Holy cankles!!

Sascha3 · January 2012

I have had a little swelling here and there over the last month. No biggie. But last night they were huge!! Like bulging over my shoes, repulsive huge. I was up and about yesterday quite a bit, but no more than I have been the last couple weeks.

They look pretty much normal this morning. I had NST monitoring yesterday and another appointment Friday. The nurse commented that I was getting closer to labor yesterday because my face looked a little swollen.

Do I need to call the doctor if the swelling is gone? Is the swelling with pre-e pretty consistent or does it come and go after putting your feet up?

kmm2150 · January 2012

My doctor has told me that as long as swelling goes down at night/when you put your feet up, and stuff doesn't stay swollen all the time, then it's ok. If it's a one-time thing and you can attribute it to being on your feet alot, then it's probably fine and I would just mention it at your next appointment just in case.

fyrefairie · January 2012

i'll echo pp and say that my doc said if BP etc is all normal that the swelling isnt' likely to be a concern

PsyDr04 · January 2012

Sascha,

It's normal. I had some swelling before I had Matthew, but the cankles got really bad after he was born, believe it or not. I'm happy to say it only lasted for a few days and they are back to normal now. Just put your feet up as often as you can. It may come and go for awhile but eventually it will go away.

Sascha3 · January 2012

Ok thank you! I thought it was no big deal and normal since it went away, just wanted to check before I bugged the doctor:) They do my blood pressure at the NST scan twice weekly and my urine every Friday, and so far nothing has been wrong. Whew!

Swelling is no joke! And it hurts!

nothingbuthappy · January 2012

I stay swollen even overnight, but my BP is OK and my urine is free of protein, so my doctor isn't worried.

Edema isn't necessarily considered a warning sign of preeclampsia any longer since sooo many women experience it without ever developing preeclampsia -- it's a normal occurrence at the tail end of pregnancy, unfortunately. If you have a true sign of preeclampsia AND swelling, then they are on higher alert...but if it's just the swelling, eh. At least that's the way I understand it (and I'm monitored closely after having had HELLP syndrome my first pregnancy). Also, check the swelling when you have it...if you press on it, does it turn white where you've pressed with your fingertips and then "bounce back" to flesh color? If so, you're good! You don't want edema that goes down and stays down or slowwwwwwly returns!!!