Faintness and Dizziness During Pregnancy

Pregnancy Symptoms

Obie Editorial Team

Feeling faint during pregnancy is common and could be the body’s way of saying, “I’m too hot!” or it could just be a natural reaction to growing a baby inside.

Causes of faintness during pregnancy

The first month of pregnancy is quite hard on the body. Both you and your baby require additional blood, which means your body needs to produce more and expand the circulatory system. In some cases, the circulatory system will expand faster than the body can produce blood and faintness occurs.

Later in pregnancy, you may feel faintness associated with pressure on blood vessels or wearing clothing that is tight or hot. Baby growing produces more than enough heat so pregnant moms may feel hot even when others are not.

Important facts about faintness 

Faintness and dizziness can lead to falls and that is not safe for you or your baby. If you feel imbalanced on your feet, using a cane may help you keep balance. In severe cases of vertigo, another name for faintness, riding carts can be used for shopping and longer trips that require lots of walking. Faintness may be normal, but reporting these feelings to a doctor is important even if it seems like nothing.

Treating faintness during pregnancy

Lying down is the best cure for faintness of any kind. When lying down, prop the feet up above the brain to promote increased blood flow. The symptoms should vanish almost immediately. Other important choices include standing slowly, eating plenty of healthy meals and snacks and drinking lots of water. Dehydration and not eating are both common causes of faintness.