On a road trip and body acting up. When to be concerned.

[faithsstuff]

Hey guys   I am half way through my pregnancy and just realized I can't see my toes!  :)  

Anyway, we are on a cross country road trip that was not well thought out.  Dh, ds (3 1/2 years old), brother in law, sister in law and I are crammed in a subaru driving 9ish hours a day.   Dh  and his bro planned this, they will not be planning any trips in the future :)

So of course my body is crazy.  My ankles are the size of my knees and I can barely fit my feet in my flip flops.  Swelling is pretty normal for me, but I can't rid of this swelling.  Dh rubs them often, I soak them at night and elevate them when ever I can but they are hard and throbbing and ginormous.  I can't wear my wedding ring because my hands are swelling up, not horribly, just enough that my ring sinks into my finger and I can't get it off if I don't do it right away.  I also think I'm compressing a nerve in my lower back.  It's is a sharp and hot pain all day.  The other day there was very painful shooting pain down my leg into my foot while I was going down a flight of stairs.  I often can't stand on the first try b/c my leg goes our or my back spasms.  I assume the back stuff is from cramming in the car, and I am going through a tube of icy hot every two days.  

We will arrive at the inlaws tomorrow and once we get there I get to sleep on a pallet or outside in a tent.  How can I make this work?  What can I do for the swelling and horrible hip and back pain.  

I also wonder if there's anyway I could be actually damaging myself or doing something that won't be easily undone when we get back home.  What do y'all think?

[LilyTiger]

I think you'll probably be fine, but make note of any contractions or anything like that.  I just got back from a shorter road trip at 35 weeks and while my feet swelled up pretty badly from the car ride, they're back down again now that I'm home (it took one day).  I left my wedding rings off mostly due to the heat. 

If I were you, I would go to the nearest Walmart or whatever and buy a bunch of cheap pillows.  Sleeping on the ground is going to really hurt, so if you can prop yourself up in various ways (pillows between hips, behind back, and propping up belly) you might be able to handle it better.  And if they're cheap enough, you don't have to worry about bringing them home with you in an already cramped car (not ideal, I know).

Finally, I would stretch, stretch, stretch at every opportunity.  Pelvic rocks (you can do them on the backseat at rest stops) and polar bear position (like child's pose with your butt in the air) will really help.  Tailor sitting while you're in the car (so you have room in your chest and your belly isn't flopped backward) and squats when you're out of the car can help open things up.  Movement is key, I've discovered.  You can make a list of stretches to do right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep (and try to cram some in during the day too).  But you need to try to align your body as much as possible to make up for the fact that you're smushed in the car (and then on the ground). 

Hopefully some other mama's might have some other ideas.  You might want to look into visiting a chiro or doing some prental yoga with an experienced instructor when you get back just to get things back in order.

[planteater]

Ouch! Sending some major sympathy your way.

I have one small idea. Are you sitting in the front passenger seat? If not, that might help. Often, the front seats are ergonomic while the back seats are more bench-like. Sitting on a back seat like that for a long period of time could cause lower back pain like pinched nerve.

Good luck!

[ameliabedelia]

I would pay careful attention to diet while traveling and visiting.  Focus on eating lots of protein, vegetables and fruits....some dairy and try to avoid sugars, lots of carbs, etc.  Here is a link from the Brewer diet which talks about swelling. http://drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id35.html  I don't follow the Brewer diet exactly, but I do believe that diet does play a big role in pregnancy, and it's always harder to eat healthier while on the road.

Also, as Lily Tiger said, lots of movement would be helpful too.  If possible, I would try to stop at least every 2 hours so you can walk around, stretch, etc.  It's really not natural to be sitting in the same position for multiple hours without walking/moving, etc.
 

[Peony]

I went on a trip early in my 3rd tri with the last baby. I was never able to get rid of the edema that occurred. It went down, at the worst I ended up having to buy new flip flops but it was almost like I taxed my body too much and I just suffered the rest of the pg. baby was fine, I was miserable! Take care of yourself.

[herenow2]

Yes on the movement suggestion.  Stretch and walk at every possible opportunity.  In the car do ankle rolls and point and flex your toes frequently.  Also see if you can pick up a decent magnesium -calcium supplement (floradix is awesome but needs to be refrigerated) that'll help with the muscle pain.  Drink LOTS of water too and maybe watch salt intake.  Good luck!

[faithsstuff]

Thanks for all the tips.  We cut the trip short, I couldn't do another 3 days in the car.I've worn compression socks for a couple days and my feet are almost normal!  No more road trips for me :)