May 2016 Moms

Swollen feet and CANKLES.

I'm battling the swollen feet lately, and I'm wondering if anyone has tried wearing diabetic socks because of their swollen feet? I usually wear ankle socks, but the elastic at the top is cutting into my ankles, and I'm not sure that buying larger socks will help that. I've seen diabetic socks for edema at the drugstore before, and wondered if those might be a good idea.

Re: Swollen feet and CANKLES.

  • I have really bad swelling in my feet and ankles also with pitting edema. My doctor told me to stay off my feet as much as possible, elevate them, lay on my left side, drink lots of water and as far as the compression stockings he told me to only wear the thigh high ones. I have been wearing them at work for the past 2 days and my feet don't hurt as much and it helps the swelling some but I still seem to have the edema.
  • Unfortunately where I live its too hot to be wearing socks at this point (which were also cutting into my ankles), so I am rocking the cankles/swollen feet look everyday.
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  • wsgjmw1 said:
    Unfortunately where I live its too hot to be wearing socks at this point (which were also cutting into my ankles), so I am rocking the cankles/swollen feet look everyday.
    Ditto.... At least we don't have to lace up or zip up shoes, right? Gotta see the positive side....  

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  • My midwife says to reduce salt and processed food intake, wear compression stockings, lie on your left side, stay off your feet, etc etc. Ehhhh..... I'm not impressed with this advice. I also swell badly, get elephant legs with pitting edema, and in the last few weeks of my pregnancy with DD I also enjoyed swelling in my lower abdomen. Here's what I'm doing this time and it's working much better than conventional advice:

    -stay active, be up and moving at least every hour, but balance activity with rest. Preferably lying down rest. 
    -foot and leg rubs from hubby when I'm uncomfortably swollen, pushing fluid up towards the heart
    -eat for nourishment most of the time, salt to taste. Our bodies need salt in reasonable amounts. Completely cutting salt is counterproductive to good overall health
    -drink lots and lots of water
  • And also when sitting, sit up straight on your pelvic bones (not your tailbone!), legs comfortably apart, and belly hanging. It's not the most dignified feeling position, but it's best for circulation and for getting and keeping baby in a good position. Sitting with knees close together cuts off blood flow from your legs up to your heart. 
  • Thanks for the advice ladies. I don't want to resort to compression stockings if I can help it. I did go to walgreen's last night and buy some diabetic socks (the type that are extra wide on top with little to no elastic in them. I doubt they will be perfect, but so far they are much more comfortable than my regular socks. I do try to keep my feet up whenever I am sitting down, and I'm trying to remember to get up and walk around a bit every hour or so. (Which is easy to manage since I'm drinking so much water that i have to pee about every half hour!)
  • kbrands7kbrands7 member
    edited February 2016
    The 30 week Bump email that I just got has swollen feet and ankles as the headlining topic and has a video promising exercises to minimize it. I'm skeptical, but I'll likely check it out to see if they help since my feet decided to start holding fluid today.
  • Speaking of swelling... my ring is stuck on my finger and starting to hurt. If you haven't already... I advise TAKE YOUR RINGS OFF. My fingers feel like sausages about to bust.
  • @kp90 Windex it. Mine were horribly stuck a few weeks ago and I had tried nearly everything. @doozer1345 suggested windex and after spraying my finger the ring wiggled right off within a few minutes. If it's really swollen, keep your hand above your heart for about 10 min before spraying your finger.

    The rings caught me by surprise this time because last time mine were okay until labor!
  • Thank you! Will try that tonight. @kbrands7
  • Anything slippery will work to help get rings off: dish soap (plus water, obviously, since dish soap on its own can be too dry and viscous to provide good lubrication), hand lotion, whatever works best for your skin.

    I'll be sad if I have to part with mine. I haven't yet, but I might take them off as a precaution before going to the hospital since somebody mentioned in another thread that IV fluids during delivery can swell up your fingers prety badly even if you were lucky enough to avoid much swelling before that.
  • I had to use this trick last pregnancy to get my ring off. YOWZA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxoAbK5Pc6w
  • kp90 said:
    Speaking of swelling... my ring is stuck on my finger and starting to hurt. If you haven't already... I advise TAKE YOUR RINGS OFF. My fingers feel like sausages about to bust.
    THIS! Rings came off for good on Monday. I'm so sad! I love my rings but these sausages just cannot handle it anymore.
  • My rings have been off for a few weeks now but my H got me a very inexpensive replacement to wear because I don't want to get side eyed on the subway.

    Is it weird that my swollen ankles/feet don't bother me (except to look at)? I put my feet up as much as I can but that's about it.
  • kp90 said:
    Speaking of swelling... my ring is stuck on my finger and starting to hurt. If you haven't already... I advise TAKE YOUR RINGS OFF. My fingers feel like sausages about to bust.
    This. I had to take my wedding ring a month or two ago. We bought a cheap band from Penney's that I can wear still, since i feel naked without something on my finger... but I'm super sad I can't wear my beautiful wedding ring!!!
  • The swelling in my feet/ankles started a few days ago and seems to be making itself at home. Doesn't hurt or bother me or anything... except to look at bc it's a little disconcerting. It helps a little if I remember to try and keep my feet up during the day at work (on my makeshift box foot stool). I have had to resort to wearing my flip flops pretty much all the time now though bc my other shoes end up being too tight at the end of the day. The only time my feet have ever been this swollen in the past is in the days after a really long run or something. My rings will be coming off soon I expect. Yesterday I had trouble with them, but today it seems to be ok... Comes and goes. I do have a backup on standby though bc I feel completely naked without them.
  • @araecasey I, for one, cannot wait to pee off all this excess fluid. Bring on the skeletal ankles! :)

    @dsmith211 I'm also propping my feet up on a box under my desk. Definitely helps. And these diabetic socks definitely help. I'm basically down to wearing either flip flops, or my old ugly birkenstock clogs everywhere if it's cold.
  • araecasey said:
    This thread made me remember after I had DD and I peed off alllllllllll the excess fluid, I looked down at my legs and feet one day and was grossed out by how freakishly skeletal they looked to me in comparison to the blocks I had come to know as appendages.
    There was no peeing of excess fluids. Mine came out in dramatic sweats. For weeks. Ugh I'm dreading the night sweats.
    Baby # 1: BFP 10/26/12: Baby girl born 7/1/13
    Baby #2: BFP 9/2/15: EDD 5/15/16
  • araecasey said:
    This thread made me remember after I had DD and I peed off alllllllllll the excess fluid, I looked down at my legs and feet one day and was grossed out by how freakishly skeletal they looked to me in comparison to the blocks I had come to know as appendages.
    There was no peeing of excess fluids. Mine came out in dramatic sweats. For weeks. Ugh I'm dreading the night sweats.
    I'm so grateful I didn't have the sweats. But I had abjallion other terrible things during my postpartum recovery, I don't feel bad I dodged that bullet. It could happen this time though, it's all a crap shoot in my opinion! Maybe you won't have horrible night sweats this time, eh?
  • araecasey said:
    This thread made me remember after I had DD and I peed off alllllllllll the excess fluid, I looked down at my legs and feet one day and was grossed out by how freakishly skeletal they looked to me in comparison to the blocks I had come to know as appendages.
    There was no peeing of excess fluids. Mine came out in dramatic sweats. For weeks. Ugh I'm dreading the night sweats.
    I had it come out in night sweats too! The first month, I just felt wet all the time. 
  • kbrands7 said:
    araecasey said:
    This thread made me remember after I had DD and I peed off alllllllllll the excess fluid, I looked down at my legs and feet one day and was grossed out by how freakishly skeletal they looked to me in comparison to the blocks I had come to know as appendages.
    There was no peeing of excess fluids. Mine came out in dramatic sweats. For weeks. Ugh I'm dreading the night sweats.
    I had it come out in night sweats too! The first month, I just felt wet all the time. 
    I forgot about the sweating. I wonder if it will happen again. Ugh and it will be hot and humid, I'm going to be a gross mess all summer. 
  • Oh gross. I'm already sweating buckets! You mean to tell me that the sweating will get worse? 
  • Oh the night sweats!! I forgot!  I didn't even get swollen last pregnancy, but the Night Sweats!  I never knew if it was sweat or breastmilk!!  esp if I fell asleep without a bra hahahaha
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    Mama to Three Girls: 
    Twins born March 2014 at 26 weeks due to preterm labor
    and our 37weeker born May 9th, 2016!






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