Tips for taking down giant swollen pregnancy ankles?

Toots

Well as the title pretty much suggests, has anyone got any good tips for reducing swelling? I was in the hospital on Sunday and my BP is high, and my hands and feet are quite swollen. The hands aren't too bad, but the feet, ankles and lower calves are getting quite uncomfortable, like when you poke your finger into my calf there's a dint that stays there for a minute or two!!

Has anyone experienced this before and what did you do to reduce the swelling? I've only got one pair of shoes left that fits on

Thanks guys!

Morag

Rest and putting your feet up will help.
I was that way on my first for the last 3 weeks, only shoes I could wear were a pair of men's slippers.

Das Kitty

Yep, rest is the only way. Plenty of water to drink too.

Hannibal Smith

Yep as the ladies said, raise your feet up and get the circulation going again and drink plenty of water to flush your fluids out. If you get headaches or blurry vision call the hosp/gp straight away.

I'm not sure what your work is like, but last pregnancy I had really swollen ankles and feet and I bought black skechers that look like shoes, so I could get away with wearing them in work. They have velcro fasteners so I could loosen them as the swelling got worse.

I work in an office, so I used to find after a long time of sitting they'd swell up, so in those instances I'd just get up and move my legs for a bit.

Cat Melodeon

Hi Toots, how far gone are you? I had high BP for the last 7 weeks or so of my first pregnancy, didn't do as I was told regarding rest and feet up, and ended up on betablockers and having to go in for daily monitoring for the last month. The drugs were completely debilitating (although a bit cool at the same time!) and the monitoring was a pain in the backside.

The only way to get the swelling down is proper rest, feet up (they should be resting higher than your heart), plenty of fluids and watch your diet (cut out all the salty stuff, loads of brown bread and raw veg). I did that for the last month and never developed anything more sinister, had a perfectly normal labour and birth and a healthy baby. Although the drugs and monitoring were a pain, looking back I know I'd never have rested properly had they not forced me into it. Take care of yourself, the BP is your priority, if you take care of that the swelling should reduce.

PS: I hate crocs but lived in them for the last bit of my pregnancy, them and velcro-strapped hiking sandals. Nothing else would cope with the changing size of my feet over the course of a day (from size 5.5 in the morning to 7 by evening!)

nicowa

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

The only way to get the swelling down is proper rest, feet up (they should be resting higher than your heart)....

I don't think they need to be higher than your heart, just your hips, but it probably helps. I find trying to get them any higher than that means little one is squeezing everything!

I spoke to my sister about this (she's a physical therapist) and she informed me that it's the fluid in your lymph system getting blocked at your hips down your legs due to the loosening ligaments - I'd never heard that before. In fact, beyond the whole "build up of fluid" I'd never heard a full reason before. I just assumed that was all there was to know... So relax your hips and put your feet up.

Mine are at the beginning stage of that so last night I put them up so that my feet were higher than the rest of my leg (so ya, they probably ended up higher than my heart though I was sitting up) so that gravity could aid them more.

Good luck!

Toots

Thanks guys! I'm 38 weeks and 3 days now, haven't worked since 29 weeks due to various complications. The swelling only got really bad on Sunday and I ended up in hospital where my BP, which has been perfect the whole way through, was quite high, like 146/93. So they did a trace and then took blood (eugh) and let me go home, but I've to see my consultant tomorrow so I don't want to go in with giant pumpkin feet and ankles. I'm terrified they'll keep me in and induce me!!

Moonbeam

I did not have high blood pressure but had swollen hands,feet and face.
A warm bath and a cup of ginger tea is my cure for everything pregnancy related!
It mostly works too!

Hannibal Smith

Toots* wrote: »

The swelling only got really bad on Sunday and I ended up in hospital where my BP, which has been perfect the whole way through, was quite high, like 146/93.

Pah! You call that high?! That's nothing, on my first they struggled to keep my bottom line below 100!

Though maybe yours is high enough as it is There was a girl in the ward with me and her readings were the same as yours and they didn't induce her. They kept her in for a few nights, brought it down with meds and sent her home to return a week later. It obviously depends on how you are, but the only reason they induced me was because not even the meds would reduce the bp, so hopefully you'll get away with it.

foxinsocks

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Pah! You call that high?! That's nothing, on my first they struggled to keep my bottom line below 100!

Though maybe yours is high enough as it is There was a girl in the ward with me and her readings were the same as yours and they didn't induce her. They kept her in for a few nights, brought it down with meds and sent her home to return a week later. It obviously depends on how you are, but the only reason they induced me was because not even the meds would reduce the bp, so hopefully you'll get away with it.

Hah, I was just thinking that too... My BP at my last check was almost exactly that, and the doc actually pff'd and waved at me dismissively when i expressed concern. Course, it was at the diabetes clinic, and I had just been Boohooing because the short term car park had no spaces in, and I had to park 100 feet further away from the door... Stupid hormones...

With my first, they didn't induce me until my due date, and THAT was only because my BP was regularly hitting 160/120 and they took pity on me being stuck in hospital with an allergy to the bed sheets.

As for the ankles, the advice you have been given is really good. Keep your feet elevated, drink LOTS of water and totally avoid salty (yummy deliciously carbohydratey) snacks.

Toots

Thanks for all the tips guys, I'm definitely finding the elevating the feet and drinking water are making a noticeable difference. Only downside is I may now have to move into my bathroom permanently! I think the reason I got such a shock about the BP being high is it's been perfect (120/80) through my whole pregnancy and suddenly on sunday it shot up for no reason. I suppose me worrying about it isn't really helping either!

Does anyone know if it's safe to sleep on your back when you're 38 weeks pregnant? I was thinking I could do that and keep my feet on a pile of pillows through the night.

Hannibal Smith

Aww then it is a shocker when you get a reading like that Toots. Will I tell you my breathing technique for lowering BP? I feel like a parrot going on about it, but I swear it does help you relax.

I'm not sure lying on your back is recommended. I know I read in What to Expect when You're Expecting that you shouldn't after the 5th month I think because the baby ends up lying on some vein or nerve or something and it can be dangerous.

Cat Melodeon

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

Aww then it is a shocker when you get a reading like that Toots. Will I tell you my breathing technique for lowering BP? I feel like a parrot going on about it, but I swear it does help you relax.

Tell me! I'm sure I'll end up using it!

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

I'm not sure lying on your back is recommended. I know I read in What to Expect when You're Expecting that you shouldn't after the 5th month I think because the baby ends up lying on some vein or nerve or something and it can be dangerous.

If you have a copy of the HSE-published Maternity magazine, there's an article in about certain pregnancy myths. They say that sleeping on your back is absolutely fine for most women and the only ones at risk are those with high BP, so I guess that rules it out for most of us on this thread!

Toots

Hannibal I'd love to hear the technique, no doubt I'd find it handy!

I went in for my checkup today and my BP was perfect ankles and hands have gone down too, and apparently my bloods and urine were perfect! To say I'm relieved is an understatement but I can't understand why it went up like that and then back down.

How Strange

God I remember the swelling and that was in January so I dread to think what I'd have been like in august! I had two little piggy eyes peeping out of a moon face and ankles that started at my knees.

As everyone said, elevate your legs, rest, lots of water, no salty food, no caffeine. The ginger tea is a good tip; ginger is great for everything.

I couldn't sleep on my back because I'd get beached and my hubby would get a kick to wake up and roll me over.

Hannibal Smith

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

If you have a copy of the HSE-published Maternity magazine, there's an article in about certain pregnancy myths. They say that sleeping on your back is absolutely fine for most women and the only ones at risk are those with high BP, so I guess that rules it out for most of us on this thread!

No way! Bloomin hell the amount of times I've woke up on my back and jumped onto my side thinking I was going to die :eek::D Thanks for clearing that up.

Toots* wrote: »

Hannibal I'd love to hear the technique, no doubt I'd find it handy!

Right, the breathing. For anyone who has read this before, I apologise in advance But..lie on your back (in the total peace of mind that you won't die ), put one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy. Breathe in for the count of ten and breathe out for the count of ten. The hand positions are to make sure your tummy is expanding, but your chest isn't. Now I know this is difficult at this stage of pregnancy, in fact for me it's impossible, as is counting in for ten, there's little room as it is without expanding my lungs so for. So I've kind of tweeked it the last month to just making sure I'm relaxed and am getting good deep lung breaths for the count of seven and out for the count of seven.

You're supposed to do it for about 15-20 mins, but if you can only manage it for a few mins, do at least that.

I was taught this in hospital after I had my son. The top line of my bp reading was 178, I did a few of these, the nurse came back and it had reduced the BP to 160. The other week I was in with the consultant, my reading was 150/80, she asked me to sit outside and she'd check it again. During this time I did the breathing (sitting up coz I'm such an expert now ) and when I went back in, my readings were 140/80. So I promise it works!

Toots, as for your change in bp and swelling, you'll get that. You're 38 weeks pregnant, your body is under a lot of strain, I guess some weeks it feels that strain more than others.

foxinsocks

Toots* wrote: »

Hannibal I'd love to hear the technique, no doubt I'd find it handy!

I went in for my checkup today and my BP was perfect ankles and hands have gone down too, and apparently my bloods and urine were perfect! To say I'm relieved is an understatement but I can't understand why it went up like that and then back down.

The beauty and horror of hormones, they fluctuate on an hourly basis, meaning how you react to any situation varies and is totally unpredictable. From boohooing for 30 minutes after an RSPCA ad, to your BP rising because someone left the milk out, to being completely calm even though your house just burned down, so very frustrating.

Toots

foxinsocks wrote: »

The beauty and horror of hormones, they fluctuate on an hourly basis, meaning how you react to any situation varies and is totally unpredictable. From boohooing for 30 minutes after an RSPCA ad, to your BP rising because someone left the milk out, to being completely calm even though your house just burned down, so very frustrating.

Oh god, I got pregnant just before Christmas and you know the way there's LOADS of those ads on around that time, I couldn't work out why I was a sobbing mess so often. Hubby thought I was becoming slightly unhinged, of course about a week later a little pink line told me the real reason