Swelling of hands and feet?

Question

Hi there,
I'm 29 weeks pregnant and for the first time my feet, hands and legs are swelling. This is my first pregnancy and I know they tell you to expect swelling during pregnancy. I'm just wondering if there are extra things you can do to decrease swelling. I walk almost every day and am pretty active so I just wondered if there is more i should be doing? Thanks.

Answer 1

PLEASE ignore the advice of "km". Toxic shock syndrome IS NOT typically something you get when you are pregnant. Toxic shock syndrome is an acute infection characterized by high fever, a sunburnlike rash, vomiting, and diarrhea, followed in severe cases by shock. It occurs chiefly among young menstruating women who use vaginal tampons.

I don't know too many pregnant women that would have much use for tampons during their pregnancy! You should be discussing your concerns with your OBGYN, not people on Yahoo Answers. You might try putting your feet up as much as you can, this will help, and watch your salt intake as salt can cause you to retain fluid. Only your doctor can tell you if this is something minor, or something you should be more concerned about. Also, if you have high blood pressure, keep a check on it because there is a condition of high blood pressure known as pre-eclampsia which can occur during pregnancy and is typically accompanied by edema (swelling) and proteinuria (excessive amounts of protein in your urine). Your doctor can easily check you for this at your scheduled doctor visits by doing a urinalysis. Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

It's normal a little later in pregnancy to have feet, ankles and calfs swelling, but I don't know if its normal at anytime to have your fingers swell?? I know mine seemed slightly swollen (rings getting tight) but not badly. If you noticed it rather suddenly, I would suggest calling your doctor because swollen hands, or noticing swelling in your face also, is a sign of increased blood pressure. Monitor what's going on and call your doctor if you feel something doesn't seem right. You might also stop by the drugstore or Wal-Mart or something and use their blood pressure cuff just to get a reading for comfort's sake.

Answer 3

I must be different from most, because being active actually made my swelling worse. I didn't swell too much while I was pregnant, but I was painfully swollen after giving birth. What worked for me was resting and keeping my limbs elevated, especially my legs and feet.

Answer 4

agree with monitoring your blood pressure
and place a call to your Dr and report symptoms
Weigh daily, and report an increase of over 2 lbs in 24h period
When walking, do not walk with your hands hanging down and swinging at the end of your arms, keep them elevated above your waist Reduce salt intake, drink
water, not carbonated soft drinks, even diet

Answer 5

Exercise is good. I also heard drinking lots of water helps (although it seems counterintuitive). Also, try to stay away from sodium/salt as it makes you retain water. Good luck!

Answer 6

better go to the docs and see if you have toxic shock syndrome, we females get that while pregnant usually mild nothing happens, but it can get severe