Question
Of course, from a distance it's not possible to really know what's causing your shortness of breath, but I can give you some educated guesses.
Answer
Of course, from a distance it's not possible to really know what's causing your shortness of breath, but I can give you some educated guesses. First of all, breathing problems are common throughout
pregnancy, and occur in the beginning because of hormonal changes. At the end of
pregnancy, breathing difficulties are more often due to the size of the
baby and the pressure on the lungs and diaphragm.
I'm so glad that you quit smoking. Quitting smoking is not only important for your
baby but essential for your own health. It seems that you only recently quit smokingyou could still be experiencing respiratory problems that occurred because of smoking, so that's one guess. I also wonder about asthma. Some asthmatics say that their lungs "burn," and that's the phrase you use. Do you wheeze? And as for other causes of shortness of breath, are you coughing? Do you ever cough up blood-tinged mucus? Do you ever have a bluish tinge to your lips or fingernails? Do you get fevers? You might need to see a pulmonary specialist or a maternal fetal medicine specialist (a doctor who only works with women with high risk pregnancies) if you need to be treated for asthma or another respiratory condition during this
pregnancy. I think the most important advice I can offer you is that you should not accept advice that doesn't feel right to you. If you are worried about your breathing, and your doctor is not satisfying your worry with an adequate response, then find another doctor who will take you seriously and at least answer your question or refer you to a specialist. While your respiratory difficulty might not be anything to worry about, there is a chance that it is from asthma, or pneumonia, or any number of other conditions.
