What to do if your feet are swollen and painful when you are more than 7 months pregnant

When the pregnancy reaches seven months, the belly is already very big, and there are still three months before delivery. In addition to the fact that the belly will compress the veins, causing blood circulation to decrease, it may even cause the pregnant woman's feet and legs to begin to swell due to the enlarged belly for a long time, the pressure when sitting, and the discomfort when lying down. When the pregnancy occurs, it will not only be painful, but there will also be swelling and a feeling of pressure, which need to be relieved through some methods.

What causes swollen feet in pregnant women?

1. After pregnancy, the blood volume of pregnant women begins to increase gradually 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.

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.