What it is
Lightheaded when you stand. Shaky and hungry at 10 a.m. An energy crash after lunch. Two things are going on. Your blood vessels relax and your blood pressure drops, so standing fast can make you dizzy. And your body burns glucose faster, so going too long without food drops your blood sugar.
What's typical
Dizziness peaks in the second trimester, when blood pressure is lowest. Hunger that hits hard every two to three hours is normal. A crash 30 to 90 minutes after a sugary or carb-heavy meal means the meal lacked protein and fat. Lying flat on your back late in pregnancy can press a big vein and cause dizziness. Turn on your side.
What's known
ACOG describes dizziness as a normal result of pregnancy's changes to blood pressure and sugar. Dizziness with headache, vision changes, or swelling is a different thing. It points to blood pressure that is too high.
What helps
- Eat every two to three hours. Keep a protein snack in your bag.
- Pair every carb with protein or fat. Fruit with nut butter, crackers with cheese.
- Stand up in stages: sit, pause, then stand. Hold something.
When to call someone
- Nowyou faint, or dizziness comes with chest pain, bleeding, or severe belly pain.
- Todaydizziness with a bad headache, vision changes, or sudden swelling. That can be high blood pressure.
- At your next visitdizziness most days, or crashes after meals that keep happening. Ask about anemia and blood sugar testing.
Who helps
Related
- Eating with gestational diabetesPregnancy: Eating
- Low iron and anemiaPregnancy: Your Body
- High blood pressure and preeclampsiaPregnancy: Your Body
- Protein: how much and from wherePregnancy: Eating
What mothers here say
No one has posted under this topic yet. The first experience here will help the next mother who searches for it at 2 a.m.
Experiences and questions are their authors' own, not reviewed advice. The topic's steward lists the ones that help most in a credited digest once there is one. Unusual experiences stay, with a note.
Sources
- NHS — Feeling faint in pregnancy
- March of Dimes — Dizziness and fainting during pregnancy
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Changes during pregnancy FAQ
Sources are named, not yet linked. The steward verifies each one and adds the link.
Steward this topic
Birthworkers listed in our directory can claim a topic, verify its sources, and curate what mothers share here. Your name and credential go at the top of the page. Takes about an hour the first time.
Find your directory page