Swelling during Pregnancy

Pregnancy and Swelling:-

Swelling during pregnancy is one of the most common problems a pregnant women can experience. Some pregnant women may experience a very mild swelling while others may experience a very painful swelling. A swelling generally occurs during the fifth month or third trimester of pregnancy along with swelling on face, legs, hands, feet’s, etc. If a swelling is mild and normal then it is not a cause of concern for the pregnant women. However, enormous amount of swelling can be a sign of a high risk pregnancy condition known as preeclampsia.

Swelling occurs due to the retention of extra amount of fluid during the period of pregnancy. When a pregnant women drinks less fluids then the body will retain some of the fluids in order to meet its needs. There are every chances weight gain during pregnancy if the pregnant women continues to take less amount of fluid during pregnancy period. Regular intake of fluid is indeed needed to soften up the body as well as to meet the baby’s needs. A fluid is also required for preparing the pelvic joints and tissues for opening in order to allow baby to be born. Therefore, if a women wants a healthy pregnancy then she must not cut short their intake of fluids.

Other Causes of Swelling:-

Besides the deficiency of fluids there are some other causes that can give rise to swelling and pain during pregnancy. Some of them are listed as follows:

• Eating a diet devoid of potassium.
• Performing a strenuous activity for the longer periods of time.
• Consuming excess amount of caffeine.
• Standing for the lower periods of time.
• Consuming a large amount of sodium i.e. salt.

Some of the extra fluid gets collected in the hands, feet’s, ankles, etc leading to back pain and swelling (edema) in the subsequent stages of pregnancy. Normal swelling is generally depicted as gravity edema. When a pregnant women standing for a long period of time feels swelling around the legs, hands, etc then she may be having gravity edema. On the other hand, extreme or severe amount of swelling accompanied by headache and high blood pressure gives rise to pitting edema.

Treating Swelling during Pregnancy:-

Here are some of the suggestions that the pregnant women can use in order to get rid of swelling:

1. A pregnant women must not stand or sit for longer periods of time.
2. A pregnant women must not wear low heeled shoes.
3. A pregnant women must avoid wearing tight fitting clothes.
4. A pregnant women must also refrain from tight wristbands and socks.
5. A pregnant women must drink plenty of fluids in order to increase blood circulation.
6. A pregnant women must sleep on her left side as this improves the circulation of blood in to the uterus.
7. A pregnant women must try to do certain pregnancy exercises that can mitigate the swelling problem.
8. A pregnant women must take minimal amount of salt.
9. A pregnant women must take food containing proteins such as milk, pulses, etc.
10. A pregnant women must take a sufficient amount of rest.

A pregnant women must consult the doctor for any kind of pregnancy complications or using any medications.

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Third trimester
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Stages of pregnancy
Back pain and swelling