Edema during pregnancy - there is probably no woman who would not complain about them. In a future mother, swelling of the legs, especially around the ankles or swelling of the hands, especially the hands, are completely natural, but sometimes it can be a symptom of something wrong. When should you show your puffiness to the doctor?

Edema in pregnancyis one of the typical ailments. In the evening you look at your legs and you don't see your ankles. The calves do not have natural cuts, so the whole thing looks like a bridge. The legs are heavy as lead. Wondering if this is normal? Yes, if the puffiness occurs in the second half, and especially at the end of pregnancy, mainly in the evening. They appear mainly around the ankles and on the hands, and disappear when you sleep or rest.

Edema in pregnancy: causes

Nature is to blame for everything. He is taking care to protect a woman in case she is to lose too much blood in childbirth. Then the supply of water accumulated in the tissues could be quickly released in order to compensate for the loss of body fluids. But there are several other causes of edema.

The first - it is the greater amount of blood (about 2.5 l) circulating in the body of the future mother. The greater circumference of the ankles is also caused by the obstructed outflow of blood due to the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the iliac veins. Then the blood stops in the vessels of the legs and cannot return to the heart; part of the water it contains then penetrates from the vessels into the soft tissues and forms the so-called congestive swelling.

The swelling may be greater if you have stood or sat in one position for a long time during the day, if you have gained too much weight too quickly, or if it is hot outside. Women expecting multiple babies complain of more swelling.

Fortunately, after a baby is born, excess water is absorbed into the blood vessels within a few days or weeks after birth, then filtered through the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Before this happens, however, the legs may swell even more after giving birth than during pregnancy.

Note! Edema is not always visible. It happens that the water is evenly distributed in the subcutaneous tissue and then the doctors talk about the so-called hidden swellings. Rapid build-up may be a sign of themon weight - more than 0.5 kg per week. If you want to find out if this problem also applies to you, press your finger against the tibia in the middle of the lower leg. If there is still a small dimple after five seconds, your legs are swollen and you should consult your he althcare provider.

Remedies for puffiness in pregnancy

If you have puffiness, follow these simple tips:

  • rest as often as possible with your feet up; when you are lying down, put a pillow under your feet or a rolled-up blanket to slightly raise your legs
  • don't do any heavy work
  • don't stay too long in the sun
  • wear special tightening tights for pregnant women, but do not wear socks or knee socks with too tight cuffs
  • wear airy shoes (made of natural materials); must be comfortable: have wide toes, low heels and a thicker, flexible sole that absorbs shocks while walking, remember about a proper diet that will prevent excessive or too rapid weight gain
  • use as little s alt as possible
  • drink plenty of water - fluids improve kidney filtration and remove many toxins from the body
  • lie down on your left side to sleep
  • sitting, change positions frequently; from time to time get up, take a little walk, move around to ease the feeling of heaviness in the feet and eliminate the swelling around the ankles, when you come home, wrap your calves (not too tightly) with cloths soaked in cool water, after 15 minutes remove the compress; you can also prepare a cool foot bath with a few drops of lavender, tea, chamomile or rosemary oil or massage the feet and calves with a cooling gel
  • use cooling agents
You must do it

Do not delay visiting the gynecologist if:

  • the puffiness is very bothering you
  • you gained rapidly - more than 0.4 kg per week in the second trimester and more than 0.5 kg in the third trimester
  • the swelling does not go away after rest
  • not only the hands and feet swell
  • swelling is accompanied by an increase in blood pressure (140/90 mmHg and more).

Ordinary swelling in pregnancy or dangerous gestosis?

Unfortunately, swelling in pregnancy is not always a natural phenomenon. If they do not disappear after a long rest, they appear suddenly, involve not only the feet and hands, but also the face, thighs, and lower abdomen, then you need to see a doctor quickly. He will definitely take your blood pressure. If it turns out to be 140/90 mmHg or more - he will also order a general urine test to rule out possible proteinuria.

It may turn out that edema is a symptom of the so-calledpregnancy poisoning, until recently called EPH-gestosis. Each of the capital letters is the first letter of one of the three English words that describe the symptoms associated with this condition. So E is eodema, P is proteinuria and H is hypertension. We now call it pregnancy-induced hypertension (NIC).

Her symptoms don't have to be simultaneous, but if they do, your doctor can quickly make a diagnosis. Pregnancy poisoning has nothing to do with eating a stale dish, it is not caused by germs, and you cannot catch it. It is more common in women who are expecting their first child and in those who are expecting multiple babies. The risk of the disease increases if a woman is diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or any disease related to a defective immune system (e.g. lupus) before pregnancy. Specialists also wonder if it is not hereditary.

If puffiness in pregnancy means pregnancy poisoning

When it turns out that a woman expecting a baby suffers from gestosis, she must follow medical recommendations: rest a lot, stand as little as possible, avoid stress, eat properly and take prescribed medications. Sometimes the doctor recommends staying in bed or even going to the hospital. These recommendations must be strictly followed - in order to avoid the so-called pre-eclampsia or even eclampsia (these are seizures that look like epilepsy). They can herald it:

  • visual disturbance
  • feeling unwell
  • headache
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • pain in the upper abdomen.

You may pass out sometimes. The consequences can be serious:

  • premature birth
  • bearing detachment
  • baby hypoxia
  • child development disorders

When the doctor finds pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, the expectant mother must go to the hospital as soon as possible. Here he usually gets drip drugs and oxygen for breathing. There are times when you need to speed up the solution. That is why it is so important not to underestimate any unnatural swelling, check your blood pressure frequently and have your urine checked regularly.

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Pregnant examinations