It's possible that at some point during your pregnancy you feel, or have already experienced, shortness of breath or breathlessness. This is common during these months. At the beginning of your pregnancy you may experience shortness of breath for certain reasons and at the end for other different reasons, but in general, it's harmless, although it may be a bit unpleasant.

Causes of shortness of breath

One of the hormones which are produced during pregnancy is progesterone, which enables you to take in more air with each breath. Thanks to this increase in the air you take in, more oxygen gets to your baby. This new sensation when breathing may sometimes be felt as shortness of breath.

Later on, as the weeks progress, your growing uterus will start putting pressure on your diaphragm, causing you to feel short of breath. You may feel these changes by the third trimester as the 30th week of pregnancy begins.

This feeling may diminish significantly in the last weeks of your pregnancy, when the baby starts starts positioning itself for birth and in doing so leaves  more space for the lungs to expand.

However, if you travel to a place that is higher in altitude than were you live, you may feel even more breathless, now that you are pregnant.

What to do when you feel short of breath

As with other symptoms and discomforts that arise in pregnancy, there is little you can do about shortness of breath because it is part of the gestational process, and of the work hormones are doing so that everything goes well. Nevertheless, there are some measures you can take that might help you get some relief from the difficulties you are having  breathing, which many women find quite unpleasant.

• Try to move slowly so that your lungs have to make less of an effort and rest as soon as you feel the least bit exhausted. Don’t push yourself, because you’ll feel even more breathless.

• Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes. Don't wear pants or skirts with elastic bands that are too tight and make sure that you wear a bra that is comfortable and doesn’t compress your upper abdomen.

• When sitting, especially if you spend long stretches of time sitting at work, adopt a posture that enables air to enter your lungs and this prevent the feeling of breathlessness.

• If you feel you have difficulty breathing at bedtime, propping yourself up with a few pillows might bring you some relief and enable you to breathe better.

• Avoid traveling to high altitudes, since your breathing might become more difficult.

Warning signs

 Sometimes shortness of breath may be a sign of other problems, especially if shortness of breath becomes severe or is accompanied by other symptoms. You must be alert and talk to your doctor if the shortness of breath comes on suddenly, have a rapid pulse, or if some parts of your body have a blue tinge such as your lips, fingers or toes.

Shortness of breath could also be linked to an asthma attack. Asthma may sometimes worsen during pregnancy. Your doctor should rule out the possibility that this breathlessness is caused by asthma.