How to relieve swollen feet during pregnancy

　　Five tricks can help pregnant women relieve the discomfort caused by edema

　　Xiaowen, who is more than 8 months pregnant, has been feeling a swollen feeling in her legs recently in the afternoon. The shoes that she used to wear now feel uncomfortable to wear. Colleagues and friends told her that this was Edema during pregnancy , many expectant mothers will experience it. Experts say that about half of pregnant women will experience swollen feet in the third trimester of pregnancy. Generally speaking, edema during pregnancy is a common reaction in late pregnancy. If it is not serious, no special treatment is required, but pathological edema may also occur. If the edema has exceeded the calf area, or the edema still does not disappear the next day after bed rest, it is recommended to go to Hospital examine. In addition, expectant mothers who gain too much weight during pregnancy and whose weight exceeds 500 grams per week should go to the hospital for examination to see if there is sodium and water retention, even if there is no obvious edema.

　　Why does edema occur during pregnancy? Guangdong Province women and children Wen Jiying, chief physician of the obstetrics department of the health hospital, explained that edema during pregnancy is generally related to changes in the body's endocrine system. After pregnancy, the placenta secretes a large amount of estrogen, which promotes the retention of water and salt in the human body, resulting in edema. In addition, by the second and third trimester of pregnancy, the growing number of Uterus It compresses the veins in the pelvis and lower limbs, impeding the return of the inferior vena cava to varying degrees, resulting in edema of the lower limbs.

　　Wen Jiying said that generally speaking, edema during pregnancy is a common reaction in late pregnancy. If the situation is not serious, no special treatment is required. However, if the above-mentioned pathological conditions occur and are not treated in time, it may seriously affect the expectant mother and her health. fetus of healthy , therefore, expectant mothers should observe carefully at ordinary times.

　　For normal swollen feet during pregnancy, how can pregnant women relieve the discomfort caused by edema? Wen Jiying’s tips are as follows:

　　1. Dietary conditioning: 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 products with higher salt content, you should try to eat less or not at all. In addition, edema is also related to malnutrition. Nutritional hypoalbuminemia, anemia Etc., etc. are also a common cause 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.).

　　2. Get adequate rest: In the third trimester of pregnancy, the growing uterus compresses the venous blood vessels, hindering the venous blood returning to the heart to varying degrees, leading to symptoms of edema. Especially if you stand and sit for a long time, the edema of the lower limbs will be more serious. Therefore, pregnant women should pay attention to sit down and rest appropriately if they stand for a long time, and change their posture and move their legs if they sit for a long time.

　　3. Correct lying posture: Sleeping on the left side can avoid compression of the veins of the lower limbs and reduce resistance to blood return. Elevating your legs while lying on your back can accelerate blood return, make it easier for blood to return to the heart, reduce intravenous pressure, and can effectively relieve swollen feet during pregnancy. It can also prevent varicose veins in the lower limbs. disease。

　　4. Walk appropriately: Walking is a very suitable exercise for expectant mothers. The contraction of calf muscles during walking can help venous blood return to the heart smoothly.

　　5. Massage the calves: When sitting and watching TV or chatting after a meal, the expectant father can help the expectant mother pinch the calves and feet to help prevent and eliminate edema.