[allgirls]

water retention...is there anyway to prevent my ankles from swelling and keep water retention to a minimum...I am 21 wks and already starting to get swelling in my ankles...I hate it

I drink lots of water and put lemon or lime for the added benefits

any other suggestions?

 

[Shanana]

I haven't had much swelling so I can't speak to the effectiveness of these suggestions, but my pre-natal yoga teacher recommends the following:

Sit with your legs extended in front of you (maybe put a pillow under your knees so you don't lock them). Make the biggest circles you can with your feet, so you flex them, then rotate them until they're pointed, then back to a flex, etc. (your thighs/knees should be still while doing this). Really spread your toes and involve them in the movement. Do this for a while, then reverse direction. I think it increases blood flow to the area, and might help with swelling. She doesn't make any guarantees, but says it helps some people.

If you have swelling in your hands, do the same thing except rotating your hands / wrists.

I've also read that elevating your feet during the day helps. My OB said it's common to have swelling in the hands in the morning, and then gravity pulls it down into your feet during the day. So if you get your feet up, it theoretically helps counteract the effect of gravity.

And as you're already doing, I've also heard that drinking more fluids helps.

Good luck!

Shana
EDD 7/29/05

 

[ramlita]

Are you getting enough salt?

here's an article... the mention of swelling is pretty far down on the page...

http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyoua...nt/index.shtml

I make sure anything I eat has enough salt to taste "right" to me, and I've never had any swelling in any of my pregnancies!

HTH

 

[allgirls]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramlah Are you getting enough salt? here's an article... the mention of swelling is pretty far down on the page... http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyoua...nt/index.shtml I make sure anything I eat has enough salt to taste "right" to me, and I've never had any swelling in any of my pregnancies! HTH

I am pretty sure I get enough salt...I love salty foods...and I salt to taste. I had no fluid retention with my second two but this one and my first I am getting swelling...of course both pregnancies I have swelling are due in October so I have warm weather to contend with...I think that's a big factor.

The pregnancies I had no swelling the babies were born june/early July.

 

[Trishy]

I had a lot of swelling that started early with my last pg. Try to put your feet up as much as possible and see if you can lay down a couple of times a day with your feet elevated. I know it is hard with other little ones around but I would lay on the couch and read books or watch a video with ds1. I've also heard not to cross your legs/ankles but I'm not sure if it made a difference or not.

 

[carrietorgc]

i had TONS of swelling with dd - i had her at the end of may and was miserable. this time i'm due mid august and so far the swelling is to a minimum, but could set in by july. putting your feet up above your heart does help

but my mwives also stressed the importance of still going for a walk every day.

 

[chelko]

Exercise. If I don't make it for my 30 minute daily walk my ankles are unrecognizable by the end of the day.

I'm 8 mos pg, and I only cover about 1 1/2 miles in that time, so I am going fairly slow. But it really helps.

Good luck,
chelko

 

[pellifoli]

36 weeks, and have had swelling for past month or so on and off. It's worse when I sit at my desk at work all day, even if I pound water. when I'm home, and moving around a fair amount, mixed with resting with feet up, I don't swell very much at all. Heat and humidity have exacerbated it though lately.

heard about salt intake, lemon in water, and someone else advocated eating cucumber and watermelon?

good luck!

 

[lilgreen]

I was told by my doctor to limit salt intake to avoid swelling because salt is used for water retention. I sure hope it's the other way around 'cause I LOVE salty foods and I've been avoiding them because I tend to get so swollen. I'll look into it.

Whenever I wear socks, my legs bulge out where the sock ends. It looks quite funny by the end of the day. Elevating my legs for as long as dh and ds will let me after work helps. I lie on the ground with my bum up against a wall and my legs straight up the wall. Regardless of how you do it, make sure your feet are above your heart.

Take care,
lilgreen

 

[ramlita]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilgreen I was told by my doctor to limit salt intake to avoid swelling because salt is used for water retention.

That's really outdated information!

What's true for non-pregnant people can be very different for us preggos!!

We need salt to retain fluids now, because we're expanding our blood volume so dramatically in order to get adequate nutrients to our babies' placentas! We also need to keep making amniotic fluid, which is constantly being recycled.
If we avoid salt in pregnancy, our bodies are less able to use the fluids we drink, and they're more likely to just pool up and cause edema. When we get enough salt, the fluid is used well, and the baby gets the best possible nutrients. The advice I've heard/read is to salt to taste: not more than you want, but definitely not less!

Gail and Tom Brewer talk about this stuff a lot in What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know, and
Penny Simkin's Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn has a good explanation in her chapter on nutrition.

Here's a quote from Simkin:
"The abnormal, sudden increase in fluid retention seen in preeclampsia is not due to excessive salt intake but rather to the impaired functioning of the liver and kidneys, which normally regulate protein, electrolyte, and fluid balance."

Hope that helps!

 

[lilgreen]

ramlah: Thanks for the info!

Makes a lot of sense.

Cheers!
lilgreen