The Problem: Mental Fogginess & Forgetfulness
The
Facts:
Forgetfulness
during pregnancy is commonly reported, but not well-researched.
Physicians often attribute this condition to the extreme fatigue experienced by a majority of pregnant women. Most women overexert themselves during pregnancy. Between new physical discomforts, work in and outside of the home and other commitments, who wouldn't be tired and forgetful?
Another common culprit is dehydration. Women perspire more during pregnancy, and are often reluctant to resupply their bodies in order to avoid numerous trips to the bathroom.
Forgetfulness may also be caused by a natural drop in blood pressure, a condition that peaks between the 20th and 28th weeks of the pregnancy.
Finally, because the body produces more insulin during pregnancy, your partner's blood sugar levels can drop throughout the day. Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, is a common cause of mental fogginess and may also be accompanied by dizziness and sweating.
What You
Can Do:
Encourage your
partner to nap when she needs to. Even a short nap after work can refresh
her mind.
Suggest that she drink between 8 to 12 glasses of water per day.
Unless specifically restricted by her obstetrician, help her combat low
blood pressure and related forgetfulness by encouraging her to add sea
salt to her food or water. Most pregnant women are sodium and potassium
deficient.
If she experiences dizziness when she gets up or changes position, if
she perspires and cannot concentrate, she may have low blood sugar, or
hypoglycemia. To remedy this, encourage her to decrease her intake
of carbohydrates, starches and sugar and consume more protein, more often.
Simply eating a breakfast of orange juice ("flavored sugar water") and
toast ("unfavorable carbohydrates") practically ensures that she will
feel hypoglycemic by 10 A.M.
If she experiences dizziness when she gets up, encourage her to take her
time, rising slowly and deliberately. Suggest that she lie down and rest
when needed. These simple precautions can help avoid a fall that could
injure your partner and the baby.
If she feels dizzy or lightheaded, suggest that she avoid showering or
entering a humid bathroom until she feels better, as the heat and steam
will make her more lightheaded and prone to falling.
Be understanding if she is unable to remember details or required tasks.
Even without a tendency to forget, pregnancy can be a mentally and physiologically
overwhelming process.
When
to Get More Help:
If
she is making efforts to be well rested and well hydrated and is controlling
her blood pressure and sugar levels, but continues to feel foggy and forgetful,
consult her physician.
If your partner falls after the first trimester, contact her physician with information about how, when and where she fell to determine whether she requires medical attention. Falling in the first trimester is not likely to affect the pregnancy because the fetus is protected by your partner's pelvis at this early stage.
Contact her physician any time your partner feels dizziness that is also accompanied by shortness of breath, headache, blurred vision or heart palpitations.