Faintness - help! I can't even shop!

[Spuddle]

hello all,
I'm 14 weeks tomorrow by my U/S scan (14 weeks 3 days by LMP) and I can't stand up for more then a few minutes before I start to feel really really sick and like I'm going to pass out. It takes 2 hours to go round big w coz i have to sit down at every opportunity! It's making cooking, shopping and general day to day stuff really difficult. I have my antenatal appointment on Thursday and I'll discuss it with the doctor then, but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this? I've had fairly ordinary morning sickness for the last 7 weeks so I haven't eaten that much (forced myself to eat three meals and my dinner can usually fit on a bread plate!).
Any advice would be much appreciated!!
Thanks so much
SpuddleS

[MantaRay]

Spuddles, that doesn't sound good hun. I have low bp and that sounds like what is going on. One thing that can contribute to low bp attacks is not enough fluids, so the first thing to try would be drinking more water, and if you are not eating well, maybe some gatorade or similar to boost your electrolytes. I also would see a GP ASAP just to make sure that nothing more serious is going on. It's worth it for peace of mind. I hope you get better soon.

[MummyDuck]

What Manta said.....

I just wanted you to know that the faintness is what made up the majority of my ms in the first trimester but it will pass. It may just be all the changes going on and hormones running around but i would def see a doc just to be safe.

[Alan]

Hi Spuddle
Feeling faint or even fainting in early pregnancy is not unusual. During pregnancy your blood volume increases by about 70%. To accommodate this increase in blood volume your blood vessels also increase in size. Unfortunately sometimes your blood vessels can increase faster than your blood volume. When this happens it can cause a drop in your blood pressure causing you to feel faint. I would expect his problem to correct itself within the next few weeks. I suggest that you still discuss this with your doctor on Thursday.

[Spuddle]

Well, I took your advice and tried to get in to see a doc today, but they were all booked out. So I called the maternity department at the hospital and the midwife I spoke to (she was so so lovely!!) told me to come straight down and she'll check out my blood pressure etc. It was very very high sitting up (147/87) and then it dropped to 115/72 when sitting and 117/82 for standing. I got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time though which was a nice silver lining to my adventurous morning and she said that it was perfect. She told me to discuss this with the doctor on Thursday, but suggested that it's just a part of morning sickness - as long as it's "normal" i don't mind! I can cope fine as long as there isn't a problem!!
Thank you all so much for your advice. If anyone else has experienced this, please feel free to shar your experiences with me!!

[New Dawn]

yep me too I had it with my 1st and 3rd babies with my 1st it stuck around but mostly when I had to buy meat so in the end if BHL wanted some he had to get it himself LOL

But with my 3rd it hung around until about 16/18 weeks and then went away so i hope for your sake it does the same for you its not a nice thing to have happen...

Its just one of the many joys of have a baby!! and one of the many reason men couldnt have them LOL ... But do worry we forget all about the bad things once you get to hold you baby for the first time as thats what makes us go back for more...

[Arimeh]

I had that when pregnant with DS and the only thing that helped me was to have a big whack of sugar - when the doc tested my blood sugar levels they were really really low for a pregnant woman. Told me to keep eating every two hours, and I started drinking coke whenever I would feel a little bit faint.
Not that I'm recommending you to load up on sugar (cos you gain more weight that way..lol) I'm just saying what it was for me, cos it wasn't my blood pressure, just my blood sugar levels that made me faint...
Hope it gets better for you soon!!!!

[Indadhanu]

*SNAP* I was about to say exactly what Mel said..... LOL!

I have the same thing, if I haven't had a snack (like a peice of fruit or a sweet biscuit or sugary drink something) in 2 hours I start to get very very faint and dizzy. I have very low BP though as well. It takes me a while to get round our shopping centre too, as I sit at pretty much every opportunity! Try carrying some snacks with you, or a cold sweet drink, when you go out and take a bite/sip every 5 minutes or so and see if that helps.

[Spuddle]

Ok, feeling relieved. It really is a very overwhelming feeling, especially when it's every single time I'm standing for more then a minute or so. I'll try taking some snacks in my handbag. I have started taking bottles of water with me, but it doesn't help much. It's all for a good cause, so like i said, as long as the baby is ok, it's all I care about!
I have one more question, so I might start another thread...