Being pregnant is like a marathon.
A 40 week long marathon actually.
It’s not how you start the race, but how you finish.
So, I was really happy that my first trimester went on without a hitch. No morning sickness, no fatigue, no food cravings or aversions etc and apart for 1 or 2 kg increase on the scales, you couldn’t even tell that I was pregnant.
Life was good. I kept exercising and working out as per normal.
Then I entered the second trimester things changed.
One evening as I was going about doing some things in my house, I started to feel dizzy, and followed by the preliminary signs of a black out. Cold sweat, seeing stars and loosing my vision. I immediately had to lie down to let it pass. Later when I checked with my O & G, he told me that it’s normal. Apparently when you’re pregnant, your cardiovascular system undergoes dramatic changes. Your heart rate goes up, your heart pumps more blood per minute, and the amount of blood in your body increases by 30 to 50 percent. This is to get more blood flow to the growing baby. What’s more, during a normal pregnancy, your blood vessels dilate and your blood pressure gradually decreases, reaching its lowest point in mid-pregnancy. It then begins to go back up, returning to its regular level by the end of pregnancy.
Most of the time, your cardiovascular and nervous systems are able to adjust to these changes, and there’s adequate blood flow to your brain. But occasionally they don’t adapt quickly enough, which can leave you feeling light-headed or dizzy or cause you to faint.
Ah so the huge scare came when it kicked in as I was driving home from work. Luckily I made it home in time and the blackout episode passed. So for the past 2 weeks hubby drove me to and back from work.
I am now entering 21 weeks and the episodes have started to decrease in frequency thank God! Hopefully, it’s just a passing phase and I will be back to normal soon:)
Some tips that I found helpful, once the episode hits :
- Sit or lie down in a cool area
- loosen your clothes
- Drinks something sweet
- raise your feet, slightly above your head if you can, it helps the blood flow back towards your brain.
Add Floradix to my diet ( Floradix contains iron (in the form of iron gluconate), vitamins B2, B6, B12 and C which contribute to the reduction of tiredness and to normal energy yielding metabolism. Iron also contributes to normal red blood cell and haemoglobin formation which is supported by vitamins B6 and B12. Furthermore, vitamin C increases iron absorption. As these nutrients are already dissolved, they are absorbed more quickly by the digestive system compared to tablets. Floradix is particularly beneficial for expectant and lactating mothers and people with an active lifestyle. Most importantly, this formulation is non-constipating!)
No comments yet.