Swelling

I've read about swelling in pregnancy but this is getting ridiculous! My feet are swollen 24 hours a day to the point where I no longer recognize them. I cannot fit into my boots (which means ballet flats in Canadian winter - no good). And my hands! Also swollen and painful. I've been doing a few things at home, wrapping gifts and painting a wall decoration and my hand will go numb and swell.

I mentioned the swelling at my last doctor visit and they said my BP is great so not to worry...but man, I had no idea swelling could be this bad. Anything help, other than trying to stay off your feet/put your feet up?

 

As long as your dr. is happy with your BP and there's no protien in your urine.. it's just normal! And yes.. relax.. sit on the couch and do nothing until those babies come. It's your body telling you to take a break

 

Stay off your feet is the best advice!!! I spent the last few weeks just lieing down and cooking those babies. Just get up for the good stuff that you really want to do and let everyone else do everything for you. You're getting so close. I took a pic of my feet next to everyone else's when they were swelled up the most. We get a good laugh about it now (Wasn't funny at the time though) Putting my feet above my heart was what worked best for me. :hug:

 

I agree with previous posters - no worries if the doc says your BP is okay. I had it bad, too. And unfortunately it took months to go down afterward (which was not the case with my swelling with my first pregnancy - and I did not swell with my second - yuck, sorry to convey potentially bad news).

 

Pregnancy massage can really help. I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

 

I was swollen badly from like month 5 on with my first set of twins. My ankles were the ugliest things around. Luckily it was winter and I literally wore my Uggs EVERY DAY from early November - February 20 (when I gave birth). No other shoe would have fit.

Keep an eye on the BP though - I assume you are seeing your doctor every week now? My BP went sky high in the matter of a week and I was sent to hosptial due to pre-eclampsia at 35+4. I always suspected the swelling contributed to this towards the end, but I'm not a doctor so I can't be sure!

Best of luck.

 

Thanks! You all are probably right - I've had an extremely hard time this entire pregnancy with the laying around and letting others do stuff for me. Especially with so much to do to prepare for the babies and Christmas right around the corner! I am seeing my doctor every week-ish (usually see her Thursdays but the clinic was overbooked so I'll see her Monday instead). My BP has been really good throughout the pregnancy so hopefully it stays that way!

 

Something else that can help is drinking extra water. Don't know how much you are doing now but it can help. Good luck.

 

I had horrible swelling. Started at 13 weeks and just got worse and worse. Lay off salt, elevate feet, drink tons of water, and wear compression stockings. Even doing all that, there was a point where the swelling just didn't go down anymore. I had one pair of flats in a size and width bigger than normal and that's all that fit. It also gets worse after giving birth and doesn't go away for a couple weeks. But it does go away!

ETA: My BP was always fine until labor. But definitely pay attention to BP just in case.

 

Does anyone know why it gets worse after birth? I've been told that some symptoms disappear right away, like the heartburn, which I am really looking forward to saying goodbye to!

I'm still stuck in my flats...and we just keep getting more snow lol The practical side of me just can't spend the $ on boots a size (or two!) up when I'm due in a month and babies could come anytime.

 

I'm not sure why. But I could almost not put my shoes on at all to go home from the hospital. Wait on the boots. Your feet may end up permanently bigger (mine did not) and you'll potentially have to buy new boots anyway. They are too expensive to have to buy TWO new pair!

 

Not sure if this is helpful, but Dr. Barbara Luke's book says that for swelling do all the above regarding rest and fluids, and to also limit carbohydrates at dinner to see if that helps by the next morning. I sure hope something is helpful for you. I said a prayer for you this morning.

 

I know this is a tangent, but try a calcium/magnesium supplement for the heartburn. Mine was out of control (think pregnant woman clutching at the Maalox bottle like a lifeline!) until I started religiously taking the supplement. Then when it was bad at night (refluxing) I took he other 1/2 the dose. Worked like a charm!

 

I also had horrible swelling, and it did not get worse after delivery, although it didn't get immediately better either. In my case, I was pumped full of IV fluids for the epidural and then afterwards in my c-section recovery. All those IV fluids definitely did not help the swelling! About a week after the birth, I started getting horrible night sweats where I'd wake up and the bed and my pajamas would be soaked with sweat. Those really helped get all the extra fluid out though.

 

I agree...plenty of water and rest. Hang in there...you are getting close! :youcandoit:

 

It could also be PPCM peri-partum cardiomyopathy, heart failure caused by pregnancy! please see www.amothersheart.org for more information.

I had this when I delivered and my first sign was a gain of 4 pounds of water weight in 3 days!

call your doc and get checked out!