Swelling is caused by your body holding more water than usual when you're pregnant. Throughout the day the extra water tends to gather in the lowest parts of the body, especially if the weather is hot or you have been standing a lot. The pressure of your growing womb can also affect the blood flow in your legs.
The second trimester begins with week 14 of pregnancy, roughly the start of month 4. It's not unusual to start noticing swollen feet around month 5 of pregnancy, especially if you're on your feet a lot or the weather is hot. This swelling is due to the increasing volume of blood and fluids in your body.
During pregnancy, the extra fluid in the body and the pressure from the growing uterus can cause swelling (or "edema") in the ankles and feet. The swelling tends to get worse as a woman's due date nears, particularly near the end of the day and during hotter weather.
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This area is behind the ankle bone on the outside of the leg, between the Achilles tendon and main ankle bone. Why avoid it? Some people believe massaging this area promotes labor.
Exercise-The most effective forms of exercise to help combat leg swelling are swimming, walking, and biking. Exercising in a pool is a great form of exercise for swelling because the water applies full-body compression. This helps fluid travel from the tissues to the vessels getting fluid back into the circulation.
While most expecting mamas start to notice some swelling (also known as edema) in their hands, feet and ankles from around 20 weeks through the third trimester, it can occur at any time during your pregnancy.
Wear compression socks
Wearing 15-20mmHG compression socks that end at your knee can help alleviate achiness. The socks gradually increase pressure in your legs and move some of the excess fluid back into your blood vessels and the rest of your body. Avoid socks with a tight band at the top.
While some swelling is normal during pregnancy, large amounts of swelling in your face, around your eyes, or in your hands can be a sign of preeclampsia. Nausea or vomiting. Some women experience nausea and vomiting throughout their pregnancy.
Most pregnant women have swollen feet and ankles at some point, and this is perfectly normal. However, there are times when swelling could indicate something more serious. Contact your midwife, doctor or hospital immediately if: swelling is there at the start of the day or doesn't go down when you rest.
“As long as you're not flat on your back, you're going to be fine,” she says. “Even if you can be on a 20- to 30-degree angle, that's going to relieve any potential pressure on your inferior vena cava.
Foot massages help increase blood circulation and blood flow in the feet, as does making sure to keep the feet elevated. Pregnant women with swollen feet can be treated with a variety of different methods that are readily available.
"At most (but not all) NHS hospitals, the sonographer will tell you the sex at the 20-week scan, if they can tell and you want to know. There are also some other antenatal tests which you may be offered, such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), that can reveal the genetic sex of your baby.
Biological sex in healthy humans is determined by the presence of the sex chromosomes in the genetic code: two X chromosomes (XX) makes a girl, whereas an X and a Y chromosome (XY) makes a boy. In this way, it is the presence or absence of the Y chromosome in a healthy human that differentiates boy from girl.
They found that the most fertile months for conceiving a boy were from September to November, while the lowest fertile period was from March to May.
Take walks, ride a stationary bike or swim laps in a pool. Stand or walk in the pool. Although there's little research on the use of water pressure for foot and ankle swelling, standing or walking in a pool seems to help compress tissues in the legs and might provide temporary relief from swelling during pregnancy.
Elevating your feet for 20 minutes at a time, three to four times a day will do wonders for your swollen feet! Use cushions to prop your feet up just slightly above the level of your heart. This will ensure that the blood and fluid return to your heart—relieving the swelling in your lower extremities.
One of the easiest ways to manage swelling is to elevate (raise) the swollen limb. The goal is to elevate the swollen limb slightly above the level of the heart. This helps the extra fluid move back towards the heart for circulation to the rest of the body.
It is usually your body's way of getting rid of some of the excess fluid accumulated during pregnancy. Swelling may take up to two weeks to resolve.
Standing for prolonged periods while pregnant can not only be dangerous, but it can also be difficult or painful. It is recommended that pregnant women stand for no more than four or five hours while taking frequent breaks throughout the workday.
Preeclampsia usually begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had previously been in the standard range.
Though it might seem counterintuitive, getting enough fluids actually helps reduce swelling. When your body isn't hydrated enough, it holds onto the fluid it does have. This contributes to swelling.
Drink plenty of water (1.5 to 2 liters a day). If you travel in a car, train, or flight for long durations, wear compression stockings to improve blood circulation and reduce swelling. Practice swimming to experience a healthy and natural hydro massage.
Bed rest and immersion both lead to a mobilization of extravascular fluid and thus reduce edema.