Causes of edema, or what is also known as swollen feet during pregnancy and how to deal with it easily at home
During pregnancy, experiencing swollen feet is a common condition and is often experienced by most pregnant women. This swelling often occurs in the feet and hands due to the large amount of fluid in the body.
Although not dangerous, swelling of the legs makes some pregnant women feel uncomfortable and disrupt their activities. This swelling can occur at any time, but this complaint is more common when pregnancy enters the second and third trimesters.
Factors Causing Swollen Feet During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the body produces about 50% additional blood and fluids to meet the needs of the developing fetus.
Although it can sometimes occur in the hands, swelling generally only affects the feet and ankles. These fluids tend to pool in the lower body.
There are several other factors that can make pregnant women experience swelling in the legs during pregnancy, including:
- Hormonal changes
- The habit of standing for too long can put pressure on the blood flow in the legs
- Excessive activity or exercise
- Hot weather
- A diet low in potassium and high in salt or sodium
- High levels of caffeine consumption and put pressure on the blood vessels
In addition, the uterus, which continues to grow during pregnancy, puts pressure on the pelvic veins (a vein in the pelvis) and the vena cava (a large blood vessel on the right side of the body that carries blood from the organs to the heart).
This pressure slows the flow of blood from the legs to the heart so that blood accumulates and presses fluid from the veins to the tissues in the legs. This fluid buildup causes swelling in the legs. Usually this condition gets worse with increasing gestational age.
Even though it’s normal to occur, swelling during pregnancy that occurs suddenly and is severe, accompanied by other complaints, could be a sign of a more serious pregnancy disorder, including preeclampsia.
Apart from causing swelling in the legs, preeclampsia can also cause pregnant women to experience headaches that don’t go away, blurred vision, upper abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and nausea and vomiting. This condition can also cause high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Not only preeclampsia, swelling of the legs during pregnancy can also be caused by certain diseases or medical conditions, such as:
- Varicose veins
- Blood clotting
- Kidney illness
- Heart failure
- Liver disfunction
- Thyroid disease
How to Overcome Swollen Feet During Pregnancy
Experiencing swelling of the legs during pregnancy certainly makes it uncomfortable and difficult to do activities, Ma. There is no specific medicine to treat swollen feet during pregnancy. But there are several ways that can be done easily, you know, to overcome them, also reduce the effects of swelling in the legs.
1. Adjusting Diet
Swelling of the fingers and toes can get worse if pregnant women lack potassium intake, often eat foods high in salt, and consume caffeine. Therefore, a healthy diet for pregnant women must be adjusted by:
- Increase your intake of potassium from bananas, melons, oranges, dried fruits, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes and nuts.
- Increase consumption of natural foods and limit processed foods that are high in salt.
- Limiting caffeine intake.
- Consuming natural diuretic foods (triggering the release of body fluids) such as ginger and celery.
2. Keeping Your Body Hydrated
Drinking lots of water helps with swollen hands and feet during pregnancy. This is because water is able to attract excess fluid that has accumulated in the body, then excretes it with urine.
3. Sleep Facing Left
Sleeping on your left side will reduce pressure on the inferior vena cava. These vessels function to drain blood containing carbon monoxide from the lower body towards the heart. Lying to the left during pregnancy can also reduce the burden on the stomach.
4. Using a Warm Compress
Warm compresses are very useful for dealing with swollen fingers and toes during pregnancy. The heat from the compress will promote blood circulation around the compressed area. That way the blood flow to the heart becomes smoother.
In addition, there are also several other ways to prevent swelling of the legs during pregnancy such as:
- Avoid folding your legs while sitting
- Try walking or standing for a while when you’ve been sitting too much to improve blood circulation
- Wear comfortable shoes and don’t wear socks that are too tight
- Drink lots of water
- Reduce or limit foods that contain too much salt
- Regular exercise, especially walking and swimming
If the various methods above do not work to overcome the complaints that you feel, you should consult a doctor for an examination. This is important to do to be able to determine whether the swollen feetduring pregnancy are caused by certain diseases or medical conditions.
Is it Dangerous Swelling Feet During Pregnancy?
After giving birth, swelling in the legs will disappear quickly depending on the body’s ability to reduce excess fluid. Pregnant women will urinate more often and sweat a lot in the first days after giving birth. This is the body’s way of removing these fluids.
Some serious problems need to be watched out for if accompanied by disease when experiencing swollen feet during pregnancy, such as:
- Problems with the heart (characterized by chest pain and difficulty breathing).
- Swollen feet hurt (a sign of a blockage of blood flow in the leg)
- Preeclampsia (accompanied by headaches and blurred vision)
Swelling of the feet is not a serious problem, but if it is not treated properly, it can occur in other parts of the body. Therefore, pregnant women must really pay attention to their daily habits to prevent swelling of the feet.
