you think?

I had repeat episodes after each of the DC were born when they were about 2-3 months old. It's awful.

I've had four episodes of this, it's very scary. When I feel one coming ( ringing ears, cold sweats) I lie down and raise my legs which seems to work, it takes 5 or 10 minutes to pass. It's worse if I panic. Generally happens if I'm a bit stressed i.e. pregnant, buying a house, moving and nothing is ready!

thank you for your messages, they're very reassuring.

im eating regularly but i have increased my fluids over the past couple of days to ensure im hydrated. im making sure i dont stand for too long and if i feel a bit hot or ears ringing im putting cold water on my face/neck. this has helped so far thankfully.

they didnt ask anything really to do with the seizure part of it but said that you can shake with a syncope.

ive got my scan and consultant appointment this week then midwife next week so i will keep them updated and have regular 2 week visits after that with the midwife so im reasured and baby is checked often.if work wont let me have the extra appointments off i will take them as holiday.baby comes first.

im 20 weeks tomorrow and planning to leave work at the end of the 27th week so got 8 weeks to go.if things get worse i will take another holiday week and leave the week before that.if its due to medical reasons im sure they will be flexible.

just looking forward to the scan now and being reassured that the baby is healthy.

thank you again xx