Why do my hands and feet swell up during late pregnancy?

We all know that women's bodies are fragile and prone to certain diseases during pregnancy, so pregnant women must pay attention to their lifestyle habits. Recently, many pregnant women have reported that their hands and feet became swollen in the later stages of pregnancy, and many people are very puzzled by this. So, today we will introduce to you what causes swollen hands and feet in the late pregnancy.

Malnutrition-induced hypoproteinemia, anemia and preeclampsia are common causes of edema in the hands and feet of pregnant women. Therefore, when pregnant women experience more severe swelling of their hands and feet, they must go to the hospital for examination, diagnosis and treatment in time, and also pay attention to daily diet conditioning. 1. Eat enough protein. 2. Eat enough fruits and vegetables. 3. Don’t eat too salty food. 4. Control water intake. 5. Eat less or no food that is difficult to digest and easy to cause bloating (such as fried glutinous rice cakes, sweet potatoes, onions, potatoes, etc.) to avoid causing abdominal distension, poor blood circulation, and aggravating edema.

In addition, pregnant women should try to lift their feet up. When working, they can put a stool or a stack of books under the table and put their legs on it. When you are at home, try to lie down on your left side; do not cross your legs when sitting, and do not put one foot on top of another; stretch your legs frequently: after stretching your legs, first push on your heels, then gently hook your feet to stretch your calf muscles, then rotate your ankles and move your toes; wear comfortable, loose shoes, do not squeeze your swollen feet, and do not wear socks or socks with particularly tight socks at the ankles or calves; taking regular walking exercises are all good ways to solve this problem.

Women often experience lower limb edema in the late stages of pregnancy, especially after seven months of pregnancy, when the swelling around the feet and ankles is more obvious. This is because the enlarged uterus compresses the inferior vena cava, which obstructs blood return and causes excessive blood to accumulate in the lower limbs. In addition, the retention of water and sodium in the body of pregnant women during pregnancy is also a cause of lower limb edema. This type of edema will generally disappear on its own after rest, so it is called "physiological edema" or "positional edema" and is a normal phenomenon during pregnancy. The sodium in table salt is the main factor that causes water accumulation and retention in the human body. Therefore, some pregnant women avoid salt in order to reduce swelling. In fact, this is wrong. Because the metabolism of pregnant women is more vigorous than that of normal people, the filtration rate and excretion function of the kidneys are enhanced, and more sodium is lost, so the need for sodium in pregnant women also increases. If you control salt intake too much, although it will make the body less likely to accumulate water due to lack of sodium, it will lead to loss of appetite, general weakness, mental fatigue, and through endocrine readjustment, it will actually increase blood pressure.

The above is what professionals have introduced to us about why swollen hands and feet occur in the late pregnancy. If pregnant women are still troubled by this problem, they can refer to the content above so that we can make a reasonable solution to the symptoms. We should pay attention to our physical condition at ordinary times and seek treatment immediately when we encounter illness.