Heart Palpitations During First Trimester

I had heart palpatations too. Went to the ER one night with them...and they x-rayed me (no fun when pg). The short of it was nothing was wrong, and if my OB had been available, he said he would have told me that this is something that happens to many women as hormones shift, and the baby takes up more space, pushing everything upwards. He told me just to sit and relax any time they happened after that.

Jen,
Every pregnancy is different. I did the same thing with my last two pregnancies, which were ten years apart, but not with my first. After finally blacking-out at work, my doctor sent me for a lot of testing and doctors appts, an ultrasound showed Mitralvalve Prolapse. I also was very stressed out, so try to reduce you caffine intake and get plenty of rest. Hope all goes well.

I had the same thing when I was pregnant and nursing. Now after my third, (he is 2) I still have them every once in a while. Had an EKG done. Shows nothing is wrong. I find it typically happens when I am thinking about something that makes me anxious. I can't say I am OK with it. It bothers me, but I don't really know what I can do about it. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone. Also, it makes me feel a little better to know I am not alone either. Good luck with your pregnancy.

Dear Jen,

what you wrote sounded so familiar.
When I was pregnant with my now two year old daughter I was always sooo tired. Being a midwife myself I always thought: Oh come on, your JUST pregnant - not sick!
When I was 34 weeks pregnant I had a really hard time to walk the 20 steps up to our first floor and when I was up there
I collapsed twice.
I thought it sounded so weird, but eventually I told my OBGYN that I sometimes had the feeling my heart races, skips a few beats, flutters...
After an EKG, 24-hour-EKG I was very surprised to hear: I have WPW(Wolf-Parkinson-White)and had it all my life... (I had my daughter when I was 37 years old!)
Some people get better after operation.
I got operated last year when my daughter was 1 1/2.
Just a regular EKG will give you this information.

Hi Jen.
I had heart palpitations, too. I still have them, ever since the pregnancies. It was worse if I laid on my left side. If I can remember correctly, the doctor said it had something to do with excess blood that your body makes when your pregnant and laying on your left side would make it worse. So I avoided that ! I had them through all 3 of my pregnancies and I survived each one of them without a trip to the cardiologist. After my last baby I went back to work and was still nursing. I had an episode one day where I was palpitating constantly for about an hour. Freaky! So I went to the ER and they put me on a monitor- everything was fine. They told me to rest.
However, now that I'm pushing 40, it makes me a little more unsettled. Recently I started waking up with my heart racing in the middle of the night. So I went to a cardiologist a couple of weeks ago. They did an EKG and I wore a halter monitor- mainly because of family genetics, and I had racing heart AND a history of palpitations. Again, everything turned out fine.
I know it is scary and it still freaks me out on occasion. But every time I have it checked out, I'm fine.
My gut feeling is that it is when I'm very tired and dehydrated (it was worse when I was nursing). So make sure you are drinking a lot of water and getting rest. Also, sleep on your right side at night. The cardiologist has determined that my racing heart was from acid reflux, causing me to feel like I'm suffocating in my sleep and I wake up having a little panic attack. He put me on something for my stomach, and the racing stopped. So I also think that palpitations may be gastreo-intestinal related. But I'm no doctor! That's just my gut feeling.

Good luck!
L.

Hmmm...the posts are all over the board on this one...no one seems to have the same advice/experience. And...I am going to throw something else out there for you to think about. Do you have any thyroid problems? Have you had our thyroid tested lately? I didn't have problems with my first PG...but I am 12 weeks into my second one...and I haven't felt the electric surge that you talked about...but I often feel heart palps. I have almost since the beginning of this PG. I was diagnosed as being hyperthyroid a little under a year ago...and it is most likey what is causing these heart issues. I agree with the previous poster....my doc said as long as I don't faint or get dizzy...that I will probably be fine. They are keeping a close eye on my thyroid levels during this PG though. Not sure if this will help...it's just my experience. Good luck!

Hi,

I went through the exact same thing around the same time during my pregnancy as you. I get those sometimes, but they seemed to be strong and consistant. I asked my OB about them, and she said that they are completely normal during pregnancy, and to just try and cut caffine out completely. They went away around 5-6 months, and I haven't had them since. I would not over worry about them, and definenlty save your money and skip the cardiologist. Thanks,

A.

I had the exact same thing during both my pregnancies. I know how you feel - it was terrifying to feel my heart racing and fluttering, but my doctor told me that the heart is working so much harder that it sometimes happens and is completely normal. It went away near the end of the second trimester. Good luck to you!

I have had the feelings where it feels like an electrical surge going through my body when I was pregnant with my first child. Then I started having them again almost a year ago. The Dr’s kind of brushed it off the first time as I was coming off of some heavy anxiety medication that I couldn’t take while pregnant and I did it cold turkey, not a good idea. Then A year ago I started having really bad headaches and the shock feelings again. I was sent for an MRI as I have a history of head and neck cancer when I was an adolescent, but it was clear and the said I was have a mild case of vertigo. They said it was all caused by stress and sent me for a sleep study. Turned out I was never getting any rem sleep because of my snoring. They gave me a cpap and I haven’t had them unless I get stressed and don’t use my machine. I am not saying this is what is causing your feelings. Just thought sharing my story with you might ease some of your worry.

I experienced those during my pregnancy as well and the doctor said it wasn't unusual during pregnancy. I continued to have them afterwards and because I was born with a heart murmur, I went to see a cardio. They did an ultrasound and found the murmur but it wasn't of any concern and told me to watch my caffiene intake. I have noticed a difference since. Definitely just mention it to your gyno just to be sure. Take care!

I had the same thing during my first pregnancy and was told it was normal.

This sounds pretty normal. My doctor told me it was due to the increase of your blood supply for pregnancy. I can't remember how much it increased, but it was quite a bit. Then you heart works harder to pump all of that new blood. Even though you don't feel stressed, your body is working harder.

Jen,
Just a suggestion that worked and still works for me, drink a tall glass of water, if you can, when you have palpitations. I was talking to my allergist about them and he mentioned that sometimes your blood will thinken thus making it harder for your heart to pump it. There's no harm in trying this until (and if) you decide to seek professional advice. Good luck, I feel for you, I was there too, and you can add the blacking out of sight to that.
S.

I also had hear palpatations during my pregnancy, and still have them every now and again. I talked to my OB about it and she was not concerned. Although it sounds like you are having them more often and worse than I was. I would definitely suggest talking to your OB, she will only refer you to specialist if she is concerned about it.

Good luck!

This can be very serious and you really need to see a Fetal Specialist I reccomend Dr. Adam at Womens. You also need an MRI to truly see what is going on.

Hi, Jen!

So glad you get to stay at home with your precious children! I had the same kind of heart palpitations during one of my pregnancies and my midwife said that it was probably because I was anemic, so I began taking iron and eating iron-rich foods and the heart palpitations stopped! I'd check with your OB/midwife for sure though.

Blessings,
S.

I had the same thing with my last pregnancy. It is a wierd feeling. Just inform your doctor about it. Don't worry about it unless it gets worse or painful. Pay attention to when it happens and that might help you figure out the cause. Make sure you doctor knows what's going on though.

Hi Jen!

This happened to me too. I am in my 3rd trimester of my second pregnancy...AND it seems like a week or two after I found out I was pregnant, my heart was doing weird things too. Especially when I'd lay down. It would beat really hard and just seemed like my body was working really hard at pumping..it was weird, but I called my friend up who just had HER second baby...and she said she experienced this too. My heart would also beat fast sometimes and skip beats a little..but it stopped after a couple weeks. I would just do some deep breathing and just let my body do it's thing. I never asked my dr about it either. Not sure why, I just accepted it as part of the pregnancy! Anyways, congratulations, and I bet it'll go away on its own. :)

Jen,
I too experienced heart palpatations during my first trimester. Althought my cardiologist said these were non-life threatening, it still bothered me. But, they went away around the 4th month. The cardiologist said as long as I do not feel light headed, dizzy or faint during these episodes, there was really nothing to worry about. Hope this helps.

M.

Jen,
I have experienced the same thing since my first pregnancy. (I've had two children that are now ages 13 and 11). I've had heart palps ever since when I'm stressed or feeling anxiety for any reason. I've had a full physical recently which included an EKG and they have found nothing wrong with me either and says it's just stress related. I wish you well. Just exercise and eat right, but go to the doctor if you really begin to feel bad. God Bless.
M.

Jen, I have, unfortunately, dealt with heart palps for many years now. Although my palps did not start when I was pregnant, I did see a cardiologist. He determined my heart is completely healthy, but I suffer from PVP's with tachycardia, and ruled out Mitro Valve Prolapse as well. (web search should provide a lot of info about the two I mentioned.) No other reason was given, he just assured me my heart was healthy. I still have heart palps and have learned to live with them. Deep breaths, meditation, etc. I think you may want to mention it to your OB and see waht he/she has to say. There are numerous possibilities and I think another cardiologist visit may be worthwhile to alleviate your worries. You could have one heart palpitation that leads to anxiety. If you know the heart palp is not due to any heart issues, you will probably not worry as much, thus reducing your anxiety level. I will pray you find the answers you need. Best of luck with your pregnancy!

My doctor was able to diagnose my heart murmur while I was pregnant. She said that when your pregnant you body carries more blood and by nature is working harder (sustaining two lives basically). Talk to your doctor about it and see what happens, you can't put a price on your health.