swelling in feet and headache?

[Chula13]

My stepdaughter is due 10-2nd and she is experiencing swelling in her feet and headache but no protein in urine or high bp. Any idea what it could be?

[happysmileylady]

Originally Posted by Chula13

My stepdaughter is due 10-2nd and she is experiencing swelling in her feet and headache but no protein in urine or high bp. Any idea what it could be?

It could just be the heat. Some amount of swelling in pg is normal, and the warmer it is, the more a pg woman will swell. I am due 9/22, and I feel like my hands look like sausages this week. But, my bp is only like 102/60 on average (I work at CVS so I get to check it regularly.) If she's on her feet more, they will swell more. Last time I was pg, I accidently got a pretty bad sunburn on my legs, they got so swollen from it.

Headache could be anything and could be entirely unrelated to the swelling. Dehydration, hunger, the heat, caffeine, lack of caffeine, being out in bright sun too long squinting, could be her vision is going...just about anything.

[HeatherB]

Best advice is to drink LOTS of water, rest, and put her feet up. If the swelling comes down and the headache goes away, it's most likely the result of dehydration. In addition to the water, she should eat plenty of protein (it helps keep the water in your blood stream) and not skimp on salt (which helps bind water, as well). If her blood pressure is LOW (for her) then she may need *extra* salt, too.

Do pay attention to whether or not she's having "pitting edema," where when you press on the swollen areas the indentation stays there, versus normal swelling. Is she having any vision disturbances? Little bright flashes or lights in her peripheral vision? Swelling anywhere OTHER than her feet? (Especially her face?) Those would be things I'd be concerned about in combination with the headache and swelling.

The two symptoms you mention, though, can very simply be caused by dehydration.