Swelling!

capratt157

Hello Everyone,

 

I know that swelling is a normal thing when you are pregnant especially in your 3rd trimester, but I am almost 35 weeks and my feet and legs get really tight. they dont look like they have swollen that big but they feel very tight and i put my legs up and they go down and than i put them down for a little bit and they are back tight again. i drink A LOT of water all day long and have been trying to stay away from the salty foods! i called my doctors office yesterday because basically i wanted to know what was abnormal swelling so i know when or if i should come in but i heard back from the nurse and she said she would see if the doctor thinks i should come in and i never got a call back so i would assume everything is ok. does anyone know what abornomal swelling would be? and i cant tell if my face is swollen bc i think i just gained alittle in my face so it looks swollen to me but maybe not! this is hard thank you for all your help!!!!

LiveNLove44

I can't help on the abnormal swelling question, but I do have an idea for another change, other than increasing water intake, you can make to see if it helps. Refined carbohydrates and sugars in general will hold onto more water than proteins and fats when ingested. This is precisely why fitness competitors cut out carbohydrates in the final weeks before a contest to improve their definition. By cutting out what holds onto water, including salt and carbohydrate, you can cut down on water being retained in your soft tissues. This is also why people can lose so much weight on low carb diets right away; the majority of that early weight loss is water weight.

With that said, I do NOT recommend going on some weird low-carb diet to cut back on retention, but I do recommend having most of your carbohydrates early in the day and tapering off throughout the day. If you can make sure you balance your intake with plenty of protein and healthy fats, it should also help with your energy levels and retention. I also recommend talking to your dr. before making any big changes. GL!

Melissa0926432

I have been having a lot of swelling - same thing - gets better if they are up but sitting with them down and they swell back up. 

My doctors are watching me for preeclampsia because I have protein in my urine and my blood pressure has been higher than my normal (but not high enough to classify as pree yet).  For what its worth my OB was not concerned about the swelling - she said that was normal.

If you are experiencing other symptoms - severe headache, change in vision, upper right quadrant pain then I would definitely be worried and get the Dr on the phone immediately or go to the hospital.  If not then I would just chalk it up to normal pregnancy swelling and talk to your Dr about it at your next appointment.

But you do deserve a call back so if you are worried don't feel badly about calling back and getting an answer! 

kt012885

I dont know about abnormal swelling but I am swelled so bad.  I have been for about 2 weeks now and since the weather is now in the 90's/100's it is ridiculous.  My ankles have a fat roll- no joke.  I talked to my doc at my last appt and he said if it goes down by morning he isn't worried.  Lately tho by 9am I'm swollen again.  I drink at least 100oz of water a day- no joke and it's not helping much.  I have been slacking on elevating my feet but I'm at work all day and can't.   

I have yet to be swollen in my face- so I'm not sure on that but my ankles, feet and hands feel awful.  To make a fist- it's uncomfortable.  I think swelling late in pregnancy and esp if it's hot is normal.  Def check with your doc at your next appt tho.

doodlemonkey22

It can be normal. I swelled really bad with my 1st every time I stepped outside of AC. Like the Nutty Professor, I would start to blow up. My feet (which are normally slim and long) looked like Flintstone feet. Even my face and hands swelled. My doc kept a close eye on my BP and checked my urine for protein every week to make sure I did not develop pre-E. The swelling (edema) can be first signs of that and that is probably why nurse wants to check with your doc about you coming in. My BP stayed low and well within normal limits thru out pregnancy and no protein in urine. So although the swelling did not mean pre-e for me, you gotta rule it out. For me I think it was all the humidity that made it worse. I'm pregnant again with another Aug baby and I have learned my lesson. I stay indoors with the AC until the sun goes down. I drink lots of water and rest a lot. I get the tightness around the ankles but so far no swelling to cartoonish proportions.

Lolajune

I am 39 weeks and I have had super swollen feet for about 4-6 weeks and it doesn't really go away any more even at night, but my doctor isn't worried. As long as the swelling is the only symptom it's probably just pregnancy related bad circulation and water retention. My blood pressure ticked up for one week which put me on higher alert but then it went back down again and my feet still look like lumps of rising bread dough.