lavender Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I'm 34ish weeks pregnant with my first little one. I've been having lots of braxton hicks contractions for the last few months. They are not a concern. Here's my question. Right before and durring the contractions my chest feels tight and I feel a lot of pressure in my chest and head...especcially if I'm laying down. It's kinda like if I stand too long, get super POTSy...then what my chest and head feel like when I lay down. Sometimes I feel my face flush durring the contraction. So is all of this normal with a little contraction or is this a POTS reaction? So far my pregnancy has gone super smooth without any real problems. I'm hoping my POTS won't interfere with my labor and delivery.My midwife was a bit surprised how early I started feeling the braxton hicks and how often I get them, but isn't concerned as long as they don't get rhythmic. She said the pressure I notice may be my being more aware of my body because of my POTS and also my body being hypersensative to things. she said the contraction is probably putting a little pressure on the arteries down my back causing the feeling of pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdula Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Hi,I have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions - even starting at about 12 wks pg with me 4th. Have always had a lot. I never had the feelings you describe with them. I think I did probably have POTS or the beginning of it with my 4th preg, but it wasn't full blown til I cut down nursing him. My guess would be it is the POTS causing those other sensations. Hang in there - you don't have much longer to go!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Hi Lavender,I have always had a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions with my pregnancies. They started around 20 weeks with my son. With my last pregnancy I had them starting around week 14 or so. I've even had them be very regular and slightly painful for a couple of hours. I never had early labor, though. It was always just Braxton-Hicks.What you describe with chest feeling tight sounds very similar to what happend with me during my last pregnancy. I would wake up in the middle of the night from an increase in heart rate and a tight feeling in my head and chest. My face would flush sometimes too. I knew that a contraction was on its way before I could feel my uterus tightening. I asked my doctor about the heart rate increase and she said that it was a normal response to contractions, and that I didn't need to worry about it unless it was sustained above 120 for an extended period of time. I don't remember if I asked specifically about the tight feeling and flushing face or not. Either way, everything turned out fine. Adelaide is quite healthy, and I'm back to my baseline.I hope that your last six weeks go well for you and Baby!Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 yeah, what you write sounds like me....I can tell my belly is going to get tight, before it actually does, by the pressure in my head and faster heartrate. I'm glad to hear Adelaide is doing great. I'm sure she's cute cute! Hi Lavender,I have always had a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions with my pregnancies. They started around 20 weeks with my son. With my last pregnancy I had them starting around week 14 or so. I've even had them be very regular and slightly painful for a couple of hours. I never had early labor, though. It was always just Braxton-Hicks.What you describe with chest feeling tight sounds very similar to what happend with me during my last pregnancy. I would wake up in the middle of the night from an increase in heart rate and a tight feeling in my head and chest. My face would flush sometimes too. I knew that a contraction was on its way before I could feel my uterus tightening. I asked my doctor about the heart rate increase and she said that it was a normal response to contractions, and that I didn't need to worry about it unless it was sustained above 120 for an extended period of time. I don't remember if I asked specifically about the tight feeling and flushing face or not. Either way, everything turned out fine. Adelaide is quite healthy, and I'm back to my baseline.I hope that your last six weeks go well for you and Baby!Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 o yes! im almost 40 weeks and im so light headed and dizzy.. but hopefully only a couple days till im done finally haha. the contractions put pressure especially on nerves (i get shooting pains) and that can make you dizzy too. hope everything goes well for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted March 20, 2010 Report Share Posted March 20, 2010 I am 30 weeks pregnant and experiencing the exact same thing! This is my 3rd pregancy with POTS, and I have experienced this with the other 2 as well- although this time around, my POTS symptoms are quite severe and so I think I'm noticing the changes more- the strange feeling in my chest, slightly increased heart rate, and flushed face- each time I have a Braxton-Hicks contraction. I'm very nervous about the "real" contractions this time, as I have chosen to have natural, out-of-hospital births (there have not been any previous complications from the POTS) but if I remember correctly, I didn't experience this when I was in labor before- or maybe I just didn't notice because of everything else going on! I think we are just more sensitive to this than the average woman would be, because of the cardiac "awareness". Best of luck with your delivery and postpartum- you don't have much longer to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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