Faintness and headaches in pregnancy

Pregnant women often feel faint and get a lot of headaches. This is because of hormonal changes occurring in your body during pregnancy.

 Fainting happens if your brain is not getting enough blood and there for not enough oxygen. If your oxygen level get  too low, it may cause you to faint.

You are most likely to feel faint if you stand too quickly from a chair or out from a bath, but it can also happen when you are lying on your back.

Avoiding feeling faint

Here are some tips to help you cope:

•  Try to get up slowly after sitting or lying down
• If you feel faint when standing  still, find a seat quickly and the faintness should pass, if it doesn’t lie down on your side.
• If you feel faint while lying on your back, turn on your side.

How to cope with headaches

Try to get more regular rest and relaxation.

Paracetamol in the recommended does is generally considered safe for pregnant women, but there are some painkillers that you should avoid in pregnancy, such as those containing codeine.

Speak to your pharmacist, midwife, GP nurse or health visitor about how much paraceamol you can take and for how long.

When to seek help

If you often have bad headaches, tell your midwife or doctor so that they can advice you. Severe of headaches can be a sign of high blood pressure and you should seek urgent advice, as this could indicate a serious condition called pre-eclampsia.