Compression Stockings During Pregnancy
Contents:
- What аor Do Pregnant Women Need Compression Stockings?
- Compression Stockings in Case of Swelling During the Course of Pregnancy
- How to Choose Compression Stockings
- An Instruction on How to Use Compression Clothes
- The Rules of Care: How to Wash and Dry Compression Stockings
Compression Stockings for Pregnancy
Practically every woman who is in a delicate condition faces unpleasant sensations in legs: varicosis, heaviness and swelling. All these are due to the fact that there is an increased load on organism that gets more and more as the baby in the belly grows. Sometimes, legs swelling and varicosis may threaten the health of a future mother. That’s why women who have such like problems are recommended wearing special stockings.
What for Do Pregnant Women Need Compression Stockings?
Compression clothes have become a real godsend for patients that are prone to swelling and varicose veins.
Such like clothes are made of special elastic material the main functions of which include:
- Pressure on blood vessels being evenly spread;
- Outflow of venous blood from the lower extremities getting back to normal;
- Getting rid of the feeling of tiredness in the extremities.
Compression Stockings in Case of Swelling During the Course of Pregnancy
The swelling of the extremities during the course of pregnancy are very often caused by the liquid that stays in the organism. This happens in case there is an excess of salty foods in the food ration. A diet will help to get rid of the swellings of this type.
However, sometimes, swelling is the first symptom of a venous outflow in the legs disorder. If there is a constant feeling of tiredness in the legs, swelling and occurrence of the obvious venous pattern on legs, a woman is recommended going to a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating the illnesses connected with veins. Together with a prescribed treatment, a doctor will recommend wearing compression clothes.
How to Choose Compression Stockings
There are lots of compression clothes of various types being produced for future mothers. The items are of different size, colour and level of compression.
Among them there are:
- tights – they are recommended to buy if apart from problems with calves, there is varicosis of the private parts. However, tights may press on the belly thus causing discomfort if a woman needs to visit a toilet which happens very often when a woman is pregnant;
- stockings – are the best alternative for pregnant women that suffer from varicosis. They are easy and convenient to use, their only disadvantage is a constant necessity to hitch them up and see if they haven’t slipped down;
- half-hose are to the point if there are problems with veins only in the area of calf muscles. However, this type of clothes is not that much aesthetically pleasing if you’re wearing a dress or a skirt.
The majority of future mothers prefers stockings over tights and half-hose since this item is more convenient to use and doesn’t look any different from a usual pair of stockings. All treating clothes have different sizes that’s why before buying any of them a woman should measure herself at home. Then, she simply shows the measurements to a shop assistant and he or she will be able to find a pair of stockings of the needed size. If the size is wrong, the stockings will not only be ineffective, but they will also do more harm than good.
Take tape measure and accurately measure:
- The distance from groin to feet;
- The circumference of hips and waist (for tights);
- The circumference of a lower leg over the huckle-bones;
- The circumference of a lower leg over a knee joint.
It’s necessary to buy such like clothes in certain specialized shops or drug stores!
According to how severe a case of varicosis is, stockings or tights have a different level of compression:
- Light level – such like compression clothes can be worn as a preventive measure against problems with venous circulation and also in order to decrease the load on the lower extremities if there is a long-distance walking ahead.
- The first class – clothes of this type are aimed at women that are genetically prone to varicosis but still don’t have any obvious problems (or they are not that severe yet). A woman is only complaining about an increased tiredness in legs and slight legs swelling in the evening.
- The second class – such like clothes are meant for those pregnant women who suffer from varicosis, vascular spiders on the legs and their severe swelling.
- The third class of compression – this type of clothes is prescribed if a patient has chronic diseases of the lower extremities’ veins. For example, there may be thrombophlebitis and other diseases.
- Anti-embolic type of clothes is prescribed to women during the time of labor in order to decrease the load on the vessels of the pelvis and prevent the development of complications.
According to how thick stockings and tights are, the items may have different number of denier. You should decide on your own whether to wear compression stockings, half-hose and tights or not. The thing is that this type of clothes has a number of contradictions.
For example:
- diabetes;
- ischemia of some areas;
- Raynaud'S Disease;
- atherosclerosis;
- surfaces with open wounds;
- pustular eruptions on skin;
- various endocrine disorders.
An Instruction on How to Use Compression Clothes
In order for the effect from wearing compression clothes to be really obvious, a woman should learn how to use them in a right way.
Here are simple rules to memorize:
- Put on stockings and tights in the morning, while you’re still lying in bed. While you’re putting them on, you may feel cold in the extremities and there is also the feeling of compression. It’s fine to feel these.
- In order to make the process of putting on more convenient (especially on the late stages of pregnancy) ask a relative of yours to help you.
- If there is a necessity, take stockings with you to labor so that you’re able to prevent the occurrence of various complications connected with the increased pressure on vessels of the lower extremities and pelvis.
It’s necessary to wear compression stockings all day long and put them off once you’re in bed and going to sleep.
The Rules of Care: How to Wash and Dry Compression Stockings
In order for your item to serve you for a long time, you should take care of it in a right way. You’re only allowed to wash stockings with your hands. It’s forbidden to use washing machine or dryer for that matter. Use warm water and laundry or baby soap to wash stockings. You should always thoroughly rinse them. You should dry them only in a horizontal position having put them on a smooth solid surface beforehand. The fact is that if you hang them on washing lines, it may cause deformation of the fabric’s fiber thus making the compression function worse.