Swollen Feet During Pregnancy
Contents:
- Swollen Feet in Pregnancy
- How to Escape From the Swollen Limbs?
- Types and Causes of Swelling
- What Should I do for Swollen Feet During Pregnancy?
Swollen Feet in Pregnancy
Every pregnant woman knows that the period of waiting for the child to born is accompanied by swollen hands, feet, face and other body parts. Statistics states that only 20 % of women do not face such a nuisance at this time. During a normal pregnancy a woman saves near 7 liters of additional liquid, which is distributed quite unevenly: 5-6 liters is delayed near the tissues of the body, and the rest – in them. During the last weeks of pregnancy near 3 liters of liquid is accumulated in the form of amniotic fluid in the placenta and the baby's body.
The reasons for swollen feet and hands can be normal physical processes and the manifestation of the complication during pregnancy – late toxicosis (preeclampsia). In order to determine the cause of the increased accumulation of fluid in the extremities, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist, who "accompanies" a woman during pregnancy.
How to Escape From the Swollen Limbs?
What should you do if you have swollen feet during pregnancy? Folk remedies should be used with great care, and it is desirable to give them up altogether and do the prevention. Diuretic remedy should be appointed only by a doctor, because the self-healing can be dangerous as for the mother and as for the baby.
There are some tips about how to cope with the swollen limbs:
- Balanced and nutritious diet which is rich in proteins and carbohydrates;
- Reduce the amount of salt consumed. It will be even better to exclude it from the diet for a while;
- Try to avoid a long stay in one position: sitting or standing;
- Doctors do not recommend a lot of walking while having swollen feet or hands;
- It is prohibited to severely restrict fluid intake. It should be about 1.5 liters per day, but the abuse is fraught with the appearance of additional swelling;
- If you have swollen feet, put them for 15-20 min on the hill and make a vigorous massage in this area in the afternoon and evening;
- When the gynecologist has determined that the cause of swollen feet is the uterus, which squeeze all the internal organs, special exercises, can help or only a certain position: genucubital position in which you should be at least 2 hours per day. This time can be divided into 10 sets of 20 minutes, or at the discretion of the pregnant woman.
Types and Causes of Swelling
If you have swollen hands and feet, the protein in the urine was not detected, and the pressure of a pregnant woman is in the normal range, then the reading can be in the slowing of blood circulation in the limbs. This usually occurs during the second half of pregnancy, after about 30 weeks. When a woman does not control her diet and consume large amounts of salt and liquid, the consequence is obvious – weak or strong swelling, which disappear after a night's rest, but during the day it comes back again. This is not considered to be a dangerous condition, but it still delivers some discomfort for the woman. Therefore, it requires certain actions to correct the diet.
There are 4 stages of swelling:
- Fluid accumulates in the area of the lower leg;
- The lower leg of the foot and the lower part of the abdomen;
- Swelling of the hands is added;
- Almost all body is swollen.
The hidden swellings also exist. They cannot be seen by the appearance of a pregnant woman. The doctor may suspect that a woman had a sharp jump in gaining weight, but the usual diet was not particularly changed. Pregnant women who suffer from cardiovascular disease, kidney problems or varicose veins are often concerned about swelling of the legs. In this case, the woman's condition must be necessarily controlled by a specialist.
When this problem occurs because of preeclampsia, the liquid accumulates in the feet area first, then gradually rising up to face. Sometimes early toxicity symptoms occur late – you gain more than 350 g per week. When the swelling begins to appear all over the body, it is possible to conclude that a woman has an edema of pregnant. If the protein in the urine and high blood pressure are added to this, the treatment of this condition occurs in stationary conditions. In non-severe cases, a doctor can simply assign a number of drugs, but you should consult him much more often than usual.