I don't understand why I'm swelling...

[Mommabean]

this is NOT good and it has be a bit worried. But I am trying to remain calm and rational before calling the MWs office. Doesn't help they are out of town and I would be reaching the temporary help.

So basically I have had some swelling in my feet and legs since around March 15th....it has come and gone and not been too alarming to me, minimal and only to the point I couldn't put on my shoes once or twice. It seemed that it had calmed down, at my last appointment there were traces of protein in my urine and my bp was still ok. (I have a low BP that runs 90s/50s but this one was 106/76)....she saw no concern and we talked about increasing water, salt intake (sea salt), and then other supplements to help my iron levels. (I'm taking liquid chlorophyll, and CALM on top of my prenatal and iron)

But the last two days I have had hand swelling. It starts with a tingle in my hands and then thats when I notice they are swelling up. It's so hard to even type this out they are sore from being swollen...they aren't huge but it's enough that the girls noticed it at church this morning. But this morning it was ONLY my right hand that was more swollen. Actually just puffier than the other...right now they both look a tad puffy I guess I could say..

My hands and feet are very boney and slender...so any puffiness I notice right now.

Bean is doing great I can feel her kicking around, she actually has had a lot of hiccups the last couple of days but she's kicking and moving like crazy at least!


I'm just wondering WHY and what is this...should I be alarmed, what do I do???


ETA ..the times I get the tingling and swelling in my hands I have been sitting...I haven't had long periods of standing...spent all of yesterday in bed from 1pm till bedtime..the swelling in my hands started after I attended church so I had been sitting for a good hour. Plus I am drinking at the minimum 36-48oz of water a day, plus whatever juice or milk I drink with meals.

[Dee-Groovy]

I've been steadily swelling since mid-pregnancy but it has really increased in the past couple weeks to the point that I can't wear shoes any more. So I would say that some of your swelling is normal and just due to late pregnancy and/or the weather getting warmer.

Having said that, is your right hand significantly more swollen than the left? Like, could a stranger tell the difference? One-sided swelling is an indicator of pre-e so I would tell the MW about it ASAP.

[Mama2Bean]

Momma, I hope you called your MW already! Update when you can. Will be thinking of you...

[Bubblette]

I would call my MW!!

[NullSet]

I would call if you know the swelling is abnormal for you during pregnancy. Lots of women swell, but there are a lot that don't. I hope it's nothing for you!

[emnic77]

I would call too, but I will say I don't think 36-48 oz of water is enough. If I don't get at LEAST 72 oz in (that's two fills of my big water bottle) I pay for it big time, just feeling awful and puffy and run down. I try to keep it around 100 oz a day. I highly suggest upping your water intake by at least double, if not triple, what you are having right now.

[rockgal]

Yeah, I agree. I have a 24 oz bottle that I make sure I fill and drink 5 times per day. If I don't, I can tell the difference. In fact, I'm paying for 2 days o not drinking enough water right now and I feel like my feet don't belong to me.
My hands only swell when I do too much, but as soon as I sit and put my feet up for a bit, they usually go back to non swollen.
I would worry about one-sided swelling though. You should give the mw a call anyway. I called the other night because I had a calf cramp and was worried LOL It's what they're there for.

Meanwhile, drink some more water. I swear, I feel like a camel. And I pee all damn day. Grrr. I'm considering taking a bath tonight.

[organicpapayamama]

It sounds like water retention to me. I also say you need to drink more water. But it never hurts to call the mw to make sure.

[mamaspirit]

I had a big pre e scare a few days ago... I swelled up, feet, hands, tiny bit in my face and felt just aweful. They ran all the blood tests and than some and I don't have pre e, but I am extremely low in albumin which can make you retain water. I am on a high protein and potassium diet as I was low in potassium also.

[Mommabean]

Thanks you guys! I'm putting a call this morning to the MW. Yesterday I managed to get down close to 90oz of water and paid for it last night. My hands felt so tight last night it was annoying me. (Think about when your hands get cold and you come back inside to warm them and they feel tight and puffy? Yeah that's how they felt all night)...DH said he didn't notice much swelling last night when he got home so it seemed to have subsided by 7 last night....

Filled up the pitcher with water this morning with the plan of drinking all of it today...and I had to go run potty just by FILLING it up with that much water

[wynkenblynken&nod]

ok I spoke with my midwife about my swelling last night and this is what she said. We had also spoken last wed about getting my salt intake up because of my leg cramps and some other stuff goin on.

She said lie flat on my left side (no pillow) for about two hours and I'll see a diff. Cold compresses on the feet help as well as drinking water with fresh squeezed lemon in it as it draws out the fluids from the tissue.

Also, high protien diets help because protien is turned into this big molecule which needs lots of water and has a drawing ability. LOTS AND LOTS of protien.

Then she said for right now to go to the store and take my bp from the machine. Mine is low always and this was no exception. I have loose fitting sandals that started not fitting and leaving marks.

Oh and she said that the real worry is pitting. When you push on the skin and wait for it to pop back up. If it doesn't, thats pitting edema which may mean a trip to the dr. If there is NO pitting its ok. If there is pitting to the knee or elbow its ok. When there is one that is swollen and one not you need to contact your maternity care provider ASAP as that could mean a blood clot in that arm/leg.

Oh well if you need anything else, let me know. I gotta head to work but I hope you feel better lovey! Just a lil more time basting and that turkey will be ready to deliver

[jecombs]

Just wanted to offer a little reassure to you, because I am one of those people for whom swelling in pregnancy is totally normal. Not pleasant, but normal.

With my DD I had pitting edema for the last 3 weeks of pregnancy in my legs and feet. It looked horrible, but my BP stayed steady and I only had traces of protein in my urine and no other indicators of pre-e. None of my shoes fit. It sucked.

This time around the swelling hasn't been as bad (knock on wood), but it is still there. All my shoes are tight and I can't wear my rings anymore. The swelling also leads to carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands, which causes shooting pain and numbness.

I think eating more protein and drinking more water during this pregnancy has made a huge difference in my swelling! I was also able to go for a swim yesterday and that reduced the swelling significantly.

I hope you can get your swelling to go down! Keep in contact with your MWs and hopefully they can offer you more good suggestions on how to treat it.

[Crispie]

Just wanted to second the protein comment! Try to cut your carbs/sugar down to as a little or none as possible and go pure protein and veggies. Even for 24 hours I notice a huge difference.

Keep us posted mama! Hope you feel better.

[mamaspirit]

Yeah my midwife said she wants me to eat a dozen eggs and a whole chicken every day! 80-100 grams of protein is what I should be eating and I'm finding out that that is a WHOLE LOT of protein!

[rockgal]

Oh, that's gross. LOL I can't imagine eating that many eggs or a whole chicken.

I'm trying to eat more protein myself today. I did too much this weekend and my feet were hurting when I woke up this morning.

[HankyPanky]

Originally Posted by mamaspirit

Yeah my midwife said she wants me to eat a dozen eggs and a whole chicken every day!

Yowza!!

Wanted to add that if you and your midwives have determined that it's not scary swelling, that dandelion root tea has helped me immensely with regards to water retention in general. I basically make an infusion with my other pregnancy herbs (nettle, red raspberry leaf, and dandelion root) and I drink a ton of it (iced with a little bit of stevia). I don't like plain water, so drinking my 2 pitchers of iced herbal tea a day keeps me hydrated and most of the swelling down.

[Crispie]

Dandelion tea and dandelion root capsules...I preach and swear by them

If the eggs/chicken gross you out, there is great protein powder out there-just be sure you go for the good stuff not the body builder type protein...ask your health food store. I got burnt out on eggs, chicken, fish etc and starting getting about half my protein from whey protein powder shakes....just another thought for ya

Hope it is all working wonders!!!

[gentlestrengths]

I would say that 48oz of water is not enough also (you don't need fruit juice, and if it'll help you drink more water, just cut it out completely, if you can!).

Swelling is totally normal during pregnancy. It doesn't really matter what your body has done in past pregnancies - the fact remains, swelling is normal during pregnancy. It isn't always an issue. If your blood pressure is normal, and you aren't having headaches, or other symptoms of preeclampsia then it is just normal physiological swelling. You can rest, you can drink fluids, and you can have the baby - then your swelling will be done! =)

FWIW, I am 38 weeks, 3 days. I drove 1200 miles to visit family (2 day trip) when I was 33 weeks with my 4 children (no husband! he's in Iraq!). I had no swelling prior to the drive. But my ankles were slightly swollen at the end of the first day of driving, and they were GROSSLY swollen after the second day of driving. In fact, I was swollen from the calves down. It was horrid, and uncomfortable. It scared me - I thought maybe my BP had taken a turn for the worse!
I got to my destination and I swelled every single day. Keeping my feet up and resting and drinking tons of water helped, but I swelled every single day!!! It was bad! I had my blood pressure taken 2x when I was there, and it was totally fine!

I went and bought the diabetic compression socks ($30!!!!!!) for the drive home just to alleviate the swelling, and let me tell you - they were worth every darn penny of the $30! I had minimal swelling the first day, but the second day I had NONE - and those were 2 days of in the car/on the road for 10 hours each day. No swelling! So - if your legs/ankles are bothering you, you can go spend a pretty penny on the compression socks (most good drug stores will have them), however, I haven't worn mine since I've been home, and I haven't had the gross swelling either. I think the climate change was the big factor in my swelling. Is it getting much warmer where you live? I changed climates from 30-40 degree highs to 70-80 degree highs. Quite a difference really.

I have had my blood pressure checked 2x since being home, and it's totally normal. So for me I know it's normal physicological swelling. It is likely for you as well.....every pregnancy is different. Drink a little more water! Especially if it's getting warm where you live. Good luck!

[emnic77]

How are you feeling today?
It's amazing how much the protein makes a difference. I skipped my usual two scrambled eggs this morning for breakfast and have felt AWFUL all morning long. I'm so glad I brought a big huge chicken breast for lunch.

[Mommabean]

It is amazing what little things make you feel amazing!! Adding a bit more protein (I had upped it some to help my iron) I drank 100oz of water the last two days and up to 50 already today. I am not as puffy as I was Saturday so I can tell a difference, plus my midwife said I looked great today for what was going on this weekend.

My BP was holding at 106/91 so I am doing great, she said I am a lucky ducky to have such a LOW BP to start out with because it keeps me a tad bit safer.

She rechecked my iron to make sure that's holding steady and everything else checked out beautifuly. Bean is still head down (she's been there for 7 weeks now) and is in perfect condition for births my mw said.

I feel so much better after today's appointment and decided to splurge on bean bought her some new outfits and then took the boys out for lunch!

Thank you ladies for all your help, when I told the mw what all I had started to do to help my swelling before today's appointment she was impressed that I was able to manage it on my own. So a big to you all !!!!