How to reduce leg swelling to make pregnant women comfortable

Like morning sickness, fatigue and mood swings, swollen feet is also one of the common problems that pregnant women face. About 90% of pregnant women experience swelling in the leg area, including the feet and ankles, especially during the last few months of pregnancy.

For normal physiological phenomenon, it is easy to recognize foot edema, when you see the feet are swollen, or your feet feel heavy or you wear sandals that are tighter than usual (even with the same shoes you usually wear), or press the front. The shin bone (hard bone area) is concave.
In addition to the normal physiological phenomenon above, leg edema is dangerous if:
Appears when there are blood pressure, kidney or cardiovascular diseases, at this time you should be more careful. Leg edema appears earlier, do not wait for the large abdomen to compress, not only in the legs, but also in the hands and face. Eyes are heavy eyelids, bulging around the eyes, forehead bone concave, fingers are plump, abnormal weight gain is more than 1kg / week. If edema is caused by kidney diseases, pregnant women will see less urine than usual. Especially extremely dangerous, leg edema can also be seen when there is pre-eclampsia (present from 20 weeks of pregnancy, including high blood pressure, edema and proteinuria), kidney disease (most often the syndrome). nephrotic ). With this form of edema, only treatment of the underlying disease can reduce the edema.

If the swelling of the legs during pregnancy is not related to the disease, the pregnant woman does not need to worry. Try to apply the following measures to help reduce leg swelling for pregnant women:
During daily activities:
When sleeping, pregnant women should lie on their side to reduce blood pressure in the legs. You can put your feet up or put a mattress under your feet when you are in bed.

When going to work, you should put a small chair under the table to rest your feet to avoid fatigue. Do not cross your legs while sitting to avoid blood circulation that causes numbness and swelling of the legs. Avoid standing in one place for a long time, take regular walks to keep blood circulation regular in both legs. Take a hot shower. Using warm water to soak your feet for about 10-15 minutes, is also an effective way to relax your feet and reduce swelling. Regular exercise is also one of the ways to treat leg edema during pregnancy. Appropriate exercises such as yoga help blood circulation easily. Avoid excessive weight gain; Limit exposure to hot weather. In choosing clothes:
Wearing shoes and sandals that are too tight is the cause of swollen feet. Or more dangerous is also the cause of inflammation between the toes, calluses, lumpy toes. Therefore, pregnant women should choose to wear comfortable shoes and sandals that can be slightly open, low and flat. When possible, you should remove your shoes to make your feet feel comfortable and blood circulation easier. Do not wear tight socks and remember to remove them before getting out of bed to prevent blood from pooling around your ankles. Choose clothes that are loose, avoid clothes that are too tight and tight to the body, causing danger to the baby. In the diet:
Drinking a lot of water will help stimulate the kidneys to excrete, helping to reduce water retention in the body. If you drink less water, the kidneys will receive a signal that the body needs to retain water and make the swelling worse. Must absolutely limit drinks containing filter coffee, carbonated and alcohol, because they are not only harmful drinks for the fetus, but also cause leg edema for pregnant women. Do not eat foods or dishes containing a large amount of salt because it will not help reduce leg swelling for pregnant women but also have the risk of progressing to many other diseases. Should follow a balanced and scientific diet. That is, eat a variety of foods that are high in protein such as lentils and dairy products. Eat lots of green vegetables like: Cabbage, lentils, spinach. In addition, it is necessary to add fruits such as apples, papaya and guava. Encourage eating a variety of foods that are high in vitamins, calcium, and zinc. Should eat foods rich in vitamin E such as spinach, almond oil, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds.... Foot massage:
Measures to perform foot massage movements such as foot rotation Also very useful, by rotating the ankle in a large circle, then flexing the foot, followed by rotating each toe clockwise and finally switching to the other foot. Should practice regularly 2-3 times a day, each time for 10 minutes.

Or just lie down on the mattress or the floor, slowly raise each leg up high, then lower back to change legs, this measure is very effective to help treat leg swelling for pregnant women. Normal leg swelling in pregnancy usually only involves the legs and sometimes the hands, in these cases, with proper rest, the swelling will subside. However, if a pregnant woman has swollen feet for a long time, even after resting, it still does not subside, even accompanied by symptoms such as headache, visual disturbances, blurred vision, abdominal pain, ... then the situation becomes very dangerous and you must see a doctor as soon as possible. Because swelling is also a sign of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a syndrome of high blood pressure during pregnancy and can become serious if not treated promptly.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for examination and treatment of diseases during pregnancy of pregnant mothers. Especially, when participating in the Maternity Care Package right from the first month of pregnancy, women will be able to fully participate in antenatal check-ups, periodical 3D and 4D ultrasounds and routine tests. regulations to ensure that the mother is always healthy and the fetus develops comprehensively.
Pregnant women will be consulted and checked for health under the close supervision of experienced and specialized Obstetricians, helping mothers have more knowledge to protect their health during pregnancy as well as reduce reduce complications for mother and child.