Why
do I get breathless, and why do I have sore ribs when I’m pregnant?
In today’s world of Covid, we’ve all become anxious about feeling
breathless – especially pregnant women who need 14% more Oxygen because they’re
breathing for two. Painful ‘ribs’ are mostly caused by the softening of the intercostal
muscles between the ribs. These muscles help you to breathe and are
softened by progesterone. This helps to increase breathing capacity.
Oestrogen makes the rib-cage cartilage softer and more ‘elastic’. This
can cause painful ribs. The pain may be worse at night when you’re lying
down, or when exercising. Relax. It will come to an end after your baby is
born.
Breathing problems aren’t necessarily Covid-19 – unless of course, you’ve
tested positive for the virus. Breathlessness can be caused by pre-existing
breathing conditions such as asthma, TB, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, or
emphysema. Your doctor should know about these, and treatment shouldn’t be
interrupted by pregnancy.
If you’re feeling breathless with mild exercise, this could be an
undiagnosed ‘heart murmur’ that surfaces during pregnancy. This happens when
extra circulating blood overloads the heart muscle. You should get this checked
by your doctor.
Life-style i.e., lack of exercise, smoking, over-weight can lead to
breathing problems (even when you’re not pregnant). Now is the time to get
healthy – you’ll be pleased you did when you go into labour, and recover from the
birth.
Stress is a biggie when it comes to breathing problems (especially when wearing
a cloth face mask over your face), as is over-exercising when you’re not fit. In
the last few months when the top of your womb feels as though it’s under your
chin, breathing can feel laborious – especially for short women. When your
baby’s head ‘drops’ into the basin of your pelvis, breathing will become
easier.
In the meantime:
- Focus on your posture
- Wear comfortable, flat shoes
- Join a yoga class and learn to focus on breathing exercises – these will come in useful when you’re in labour
If you’re struggling with a ‘blocked-nose syndrome’ – called pregnancy
rhinitis – it feels as though you have a permanent cold. To ease this
discomfort, breathe in steam water (even better, dissolve 1 tsp Vicks VapoRub
into this boiled water). Ask your pharmacist to recommend a saline nasal spray.
This too will pass once your baby is born.
Breathing exercises:
- Start breathing exercises early in your pregnancy. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and sit comfortably for a few moments, focusing on the rhythm of your breathing. Allow your body to relax. Drop your shoulders, relax the muscles of your face and melt away the tension in your muscles
- Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Spend some time breathing this way listening to the rhythm of your breathing, feeling your chest rising as you breathe in and dropping when you breathe out.
- Now breathe normally again, and notice how you use different muscles – including abdominal muscles.
- Practice this often – especially when you’re stressed.
