Almost Fainting- Feeling Weak

Highly recommend the Brewer Diet for pregnancy. So few people pay attention to the total nutritional demands. Most likely your protein intake is too low. Pregnancy tends to exagerate a response similar to low blood sugar. Getting high quality proteins will help stablize your system. Since you are growing an entire human being paying attention to providing all essential nutrients is vital.

It's interesting that in animal science or farming; nutrition is recognized as the most important element in producing healthy offspring (and the health of adults). They place a great deal of emphasis is placed on that knowledge and providing healthy nutrition and supplements if needed.

Why is it that most medical schools don't even incorporate a nutrition program as part of the curriculum?

This diet was developed by Dr. Tom Brewer and OB-GYN that found that many problems in pregnancy (even in high risk patients) were eliminated by following a healthy diet and getting plenty of high quality proteins.

>>Dr. Tom Brewer's name may not be familiar to you. He isn't in the public eye much anymore. But Dr. Brewer, a pioneer in the field of nutrition and pregnancy, has spent the past 47 years of his life working as a trained obstetrician, counseling women in both research and clinical settings during their pregnancies. He has fought a lifelong -- and uphill -- battle to conquer disorders of pregnancy and complications of birth, by doing something as simple as making it his business to see that pregnant moms are properly nourished.

Over the past five decades, Dr. Brewer has been frustrated by the failure on the part of health care providers to recognize the important role played by good nutrition during pregnancy and, moreover, to make this an important part of their practice, counseling pregnant mothers in the importance of good nutrition. Brewer believes that it is crucial that pregnant women eat a healthful, balanced diet every day during their pregnancy. Rarely does a pregnant woman get asked by her obstetrician what she is eating. Though they usually take an otherwise complete history, this important part of the puzzle is ignored. Why is one of the simplest solutions (like a good, balanced diet) often ignored and ultimately forgotten? <<

>>3. Your diet recommends 2,400 calories each day? Isn't that awfully high?
Don't concentrate on calories. Instead, eat the healthy foods included in a good diet, making sure to get between 80 and 100 grams of protein each day.<<

The website was giving me an error message but keep trying back. I'm sure they'll be back online soon.

www.blueribbonbaby.org

>>What Makes up a Good, Nutritious, Balanced Daily Diet During Pregnancy?

4 exchanges of milk (1 cup each): whole milk, low fat, skim, buttermilk. If using soy milk, 1.5 cups per serving. One serving of cheese is approximately 1.25 ounces.
2 calcium replacements for each serving of unfortified soy: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds brazil nuts, broccoli, molasses, wheat germ*
2 eggs
6 exchanges of fish, liver, chicken, lean beef, lamb or pork, any kind of cheese. Beans, grains, nuts and seeds and vegetables may also be included in this area, but do not count an item twice. (Average exchange is 1 ounce meat or hard cheese, 1/4 cup of tuna or soft cheese, 1 cup of milk, 1 egg, 1/2 cup beans or grains, 2 to 3 ounces of nuts, and about 5 ounces of most vegetables.)
2 exchanges of fresh, dark green, leafy vegetables: broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, romaine lettuce... (Average exchange is 1/2 to 1 cup)
5 exchanges of whole grain bread, starchy vegetables and fruits. (An average exchange is 1 slice bread, 1/2 cup cereal, pasta or rice, and 1/2 piece of fruit.)
2 exchanges Vitamin C foods: orange, grapefruit, pepper, tomato, cantaloupe, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower (Average exchange is 1 fruit or 1/2 cup.)
5 exchanges fats and oils. (1 tablespoon butter, oil or mayonnaise...)
1 exchange Vitamin A food: carrots, peaches, sweet potato or yam, cantaloupe, apricots
Drink to thirst
Salt foods to taste
Liver (4 ounces) once a week

This diet can be adapted for vegetarians, by using complementary protein at one meal. Choose to eat 2 plant proteins at the same time, such as rice and beans, or to eat some animal protein along with plant protein, such as eggs, cheese or milk.*
*Adapted diet in The Brewer Medical Diet for Normal and High Risk Pregnancy, 1983

Adapted with permission from Metabolic Toxemia of Late Pregnancy, Thomas Brewer, MD, 1982<<

1 mom found this helpful

Hi,
I had the same problem and fainted at a baseball game when I was a little over 12 weeks pregnant! My doctor told me that my body was just reworking itself and it was taking longer for blood to make it's way back up to my head. Make sure you're drinking lots of water and try to rest when you can.

Hi A.! I had this feeling all through pregnancy. Try eating a small amount every 90 min. Raw almonds are a great food to keep your blood sugar consistent and they make a perfect snack because you can keep them in your pocket!
Most importantly, tell your doctor about your symptoms.

I'd call your doctor, it could be a variety of things like gest.diabetes, anemia, low iron, not eating, etc......

I have heard that fainting in pregnancy is more common early on... your uterus is pushing up in your diaphragm or something. Avoid kneeling- that almost got me!

Hi A.!
Congrats on your new little one on the way!! Leave some crackers by your bed when yougo to bed and eat them right away when you wake up before even getting out of bed! I would slowly sit up and get out of bed and then drink a glass of orange juice one youare up and at it. Sounds like a blood sugar thing to me. I had the same issues. Good luck!!!

I know the feeling. Have you been checked for gestional diabeties? I am sure I really misspelled that, and i am sorry. I had it with both of my kids. There is a test they will do if they haven't already and that will determine if you have it. Make sure you push to have it done. With my first pregnancy, it was a shock to me that I had it. The second, I knew before they would test me for it just by the way I felt. I pushed to have the test done and low and behold I had it. Depending on how bad it is, it can be balanced with diet. Good luck!

A.,
A lot of things can cause faintness. I would contact my doctor. It could be low pressure. It could be the position of the baby. But it is not good if you loose consciousness - so contact your doc.
Lisa

Hi there A.!

I had this too with my second pregnancy. It turned out to be low blood pressure for me. I was eating too healthy, not including enough sodium. Too much is bad, but you do need a little salt to keep things going smooth. I felt best when I had 2 or 3 saltine crackers before bed. Best wishes for a healthy delivery!!

Hi A.,
I am a mom of four and in the medical field, If I were you I would try getting up very slowly in the morning, your body needs time to adjust to the extra blood volume its carrying, if getting up slowly does not help and you still experience dizziness and fainting symptoms you should contact your Dr right away.

I had this problem and it was because I was dehydrated. Make sure you are getting enough water.

A., you may look into the possibility of having low blood sugar. The pregnancy can compound that. THe best way to control that (and actually a great diet for keeping your metabolism up). Focus on whole grains, not white bread and white flour. There are tons of foods out there. Avoid sugar and especially soda. Elimination is difficult and probably not a good idea when you're prego, but you should limit these dramatically while you're prego. It's 9 months of your life that could change your child's life. I had to be very careful with my foods. The last thing is to try is eating smaller meals - about 5 a day. You should feel more energy and it helps with any nausea too. If the food changes don't help (you should notice a difference in a day or two) I would seek a Dr's advice. Fainting is not good, it could be a lot of things. Low blood sugar would be my first thought, but i am not a Dr. God bless sweetie.

I had this happen to me during my second pregnancy and it was caused by low blood pressure. I still have it happen occasionally. It usually gets better after I lay down for a short while. I'd still check with your doctor to make sure it's nothing more serious. Good luck.

I agree that you should get bloodwork done--could be anemia or blood sugar issues which tend to show up at about week 20. Please call your OB and they will get you on the right track and check your blood pressure as well, which is very important to keep your baby safe. In the meantime, make sure you are eating enough protein. It sounds like your pregnancies were pretty close (mine too) so your body has been through a lot in the last 16 or so months! Take care.

Hi A.,
Have you had your iron checked? When I was pregnant, my iron became low and I experienced the same problem.
Good luck!

Make sure you stay hydrated because if you get dehydrated it can send your body into pre-term labor. I fainted in my second pregnancy, and have learned a lot since (beware of dehydrating fluids like coffee and soda) My friend went into pre-term labor due to dehydration in her 3rd pregnancy, but luckily did not have to deliver, but was hospitalized. Scary! By my 3rd pregnancy if I did not drink enough fluids, I could feel more and more contractions and pains starting that were very painful. If I just stopped whatever I was doing and drank water, the pain stopped immediately. Very weird how that baby sucks it all up! I was so amazed at the amount of fluid I was drinking. My dr. said I should drink a 2 liter of water a day! Take Care, it's so different the 2nd time around. Good luck.

I am the mother of a wonderful two year old son who has brought me nothing but joy scince he has been born, however, Icannot say the same for the months leading up to his arrival!! I had morning sickness all day long for about the first four months of my pregnancy and following that I often times felt just as you were feeling this morning. I don't think it is anything to be concerned about and if eating helps, by all means eat! A good trick for me was to carry a sports drink bottle of applesauce with me wherever I went so that I always had a little nourishment even if I wasn't able to sit down and eat something. I was finishing up college and often wasn't allowed to have food in the classroom, this was a great solution for those times where I needed a little something to help with the dizziness (also, applesauce is a good, low-fat snack that will also hydrate you, dehydration could also be contributing to your uneasiness). But just to be on the safe side, call your doctor or your doctors nurse just to let them know what's going on, many mothers can develop new conditions such as diabetes or anemia while they are pregnant. Best of luck and congratulations on your expectancy!

this happens to me quite often, and not even when im pregnant!

its something to do with low blood sugar.. and no not a medical disease... just the fact that overnight you havent eaten, and your body starts to need the energy. energy is found in certain sugars... so thats all. try to get up earlier in the am to eat breakfast, or eat right away, or even have a piece of bread and pb on your nightstand to eat before you even get up in the morning. that should totally help.

Hi A.,

I had that problem with my daughter. Turned out that my iron count was low. I was prescribed iron pills and felt much better.

Hey honey, my name is Egypt. I got like that when I was pregnant, It is very common, and you just have to feed yourself on a regular basis, because your baby is draining you of your energy, and you have to replenish those things that the baby takes away. It helps to take more than just prenatals. You get dizzy because of high blood pressure, amongst other things that are going on with your body during pregnancy. I have two babies, and I never had morning sickness, but I got dizzy a lot, and I had to take pills for it because it got really bad. Talk to your doctor if the dizziness is not going away with food, sleep, or simply resting and sitting down... you may be doing too much... Congratulations, and have a healthy pregancy!!!

I had this with my second pregnancy as well. I believe I was around week 19 or 20 when I almost fainted one morning. I sat and rested and slowly drank some water and then called my midwife. They said to drink plenty of fluids but to call if it did not go away within a day. By the end of the night all my symptoms were gone. I've never been a good water drinker but, after than I forced it down :)

Try drinking alot of water for the next few days, if it doesn't go away I'd go into see your doctor to rule out any potential problems. Good luck! I hope you feel better!!!

I know you've already updated this, but I didn't see this in the responses. It happened to me too and I found that eating smaller meals more frequently and eating more protein was helpful. Good luck!