I need your help because my feet were big enough already
I need some input, ladies. I imagine my collective readers have been pregnant quite a few times and surely some of you have an idea of what causes swollen feet.
Late this afternoon I realized my sandals kept popping off my feet and each time it happened I was having more trouble slipping them back on. i finally looked down and realized my feet were visibly swollen.
My first thought was, “Gross! They were big enough already. I hope nobody looks.”
My second thought was, “Why?”
So here are a few clues:
- Yesterday and today I didn’t eat more than usual, but I did eat a lot more sugar than usual.
- I don’t eat a whole lot of salt.
- I didn’t eat any particularly processed foods.
- I didn’t eat at any restaurants.
- I was sitting a lot, but probably not much more than at home. The chair was considerably less comfortable, with less “fidget room.”
- I did get up every little while and run up and down stairs.
- I am now around 27 weeks pregnant.
- I have only had swelling like this with one other pregnancy, and it was much closer to the end.
- My left foot was far more swollen than my right. I am left handed. Is there a connection? Probably not, but who am I to say? I don’t want to withhold information.
I’m sure you would love to see pictures, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t want to remember what my feet look like tonight. I want to wake up to normal feet tomorrow and pretend they never looked like that. Ugh.
So tell me, what has caused your feet to swell in pregnancy? What helped? I’ll definitely be elevating them. Is there anything else I can do?
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Filed under: pregnancy/labor
I’m just behind you, expecting our eighth in six weeks. For me, swollen feet and ankles occur as the temperature rises. My summer and early fall babies have given me a lot swelling, but the winter babies (the last two were March and December) don’t tend to cause as much swelling at all.
What do you think?
I agree with Kendra that it has to do with the temperature rising. I have found that walking and watermelon really do help.
I agree that warmer weather makes for bigger kanckles. I found with the last three of my five pregnancies that increasing (yes, really) my salt helped reduce swelling. Make sure you increase your salt by adding real kosher or sea salt to things like eggs and red meat or popping real popcorn, not with potato chips and pretzels
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Recline and keep the feet up when relaxing, relax more (you;re laughing at me, aren’t you!), and move your feet around, stretching and rotating them often.
As always, drink more water!
Hope it gets better for you!
Yes, sometimes more salt can help, your body needs the salt to process the water, iirc, or something like that…you have to find the right balance for you salt-wise. My dh would give me gentle foot massages when my ankles & feet swelled and that always helped, too.
~Rebecka, expecting #6
I swell up terribly every time. I don’t really know the cause but, I do know that it is worse with my summer babies than my other ones. And, I know that if I put my feet up every time I sit (even for those brief moments), it helps the swelling. Also, I know that drinking water and keeping my salt intake up (something I crave when I am pregnant) helps too. I have one pair of shoes I can wear from about 20 weeks on, it is a pair of Birkenstock style sandals that are a size larger than I normally wear. I hope you don’t get too bad. Blessings! ~ Mommy Reg
Being on my feet for a long time and heat are my worst factors.
I don’t know if it is inappropriate to mention medical care, and I’m sorry if it is, but do get your protein levels checked out and keep an eye on your health in terms of headaches etc too.
I’m sure you know all that already, but wanted to add it anyway as a consideration. The more babes there are, the easier it is to just get on with things rather than get it checked out.
Best wishes and hope it settlles for you with the hints and tips.
x
I’m going to restate the weather and getting enough salt. They have actually done studies that do show that if you don’t get enough salt you are more likely to have those problems. God has designed it wonderfully. If you are not getting enough salt then things will taste bland. Add salt to taste and you should be good.
Our 9th is due in 2 weeks and 5 days (whose counting). My feet have generally been swollen by the end of the day for the past few days, since the weather has been warm. This is typical for me. I generally have not had trouble with swelling earlier in my pregnancies.
Blessings,
Kimberly, mom to 8, 1-11 years + one due in April
Lying on your side will also reduce your swelling. If you can’t lie on your side, elevate your feet. I had swelling with my third baby and it was very uncomfortable. I ended up being borderline pre-eclampsia. I had my fourth baby a year ago and did not have swelling or pre-eclampsia. My best advice is to take it easy, lie down or at the least put your feet up. Lying on your side just one hour a day will work wonders. Who doesn’ t need a one hour nap a day?
I’ve never been pregnant, so I can’t really help you. However, a friend of mine has just had knee surgery, and has to keep her legs up, and I wanted to share with you the cute saying she was told to do -
keep your toes above your nose!
For me, it was sitting too long in a wooden chair. Somehow, it cut off ciruclation or something under my thighs right where the seat ends.
Please check your blood pressure!!!!
it’s the pregnancy i know
try a ice bath for your tootsies!
Well, I only have one kiddo right now but he sure did make my feet and legs swell up. My legs looked like they belonged to an elephant. Caleb was a July baby and my doctor said it was probably primarily the weather because his “summer moms” swell much more than his “fall/winter moms.” I just drank tons of water and stayed off my feet as often as possible and also elevating my feet. Ultimately, the only thing that cured it was giving birth.
Hi Kim,
I have had 6 children and every pregnancy I have had “pig feet”. Saying pig feet is NOT an understatement. I eat well, no preservatives, sugar, etc and drink lots of water. I know the summer heat makes my feet worse. I also tend to keep going throughout the day, I have 6 little ones what can one expect
I do find putting my feet up helps some and drinking lots of water. But nothing takes it all away for me. My babies have been born in Dec, Jan, March, and July and each one was just the same in regards to my swelling. My first 3 were hospital births (c-sections infact) and my last 3 were born at home naturally. The doctor’s nor midwives saw it as a big deal, they only made sure it did not get bad. You can test yourself by pressing on your swollen ankles. It should not leave an indent very long.
About a week after the delivery I eagerly say to my hubby each time “look I got sexy feet again”
I need to send you some photo’s like I said I was going to of us and our home. I apologize I should have done so by now. I WILL get them to you though.
My last pregnancy was horrendous for this! I would cross my ankles and two minutes later I would uncross them and have a 4 inch dent!! It was gross! I would swell so much it hurt and I bruised!
Check blood pressure and urine protein levels, please!!!
I have had pre-eclampsia and was borderline pre-eclamptic with the last one.
Other than that…elevate feet, eat more protein, also floating in the pool or that beautiful natural pool by your house should help too!
Praying for you , I know it makes things miserable.
I only had swelling with my first, and I had PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension), so I would get your blood pressure checked. Some pharmacies have free “check your blood pressure stations”, which I used a lot in between doctor visits.
I had more swelling when I was on my feet more . . . of course. Taking a long break (like a day) and keeping my feet up seemed to help. And drinking lots. Good luck! That’s no fun.
If you didn’t swell in other pregnancies, get checked for preclampsia. It could be a liver issue. I only had this problem with my 5th, and in my case, mild pre-eclampsia was the reason, but fortunately I was nearly due, and the baby cooperated and came in a few days.
Likely yours is something very explainable, but I did want to mention the pre-eclampsia possibility.
Thanks, everyone. My blood pressure is always low, but I’ll get it checked just to be sure.
I did look up pre-eclampsia and I don’t have any swelling in my hands or face; those seem to be the biggest warning signs, so I don’t think my feet are anything to worry about, outside of the fact that I don’t want to show them, or even look at them myself except in a sort of fascinated horror.
well I am definately not pregnat, but deal allot with swollen feet. As a matter of fact I was in the hospital all last week with my Dr. getting fluid off, 27 pounds of it seriously!!
Heat, sitting and salt are the colprits. SEA SALT is a no no. It has more sodium than salt. I switched to it and my cardiologists said it is no better for you at all.
Keep your feet elevated more than you sit, dangling your legs for periods of time does not give your feet adequate circulation, my dr. said be up and moving allot. It is a challenge to keep the swelling down for sure, I have also limited my fluid intake.
Kim, you mentioned your trips to chiropractor. If he did any adjustments to your sacrum, pelvic area, you may be experiencing some lymphatic swelling. When an area of the body has been in dysfunction or “locked down” for a period of time, it builds up waste in the lymph system and needs to shed it after mobilization. This can create swelling in the extremities associated with the dysfunction. If it was the left side of your back that “went” or the left hip that was in dysfunction, your left foot would be more swollen than the right. Just a thought….still check bp and protein levels, but if it is lymphatic, it requires movement and massage, not elevation, to reduce the swelling. HTH
Mine is when I am sitting in the lovly Texas heat! This last go round I drank a gallon of water a day (it was coming out my eyes I think) and I had no swelling, this is my goal this time as well.
Please read at http://www.blueribbonbaby.com
Regardless of what causes swelling, cutting out refined sugars and increasing protein intake above 100 grams will really help reduce it. I swell with nearly all of my babies (pregnant with #12 right now, although four have passed on) and if I skip the protein I swell quickly.
Also, take an hour every afternoon to lay on your left side. Gallon of water every day, and try cucumbers and watermelon as well, they naturally reduce water retention.
Grrr. blueribbonbaby.ORG…not dot com. Sorry. Here’s an interactive version
http://nutrition.birthingnaturally.net/brewerslideshow/brewerdiet_files/frame.htm
Sorry Kim, I can’t help I never have swelling when pregnant, not even normal pregnancy swelling. Do check blood pressure though. My cousin always has toxemia and she has a great deal of swelling.
I’m with you! I’ve never had any swelling issues anywhere until this baby (number eight), and it’s only in my lower legs and ankles if I have been on my feet for a long time or had to stand in one position for a while. It also happens if I sit on a hard chair with my feet down (I’m putting my feet up on the pedestal legs under my dining table right now, in fact — helps a lot to keep circulation going!). I’ve found that rubbing the calves and ankles with essential oils is a HUGE help. A young lady in our church has made a study of oils and pregnancy and come up with some fabulous cures for weary legs, restless legs, and swollen ankles. I’ll have to find out exactly what she mixes together, but I know it involves lavender oil and (I think) grapefruit oil (which helps reduce swelling). If I can get her “recipe,” I’ll post it. All the oils are safe for pregnancy, smell lovely, and feel WONDERFUL when they are massaged in! My oldest son often rubs my ankles for me at night, so you might find a natural masseuse right there in your family!
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
Jennie
I would ask your midwife about the size differences in your legs. You want to make sure there is no redness or warmth in the larger leg, so you can rule out blood clot.
I am actually suprised that no one else said this, but yes, increase in sugar intake can also make swelling worse, in anyone, pregant or not. It can cause inflammation in a body, including, but not only, the arteries. The left vs. right side thing was perhaps caused by how you were sitting in that not so great chair…circulation issue. Left side is the last to get all it needs before going back to the heart. Heat is definately a culprit in pregnancy swelling
Soda pop can swell you up really bad, heat, being on your feet too long, mixed with other signs, it can be a sign of like the other ladies said preeclampsia, especially this early in pregnancy. I would check your blood pressure to be sure it is not higher for you, also upping your protein. They do not usually tell you to restrict salt anymore
My midwife for baby number two recommended stinging nettle infusion to help with edema and I found it very effective. It is a kidney tonic, full of minerals and safe in any quantity. Tastes very earthy and nourishing, a bit like spinach. Pour 1 quart of water over 1/4 cup dried stinging nettles in a mason jar, seal, and steep for 8-12 hours. Strain out the leaves, sweeten to taste, and drink warm or cold.
The pregnancy in which I cut out refined sugar and white flour completely, had 80-100 grams of protein / day, and took 2000 mcg B12 and 200 mcg GTF chromium with each meal was the only one in which I had absolutely no swelling in my feet and ankles at all even at the very end of the pregnancy. I was doing all of the above to manage blood sugar issues that were causing other problems but the lack of swelling was a pleasant side effect.
feet up as often as possible, no added sodium beyond what God puts in, keep drinking, decrease carbs, and get your blood pressure checked. And maybe some blood work to rule out anything with your kidneys, depending on how much medical intervention you’re up to. BP you can do at the Walmart or nearest drug store.
As long as your doctor or midwife have ruled out problems like pre-eclampsia or blood clots, you can also use elastic stockings.
Got the oil rub recipe from Lindsay. Here you go:
“I just use almond oil as a base (2 tablespoons or so) , with a few drops of lavender, cypress, lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, myrrh, geranium, and then some Rose ( rose is very expensive, so I just use rosewater it’s just to help the aroma ) You don’t have to use all those oils, mainly the lavender, cypress , thyme , geranium and peppermint. And they’re all pretty cheap. Tell her just to use the cooking almond oil, not the cosmetic. It’s the same grade, you just get more bang for your buck!”
I’ve found this a wonderful tonic for sore and swollen ankles. I also second the stinging nettle recommendation — taking herbs orally has been a huge help for me in all my pregnancies. And nettle is a natural source of iron if you’re low on iron!
Blessings,
Jennie
Am epsom salt bath (or foot soak) should bring the swelling down quickly. Increasing my protein intake helped me a lot. I seem to need incredible amounts of protein when I’m pregnant. I found that taking milk thistle capsules also helped, they helped my morning, noon, and night sickness too.
As an aside, I’m completely envious of you for going through so many pregnancies without swelling problems. I have had bad swelling with the last 4 of my 5 usually starting around 20 weeks. I’ve had preeclampsia with one and borderline hypertension with another, but I had swelling problems even when everything else was alright.
how are those feet doing?
xo
Thanks for all the input, ladies. I did have a bit more swelling over the next two days, but nothing like the evening that prompted the post.
I’m eating more protein and less sugar, but I think a long weekend out of the house w/nowhere to put up my feet was the cause.
However, I’m definitely going to take some preventative measures, like the lovely oils, massages and foot soaks. After all, a girl can’t be too careful.
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