How to relieve swollen feet during pregnancy

Women will experience some pregnancy reactions during pregnancy, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and loss of appetite. Swollen feet are also a symptom of pregnancy. After pregnancy, the uterus of a woman will gradually enlarge, which will increase the pressure in the pelvis of the pregnant woman. This will cause abnormal venous blood flow in the lower limbs and cause swelling of the feet. How to relieve swollen feet during pregnancy? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. What causes swollen feet in pregnant women?

1. After pregnancy, the blood volume of pregnant women begins to gradually increase from the 6th week of pregnancy, reaches a peak at 34 weeks, and remains at this level until two weeks after delivery when it returns to the pre-pregnancy level. Blood volume can increase by about 40% compared to the non-pregnant period, so as blood volume increases, interstitial fluid will also increase.

2. Because the increase in plasma is greater than the increase in blood cells when blood increases, the blood components will be relatively diluted and the relative concentration of plasma albumin will be lower than that in the non-pregnant period. Plasma albumin is the main component that maintains plasma osmotic pressure. Plasma osmolality is lower during pregnancy than during non-pregnancy. This makes it easy for water in the blood to penetrate into the interstitial fluid, causing lower limb edema.

3. After pregnancy, the uterus enlarges, which increases the pressure in the pelvis, thereby affecting the venous blood flow in the lower limbs. This is also one of the important reasons for lower limb edema. If the swelling during pregnancy is relieved after rest or sleep, it is physiological and there is no need to worry.

The above reasons for swelling are normal phenomena. However, if the edema is obvious and does not improve, further examination should be conducted to determine if there are other pregnancy complications, and timely diagnosis and treatment should be provided.

2. What to do if pregnant women have swollen feet

1. First of all, make sure you eat enough protein. Make sure to eat animal foods such as livestock, poultry, meat, fish, shrimp, eggs, milk, and bean foods every day. This type of food is rich in high-quality protein. Pregnant women with anemia should also eat animal liver 2-3 times a week to supplement iron.

2. Eat enough vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits contain many vitamins and trace elements necessary for the human body. They can enhance the body's resistance, strengthen metabolism, and also have detoxification and diuretic effects. Pregnant women should not forget to eat vegetables and fruits every day.

3. Don’t eat too salty food. When you have edema, you should eat light food and avoid eating too salty food, especially pickles, to prevent the edema from getting worse.

4. Control water intake. Pregnant women with severe edema should control their water intake appropriately.

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.

If a pregnant woman has swollen feet, the first thing to do is to figure out what the swollen feet are. If you follow the above five steps for physiological foot swelling, I believe that to a certain extent, it will solve the doubts of many families about what to do if the pregnant woman has swollen feet.

3. How to relieve swollen feet during pregnancy

1. Rest. People who work in jobs that require them to stand or sit for long periods of time will have more severe edema. It is best for expectant mothers to rest for 10-15 minutes after every hour of work, change their posture and move their legs.

2. Raise your legs. Raising your legs for 15-20 minutes before going to bed (or during lunch break) can accelerate blood return and reduce venous pressure. It can not only relieve edema during pregnancy, but also prevent the occurrence of diseases such as varicose veins in the lower limbs.

3. If your abdomen feels like it is falling or swelling, you can buy a belly support belt to gently support it to relieve the pressure.

4. Eat low-salt meals. After pregnancy, the body's ability to regulate salt and water decreases, so in daily life, you should try to control your salt intake and keep the daily intake below 6g.

5. Sleep on your left side. Sleeping on your left side can avoid compressing the veins in your lower limbs and reduce the resistance to blood return.

4. When can pregnant women's swollen feet return to normal?

In the first few days after delivery, excess water in the body can be discharged through frequent urination and heavy sweating, and the drainage rate is proportional to the severity of edema. Some expectant mothers' feet will return to their original size after giving birth, while others' feet will be larger than before. This is because the relaxin in the body not only relaxes the pelvic joints to facilitate the delivery of the fetus from the birth canal, but also expands the feet.

5. Dietary treatment for swollen feet in pregnant women

After pregnancy, the body's ability to regulate salt and water decreases. Therefore, pregnant women should control their salt intake. Generally, the daily salt intake should not exceed 6 grams. For some pickled foods with high salt content, you should try to eat less or not eat them. In addition, edema is also related to malnutrition. Nutritional hypoproteinemia and anemia are also common causes of edema in expectant mothers. Therefore, during pregnancy, you should also pay attention to the intake of high-quality protein (such as meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, soybeans and soy products, etc.) and iron-rich foods (such as animal liver, etc.).