Gee, Swell.

[Dichotomy]

Holy swelling, Batman!!



By the end of the day my poor lower extremities look like they've been through the ringer. My once slender ankles have been taken somewhere far, far away. Heck, I feel like I cant even say I have "cankles"....my ankles literally look like theyre wearing innertubes or pool floaties. And I get the swelling on the tops of my feet too.



Blah. I hate feet to begin with....and my feet are just so UGLY by the end of the day. My midwives dont seem concerned, though. They say the swelling is normal. My BP is great, Im drinking lots of water on a daily basis, there's no pain with the swelling, theyre just FAT....I just dont get it!



How do I make it go away? Putting my feet up throughout the day isnt really an option due to my desk job.

[WifeofAnt]

I've heard baths and swimming can help push the fluid back up but I've never tried it (haven't needed to yet).

[tracymom1]

I had A LOT of swelling last time around - mostly at the end of long days on my feet chasing around a toddler (and I guess I was still working part time then, too). I wore support stockings and made absolutely certain that I put my feet up a little bit here and there throughout the day. If you are sitting at a desk, but a little stool near your chair and sit with your feet on there for a few minutes every so often. Make sure to stretch out a little - walk a few circles around your desk every hour.

I also put a couple of books under the foot of our bed so that when sleeping the legs are raised a little bit without having to worry about keeping them on a pillow.

[Yuba_River]

Frequent position changes, walking, and doing some standing yoga poses all seem to help me. Sorry, I know swelling is super uncomfortable.

[P.J.]

I had really swollen feet, hands and face when I was pregnant. I just sat with my feet raised whenever I could. I'm sorry to say, it didn't help much, but just a little. The swelling did go down within a week postpartum -in the feet and face. My hands don't look swollen, but I still can't get my wedding ring off! (BTW, I gave birth 5 momnths ago)

[clutterbug]

Further to the baths and swimming comment...I never tried swimming, but submerging in a fairly deep bath was comforting and always sent me running to pee straight from the bathtub and a few more times frequently thereafter. I don't know if it actually helped my feet, but it at least made me feel like I was shedding some of the fluids. I have read that deeper water (like a swimming pool) will have more of an effect. Worth a try