How to relieve leg swelling during pregnancy

One of the biggest problems faced by pregnant women in the late stages of pregnancy is edema, which can easily occur. The edema in the calves and thighs is particularly serious and can even seriously affect a pregnant woman's ability to walk. Because many pregnant women will experience swollen legs, in their eyes the edema will not have any impact on their bodies. However, some pregnant women are still very concerned about their edema, so how should pregnant women relieve swollen feet?

1. Adjust your sitting and sleeping positions

When resting, try to lie on your left side, and then raise your legs with pillows. The height should be 1 to 2 pillows. This can effectively improve the blood supply to the placenta and reduce edema. Because sleeping on the left side can reduce the pressure on the heart and liver, the amount of urine will increase than before, helping the body to eliminate excess water. After pregnancy, it is best for the mother to ensure 9 to 10 hours of sleep every day. If conditions permit, she can take a one-hour nap at noon, which will help reduce edema.

When you sit normally, you can raise your feet slightly to help circulate the venous blood accumulated in the legs to the heart. If you are sitting on a chair, it is best to put a stool under your feet.

2. Exercise plus massage

Pregnant mothers should not think that edema means they need to rest. In fact, proper exercise can also eliminate edema, such as stepping, walking, or doing some exercises for pregnant women. When stepping, pregnant mothers should pay attention to holding a point to support the body balance. In fact, walking up stairs can also help eliminate edema.

The effect will be better if you add local massage after exercise. When massaging, it is best for pregnant mothers to take a semi-sitting position and massage from the feet gradually upwards to the calves. This will help blood return to the heart, and the strength should be comfortable. In addition to after exercise, massage before bed and after bathing is also very effective.

3. Adjust your diet

Adjusting your diet can help the body eliminate excess water, and among these foods, high-protein, high-fiber, low-salt foods are the most suitable. Among fruits and vegetables, winter melon and watermelon are the best choices, but it is not suitable for pregnant mothers to eat watermelon in winter. You can eat some stewed winter melon, or make soup with winter melon and crucian carp, which has excellent diuretic and anti-edema effects.

You can eat more diuretic foods after edema, but try not to eat foods that are easy to produce gas and difficult to digest, so as not to cause abdominal distension, affect blood circulation, and aggravate edema. For example, fried foods, sweet potatoes, glutinous rice, onions, etc.

Pay attention to the following points

1. When you have edema, you should eat light food and avoid eating too salty food. The daily salt intake should be 5-6 grams. In particular, do not eat too much pickles and pickled vegetables to prevent edema from worsening.

2. Eat enough protein. Pregnant women with edema, especially those whose edema is caused by malnutrition, must ensure that they 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.

3. Eat more vegetables and fruits, especially winter melon, watermelon and other fruits, which are rich in potassium and fructose that cannot be quickly used by the body. They can reduce water in the body, have a diuretic and detoxifying effect, and are very effective in preventing and reducing edema during pregnancy.

4. Dress appropriately

Pregnant mothers should not wear tight clothes as it will affect blood circulation and cause swelling of the lower limbs. When choosing shoes, do not wear completely flat shoes. It is best to choose soft-soled cloth shoes or sports shoes with a heel height of about 2-3 cm. They are comfortable and elastic, and can also reduce the body burden of pregnant women and relieve edema.