Hi Ladies,

I had found this board several months ago after having experienced strange symptoms like not being able to sleep, waking up through the night, feeling like I wasn't breathing right while sleeping, heart palps, vibrations in my chest and my legs. I thought that something was seriously wrong with me and then I found this website and after posting my symptoms got lots of confirmation that I was going through peri-menopause. I started taking calcium, magnesium, soy milk, flaxseed oil and the symptoms subsided quite a bit. I also take melatonin and that seems to help me sleep better. Now here I am pregnant and feeling very anxious about it and a little bit confused. I am starting to get the sleep problem back again. I feel like I am not breathing right while I am sleeping and last night I was not able to sleep much at all b/c I would start to fall asleep and then be startled b/c I felt like I wasn't breathing. I am going to see an Ob-Gyn next week and will have to mention all of this but I am just so scared that something is wrong with me and then I worry that its going to affect the baby. I guess I just needed to vent and talk to someone about this. I feel so overwhelmed and scared about this pregnancy and just my physical state. Having a baby was not something I was planning on at this stage of my life and the thought of doing it all over again is very upsetting to me. My husband really is not much of a help. He just wants me to be positive all the time and it drives me crazy! Does anyone know if pregancy can make some symtoms return b/c of hormones??? I was thinking that being pregnant would help my symptoms but it seems to make it worse. Thanks for listening!
Terri

Terry,
I can only offer my experience of being 40+ and pregnant. My first son was born one week after I turned 41 and I was 44yo when my second son was born. I really think peri may have started while I was pg with #1, but at the time I didn't realize it. I think the symptoms of peri and pg can mimic each other?

I really had great pregnancies. Yes, I did worry about something being wrong with my babies, but not obsessively. I knew even if there was, I would love my babies no matter what. They're were perfect (and still are ).

And neither was planned - just wonderful surprises.

I hope that you are able to enjoy your pregnancy. I LOVED being pg. (Well, except for when my 1st was pressing on a nerve that caused shooting pains down my groin ). It is such a special time. I hope that I'm not annoying you (like your DH), but try to think ahead to the time when you will be holding a cuddly little person with that sweet baby scent.

[quote name='sooverit42' date='Feb 18 2008, 04:37 PM' post='210033']
Hi Ladies,


Hi Terri,
Firstly, congrats on your pregnancy! I just wanted to say to you that early pregnancy is so well known for huge hormonal upheaval, and lots of people find this a testing time. As the time goes by, you will be more in balance, and the coming months will bring an improvement in how you are feeling right now.
I am in Ireland, and would like to recommend something that helped me very much with breathing and relaxation, and was drug free! It is a book written by a doctor (psychiatrist I think), and there is an accompanying CD, which is excellent. I put it on my mp3 player, and had it with me at all times last year, during a testing time, and it helped so much. It is called "When Panic Attacks" by Aine Tubridy - if you have any difficulty finding it on line, I will be most happy to post you a copy. It taught me to ignore worrying thoughts, and the breathing, relaxation and meditation would I feel be most beneficial to you and your baby.
Take care,
Alfreda

Terri:

First, congrats on the baby. I am sure it was a huge shock but just try to relax and remember what a blessing children are.

Second, I have two words for you. SLEEP APNEA. Though I normally do not advocate researching things on the internet, I suggest you google Obstructive Sleep Apnea and look at the symtoms. If you do not fit the profile of a potential sleep apnea patient do not blow this off. It sound like to me that you are waking up frequently at night to catch your breath. I had a sleep study done and was told that I wake up 40 times an hour. That is right..basically once every minute and a half. Needless to say I was terribly fatigued, but the doctors overlooked this as a possibility because I did not fit the profile. It was easier for them to say I was anxious and depressed. Well, I guess they were right about that...it took 15 years to find a doctor who finally diagnosed me correctly. I was a walking zombie.

I see many women on here who attribute all or many of their symptoms to peri, and granted, most of the time that is the case. But when I see a woman who is fatigued, gasping for breath, head achy especially in the morning, foggy brain, internal shaking and dizzy, I immediately step up and mention sleep apnea. This may not be the case with you at all, but it is certainly worth consideration. Treatment for sleep apnea is as easy as using the lovely CPAP machine to make sure your airways stay open at night. Ask your doctor if you can get a sleep study done and if they say no then keep asking. Sleep apnea decreases your oxygen levels and the baby would perhaps not be getting enough oxygen.

I do not say any of this to scare you. I hope you know that. I just want to see you get better for your sake and the sake of the baby. It may be that this is not your problem at all but if it is, then there is a simple fix. If you have any questions, please send me a personal message and I will gladly talk to you further.

Shakin'

I had a later pregnanacy and it certainly was different then the one in my twenties. I had sleep issues, restless legs, and IBS ! I also believe peri was in progress !
The good news is that before I gave birth I had a dream of my daughter. I dreamt about the gift she would be to me!
Dreams do come true because that is exactly what she has been in my life.
We have a wonderful relationship which has healed many mother/daughter issues for me after having quite a traumatic relationship with my mother.
This could be one of those blessings in disguise for you. I so hope once your hormones settle in you will be able to relax, surrender and know that all is well !
You will be able to offer this child so much love and maturity from the wisdom you have accumulated.
Please keep in touch and don't feel guilty for the shock and mental disturbance this initially invokes!

Best wishes!

Sharon

Wow! All I can say is thank you all so much for your wonderful words of encouragement! I can't tell you how much better I feel after reading your responses. This whole thing has just thrown me for a loop. I have a 5 year old son and a 3 year old daughter and I was starting to feel like I could breathe a bit more now. Its so ironic this turn of events as we had struggled for years to "get" pregnant and ended up going the IVF road to have my son. I then had a surprise natural pregnacy and had my daughter. And so it goes!.. LOL!
Alfreda ... Thank you for that information. I will definitely look into it. Its sounds like something I would be interested in.
Thanks again all of you!!! ((Big Hugs))!!

Terri

I know what you mean about feeling like you could breath a little more after your kids are past "babyhood." I was lying in bed one night, with my first (and only child at the time) who was about 2 yo thinking "It's so nice that I don't have to get up in the middle of the night, etc.," (espeically at my age .

I think it was about a week later I found out I was pregnant.

What a blessing - I wouldn't take anything for my two boys and now they have each other.