So at 16w and 10lbs+ (and a big bump!) I had to throw in the towel. After struggling for the past few weeks, I've finally had to give up on wearing my wedding rings. I'd get them on and off by putting some oil on my finger, but it would swell up and DH told me to quit before it had to be cut off.
I'm feeling a little sensitive about being big so soon. I couldn't bear being ringless since we're still newlyweds so I bought a "fake" wedding set from one of those mom and pop jewelers at the mall. It's silver (but nickel free) with a Swarovski crystal instead of CZ (it looked very nice and the lady said it sparkles better than CZ). I have noticed it throwing prisms in sunlight. I figured for $100 not bad to make me feel better. Some of my coworkers told me they couldn't tell it was fake from casually looking at it, so that makes me feel a little less ridiculous. Anyone else in the same boat? What did you do? Am I just being neurotic?
Here's a pic:
Re: Anyone had to retire their wedding rings already?
I'm lucky and tend to not swell during pregnancy (not too sure how I dodge that bullet) but I wouldn't feel self conscious. It's a really common thing and I know quite a few women who had to stop wearing their wedding or e-rings b/c of the swelling. A few sized up and got fake rings like you did which they just keep and use during pregnancy, a few wear their rings around their neck on a pretty chain and a few were lucky and only outgrew their e-rings (since lets be honest, many of us have smaller sized e-rings since we were thinner when we got engaged then we were when we got our bands). I have quite a few friends who just stopped wearing the e-ring and just wear their band, some never went back after pregnancy and still wear the band since some e-rings (depending on the setting) can easily scratch babies/kids as you are carrying them and picking them up.
Just another side note- I know that when you get swollen your instinct would be to cut back on salt but in my Bradley classes we've learned that keeping an adequate sodium level and salting food to taste can actually help with swelling. Also, you might be swollen a lot now but that could subside in the next few weeks- our bodies do weird things and retain fluids at random points throughout pregnancy so I wouldn't be too concerned. The only time swelling is a concern is if it is uneven (meaning 1 leg is really swollen but the other isnt for example) or if it is coupled with high blood pressure but that is usually more of a risk later on. HTH!
BFP #2 - 7/1/12 - Met my lucky charm Alexandra on 3-16-13!!!
I'm in the opposite boat and was thinking about posting about it because I think it's odd. I'm gaining weight but none of it (or the swelling) is going to my hands! In fact, over the last week and a half, my rings feel LOOSE on me! Not sure why. It's kind of strange but I'm not complaining because it's the only thing that feels "small" about me right now.
I don't think there is anything wrong with buying those CZ rings. They don't look fake! If my rings get too tight, I might do the same thing.
BFP #1 09/02/11 M/C 09/12/11 8w6days
BFP #2 07/18/12 Baby S born on his EDD 03/23/13
SS - age 12...SD - age 8...DS - 13 mos.
see more After 12
Just because something isn't happening for you right now doesn't mean it will never happen.
IUI #1 - BFN IUI #2 - BFN
IVF - Starting injects May 25 IVF #1 - BFP!
do you think it could just be the weather cooling off? my rings are always tighter in the summer.
My Ovulation Chart
Thanks ladies for the responses! I feel much better
)
skyllings - thanks for the tips, I don't think I'm eating too much sodium, so I haven't even tracked it much. My ring finger was just swelling around the ring because I was jamming it on and it was pushing the rest of the flesh on my finger towards the knuckle (no bueno).
Overall, I think the only thing that has been swelling is my feet at times, but the rest of me is just getting bigger, even my fingers.
I had to retire my wedding band, which has always been a smidge tighter than I intended (got it sized wrong, too lazy to get it fixed), at like 6 or 8 weeks lol. My e-ring is still going strong, but we also bought a "placeholder" band because my e-ring doesn't have tons of room left for swelling. The placeholder band is going to be something I just switch to another finger after LO arrives; it's a ring I've been wishing for for a while, so I figured I had a perfect excuse to go for it.
It was really weird how much I swelled up immediately, hands included - I think I put on literally 15 lbs in water weight from week 5 through week 7. Then it all went away again, and then some. Week 5 was the worst - for one week I was up 2 pants sizes. And of course, that was the one week of the year I see my entire extended family. I was mortified.