Edema: Swelling During Pregnancy
November 4, 2009 at 7:00 AM by Cafe MicheleZ - Comments (6)
My feet are swollen. Not just a little bit swollen -- full on cannot see the ankles swelling up through the knee really bad like I've never seen before swollen swollen. My hands are slightly swollen, too, but not as bad.
Even if my feet are up all day, they still swell. Even when I first wake up in the morning, they are still big fat swelled up piggies. I would show you a photo but it's so so bad, I just can't.
It's edema at it's worst (or maybe best?) making me super uncomfortable. It even hurts to walk. I can't even fit into certain shoes because of the swelling!
All this excess fluid is normal, I'm told, especially for me, a twin mama-to-be in my third trimester. My uterus is growing, there's excess pressure on everything, fluid is pooling in my extremities and is worse in my lower legs, ankles, and feet.
I've written about my feet swelling before...when it wasn't so bad. But even though it's gotten worse, my OBGYN doesn't seem so alarmed.
My blood pressure and urine are coming up within expected results when tested, so they ruled out preeclampsia. And yes, I'm drinking plenty of water, but I will drink more. And I swear, I'm not eating a lot of salt.
My OBGYN suggested compression socks. At first I bought the kind with the toes cut out and after ten minutes of wearing them I thought my toes were going to explode. I felt my heart beating in them and they were red and beyond swollen. Yikes! I got the knee sock instead. So far it's helped a little, but my feet are still pitting -- meaning when I press on certain swollen spots, that spot stays indented.
Oh and getting these socks on and off is very challenging! I can barely bend with my babies bump and the socks are compression socks, so they don't have the kind of stretch like a regular sock.
I know...woe is me, right? I just want to know if there are any other mama-to-bes out there with extreme swelling like me.
Have you had extreme swelling? What works best for you?
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FILED UNDER: 3rd trimester, pregnancy health, pregnancy symptoms
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Hi, I'm about 35 weeks along with my first baby. I recently noticed I could hear my blood pulsing in my head, no headache though. Then the next day I had a bad headache. I also had some bad swelling. I made an appointment, concerned that it might be Preeclampsia. When they weighed me, I was 9lbs heavier than my last visit only 2 weeks prior. At the end of the appt. my Dr said I need bedrest. So, I layed in bed for 2 days, ate less salt and more protien. When I went back for a follow up, I had lost 6lbs in two days! My feet looked so much better. I couldn't believe just two days of bedrest could help so much.
It turns out that I did have preeclampsia and I swelled like a balloon!! I tried everything but it really was just a case of having the baby that really helped. (I know, not good advice, but true!) The worst part was I had my son in January and not being able to wear shoes (flip-flops aren't really shoes) and we got a lot of snow/ice that year! I also really hated my MIL because she just "knew" I was eating too much salt....soo aggravating...to this day I have to keep reminding her that I had preeclampsia which had cause the swelling!!!
I had gained a lot in my two weeks too! I am going to have them re-check everything when I go in next week.
Wanted to chime in and say yes...at 35 weeks my ankles are now cankles...i had to buy bigger shoes today....it is my entire leg though! even my knees....and like you my hands are just only slightly swollen...
My left side is worse than my right and to make matters worse, my left food is so swollen that when sitting bare foot...my toes don't touch the floor....insane!
Take care!
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don' t envy you! mine hasn't been like that but i started having swelling a couple weeks back, around 37 weeks or so, and its pretty freaky at first, when you wake up with mickey mouse's glove for a hand! scared me to death i thought i was preeclampsia. turns out its not, and now my feet are worse than my hands, but its not very noticeably physically, just makes it uncomfortable to walk bare foot
sammybear71 Nov. 4, 2009 at 12:55 PM