Help! Very suddenly swollen feet is this a bad sign??

[redstockingma]

My feet have been a little swollen for a while but today they are puffy and tingly, to the point where my ankles have dissapeared basically...I am not a large person, and my feet look out of proportion with my body; this swelling has happened just today, my feet are stiff...

I was wondering if this was a sign of something being wrong; my blood pressure was just a little high at my last prenatal appointment 3 days ago, something like 139/82, but I wasn't throwing off protein and nothing else is inordinately swollen on my body. My midwife is on a vacation until tuesday and the back-up midwife seems more like a medwife and I dislike her to the point where I am hesitant to call her or see her while she's substituting at the birth center. She is high strung and seems likely to send me to the hospital at the least provication, and the hospital OB she seems to know is NOT the Natural Friendly one my regular midwife knows . They won't listen to my birth plan, I was there for a some tests over the weekend and they seemed nice but only if you were obedient.

I was wanting some advice on what to do...I am drinking some water to see if the swelling will go down, and if it hasn't by tomorrow, perhaps calling the Medwife and negotiating with her...telling her that I will only see a particular doctor....my caretaker situation makes everything very difficult..does anyone think the swelling sounds immediately dangerous?

[gen_here]

I know that sudden dramatic swelling of the hands and face can be signs of pre-e... but from what I understand, swelling of the feet is VERY normal late in the game. The baby is pushing down on all the different vessels that would allow blood to drain (not the right term....) away from the feet and legs. Keep up with the water (even though it will mean more bathroom runs at night), prop your feet up when you're sitting, and try to sleep on your left side as much as possible. You can even contact your local pharmacy and see if they have the test strips for urine that test for protein.

I'm not saying don't call... if you're worried, you really should give them a call. But don't freak out tonight, okay =)

[CableGirl]

I was told by my MW not to worry too much about foot swelling, just liek the PP said, it's common this late in the game. She told me thatif it got uncomfortable and as long as I wasn't swelling elsewhere I could drink alfalfa tea and tht would help a bit. it has to a great degree. My feet are still huge, but they're not uncomfortable anymore. If you're swelling is in your face as well though, I'd definately call and get your BP checked. Pre-e is nothing to take lightly.

[LavenderMae]

I had some pretty good swelling in my feet towards the end this time. I called them my piggy feet, yuck. Anyway, for me it wasn't a sign of anything bad just the baby so low and cutting off stuff.

[askew]

I have a suggestion. Can you go to a drugstore and check your BP? That will give you an idea if you need to call or not. I have been on bedrest since 36 weeks for high BP. It is not something to take lighlty. Check your BP- if it is 30 points higher on top or 15 higher on the bottom than your regular BP- then for sure call. Otherwise take it easy, drink water, and elevate your feet higher than your heart.

[amygeekgrl]

i agree with angelika. i'd go chk your BP and then decide what to do from there. major swelling like that (all of a sudden) can be serious and shouldn't be ignored, but it also might just be regular old swelling.

keep us posted.