Elevated Heart Rate During Pregnancy at 34 Weeks: Causes & When to Worry

Question
Hello I am 34 weeks pregnant and anytime I exert myself for even a short period of time- example I was picking up laundry and putting it in a laundry basket on the floor, I got really over heated and my heart rate went up to 120 beats per minute and that was after about a minute of resting so who knows how high it was before. I am a little worried about my heart rate going up so high and me not doing much of anything when it happens. What should I do??

Answer
At 34 weeks your baby is growing rapidly and demanding more energy from you, both in terms of calories and oxygen.

When your activity level goes up, so does your baby's. This is normal. But it also means that your heart must work harder to pump more blood to provide for your baby. This is why your heart increases more than usual for any given activity. Don't worry about a heart rate of 120, that's not a problem. But if it goes above 140, then you should reduce the intensity of your activity, or stop that activity all together.

Because you were doing a lot of bending down and straightening up, this type of activity is more likely to raise your heart rate than staying upright. Since it's cumbersome in the last trimester to bend and reach, as well as hard on the back, next time you have a chore like this, place the basket on a nearby table of chair so that you can avoid stooping.