Fainting during pregnancy

Fainting is caused by too little oxygen from the blood reaching the brain. Especially during pregnancy, the blood supply in the whole body is changed, since the maternal circulation also supplies the unborn child to a certain extent. In addition, the blood is made more difficult to return to the heart as the baby grows and displaces the organs in the abdomen.

Fainting during pregnancy is triggered when the child not only displaces the organs but the uterus presses on the inferior vena cava, thus significantly reducing or squeezing the blood supply to the heart. This happens especially in late pregnancy (last trimester), when the child is already large. This clinical picture is called vena cava compression syndrome.

The vena cava compression syndrome is characterized by an abrupt drop in blood pressure. The compression also causes less blood to flow back to the heart, so there is a lack of blood volume, which also means that less oxygen reaches the brain. This results in fainting.

The fainting spells occur mainly when the pregnant woman is lying on her back because the vena cava runs to the right of the spine and when the uterus is supine, it lies directly on top of it. If a fainting spell occurs during pregnancy, the patient should always be moved to the left side as soon as possible to relieve the pressure on the vena cava and to ensure that the blood continues to circulate. This is because blood circulation is not only very important for the life of the mother, but also for the life of the child. In the event of a deficiency, a premature birth can be triggered. To prevent fainting during pregnancy, it is advisable not to lie on your back for long and to adopt the left side position.and vena cava compression syndrome

Fainting in children

There are many reasons why children become impotent, but they always require quick action. Some cases of fainting can be solved without the help of a doctor, while others require the assistance of a doctor. However, the child should always be placed in the stable lateral position.

In small children, unconsciousness is often caused by an “affect cramp”. This is caused by prolonged crying in anger or frustration. In this case the child regains consciousness very quickly on its own.

Another case is unconsciousness when the child has gotten up quickly or is frightened. This fainting is caused by the fact that the blood pressure is too low (orthostasis syndrome) and also occurs frequently in young girls during puberty. Fainting can also be triggered by hyperventilation.

Hyperventilation can be recognized by the fact that the children breathe noticeably fast. The body is then supplied with too little oxygen and at the same time carbon dioxide accumulates due to insufficient exhalation. In the latter two cases, the children should first be placed in a supine position with their legs elevated until they regain consciousness.

If the child remains unconscious, the stable lateral position should be adopted and an emergency doctor should be called in. If such cases of unconsciousness occur frequently, an appointment should be made with the responsible pediatrician to clarify the reasons and find a way to prevent them. Another reason for fainting in childhood in connection with diabetes mellitus can be hypoglycaemia, which can be recognized by the fact that the skin is warm and moist.

In this case you should always call the emergency doctor and put the child in the stable lateral position. Other types of fainting are always an emergency and therefore require clarification by an emergency doctor. There are many possible causes: if breathing fails, it is essential to start resuscitation. Since breathing is often the cause of circulatory arrest in children, the intervals between heart massages are shorter (15 times), followed by two breaths.

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