Pregnancy and swollen ankles! !?

Question

Could this be bad for the baby? What should I do.. My ankles look like they are broken since they are so huge.. Any advice would be nice.. Thanks..

Im 37 weeks pregnant with my first child.

Answer 1

What you're experiencing is edema — that's when excess fluid collects in your tissue. It's normal to have a certain amount of swelling during pregnancy because you're retaining more water. Changes in your blood chemistry also cause some fluid to shift into your tissue.

In addition, your growing uterus puts pressure on your pelvic veins and your vena cava (the large vein on the right side of the body that carries blood from your lower limbs back to the heart). The pressure slows the return of blood from your legs, causing it to pool, which forces fluid from your veins into the tissues of your feet and ankles.

Edema is most often an issue during the third trimester, particularly at the end of the day. It may be worse during the summer.

You can help relieve the increased pressure on your veins by lying on your side. Since the vena cava is on the right side of your body, left-sided rest works best.

After you have your baby, the swelling will disappear fairly rapidly as your body eliminates the excess fluid. You may find yourself urinating frequently and sweating a lot in the first days after childbirth.

A certain amount of edema is normal in the ankles and feet during pregnancy. You may also have some mild swelling in your hands.

Call your midwife or doctor if you notice swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, or excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles. This could be a sign of preeclampsia, a serious condition.

Also call your caregiver if you notice that one leg is significantly more swollen than the other, especially if you have any pain or tenderness in your calf or thigh.

Here are a few tips:

• Put your feet up whenever possible. At work, it helps to keep a stool or pile of books under your desk. At home, lie on your left side when possible.

• Don't cross your legs or ankles while sitting.

• Stretch your legs frequently while sitting: Stretch your leg out, heel first, and gently flex your foot to stretch your calf muscles. Rotate your ankles and wiggle your toes.

• Take regular breaks from sitting or standing. A short walk every so often will help keep your blood circulating.

• Wear comfortable shoes that stretch to accommodate the swelling.

• Don't wear socks or stockings that have tight bands around the ankles or calves.

• Try waist-high maternity support stockings. Put them on before you get out of bed in the morning so blood doesn't have a chance to pool around your ankles.

• Drink plenty of water. Surprisingly, this helps your body retain less water.

• Exercise regularly, especially by walking, swimming, or riding an exercise bike. Or try a water aerobics class — immersion in water may temporarily help reduce swelling, particularly if the water level is up near your shoulders.

• Eat well, and avoid junk food.

Try not to let pregnancy swelling get you down. The sight of your swollen ankles will probably add to your feeling of ungainliness, but edema is a temporary condition that will pass soon after you give birth.

Answer 2

Swollen Ankles In Pregnancy

Answer 3

Swollen Ankles While Pregnant

Answer 4

Some swelling is normal in later pregnancy. Drinking lots of fluids, keeping your body temp down and putting your feet up for an hour or so a day can help relieve it if it isnt caused by preeclampsia. Since its been hot, my feet and hands have been swollen ( i had to take my wedding rings off :( ) But my blood pressure has been fine so i know its just the heat doing it.

Get checked by your doctor first then once you are cleared of preeclampsia, try some of the suggestions.

Also cutting down on the salt, and swimming help take swelling down!

Answer 5

This is pretty common, but you should inform your doctor about this because it can be a sign of something more serious. Try keeping them elevated as much as possible during the day. If the swelling doesn't go down at all during the night, then definitely tell your doctor. The summer heat can make the swelling worse.

My ankles and feet swelled up really bad with my last pregnancy. I would mention it at every visit, but my doctor assured me that there was nothing wrong and it would go away after delivery. He neglected to tell me it takes about 1-2 weeks, but the nurse at the hospital clued me in on that.

Best wishes.

Answer 6

swollen ankles can come from sitting or standing too long. it doesn't affect the baby. what you should do is sit with your feet propped up until the swelling goes down. most of the time, i can feel mine swelling before they are noticable and will prop them up for just a few minutes and then go back to what I was doing before. if you can catch it before it gets too bad each time, it won't take so long to get the swelling down. if you start having terrible or sudden swelling anywhere else like hands and face, call the doctor's office right away. that could be a sign of hypertension. good luck.

Answer 7

towards the end of pregnancy, your ankles and hands may become swollen. Avoid salty food. Hot weather will only make it worse of course. Since its summer time..try to drink plenty of water even if u don't feel thirsty. And keep ur feet up as much as possible

Answer 8

Swollen ankles are sometimes a result from pregnancy and the decreased blood flow to the legs. Or too much pressure on the legs. It wont harm the baby.

Answer 9

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 10

Press your ankles with your thumb and forefinger, if it pits...that could be normal..lay down get your feet up...

If they don't pit or indent, then that's a little more worrisome. call your OB. Also if one ankle is more swollen then the other call your OB.

Yes, pre-eclampsia is a concern BUT swollen ankles is NOT a true sign pre-eclampsia!