When you are pregnant, your body goes through many changes. One of them is a heart rate that is faster than normal. Heart palpitations during pregnancy are considered normal and generally harmless.
Usually, complaints of heart palpitations will disappear after the mother gives birth. In other words, as long as heart palpitations during pregnancy are not accompanied by severe symptoms and are not the result of a serious condition, your doctor will likely not recommend any treatment.
Heartbeat During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your blood volume will increase by about 40 percent. This happens so that the fetus in the stomach gets the blood supply it needs to help them grow, develop, and get oxygen.
In the second trimester of pregnancy, the blood vessels in your body start to dilate. This causes your blood pressure to drop slightly. While in the third trimester of pregnancy, about 20 percent of the blood in the mother's body will flow to the uterus.
This increase in blood volume and changes in blood vessels make the heart have to work harder and faster to circulate the blood. As a result, the heart rate increases by about 10 to 20 beats per minute.
In addition, palpitations during pregnancy can also be caused by stress, anxiety, consumption of foods or drinks containing caffeine, consumption of cold and allergy medications containing pseudoephedrine, history of heart problems during previous pregnancy, history of heart problems before pregnancy, or anemia.
Sometimes, palpitations during pregnancy can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid, especially if you have had symptoms of a previous thyroid disorder. Although very rare, palpitations during pregnancy accompanied by shortness of breath can be a sign of a heart arrhythmia, which is an abnormality in the rhythm of the heart.
The Right Action for Heart Pounding During Pregnancy
Don't panic if you experience palpitations during pregnancy, here are some steps you can take:
- Get plenty of rest and avoid strenuous physical activity.
- Manage stress well.
- Avoid cigarette smoke, as well as consumption of alcohol, caffeine and drugs that are not as recommended by a doctor
- Monitor weight gain during pregnancy, as gaining too much weight during pregnancy puts additional strain or stress on the heart.
- Regularly visit the obstetrician during pregnancy to check the health of the mother and fetus
- Take medication as prescribed by your doctor, if recommended.
However, if the heart palpitations experienced by the mother are accompanied by shortness of breath, irregular pulse, chest pain, dizziness, weakness, or coughing at night, immediately consult a doctor or emergency unit at the nearest hospital.
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