Edema before childbirth worries most women. Most often, this is due to physiological reasons and does not pose a threat to either the expectant mother or the baby. But sometimes edema can accompany serious pathologies that require urgent treatment. In some cases, even emergency delivery is required.
Physiological edema during pregnancy
At the end of the second - third trimesters, most expectant mothers have edema. Only 20% of women do not experience this problem. The accumulation of fluid in the tissues is commonplace over long periods, but you need to carefully monitor the situation. The volume of amniotic fluid and blood circulating in the mother’s body increases, sodium that holds water is excreted more slowly due to increased production of the hormone progesterone, water-salt metabolism changes, and a change in the hormonal background causes a constant feeling of thirst. This becomes the cause of swelling.
Risk factors and causes of edema
The occurrence of edema before childbirth can be caused by the use of salty foods in large quantities, high ambient temperature, the situation when the third trimester fell on the hot season, excessive physical exertion. Physiological puffiness usually goes away on its own after eliminating the causes that provoked it. This phenomenon does not require treatment. In practice, it turns out that most often low women with increased body weight encounter edema.
Thirty-two weeks are considered a critical period, when the likelihood of developing a serious pregnancy complication increases - gestosis, one of the symptoms of which is the pathological accumulation of fluid in the tissues. Significant edema not only looks unaesthetic, but is also quite dangerous to health. Due to puffiness, oxygen starvation in a child may occur, and the expectant mother herself may suffer from a malfunction of the internal organs.
Swelling of the legs in the third trimester of pregnancy
Most often during pregnancy, there are swelling of the legs. Before childbirth, usually excess fluid is excreted from the body on its own, and swelling disappears, so that the expectant mother can feel a surge of energy and improved well-being. But up to this point, the symptom can be very worrying for a woman. The edema of those who walk a lot or spend a lot of time on their feet is especially worrying. At the same time, familiar shoes become small or very crushing. It is important to choose a pair that will not cause discomfort.
Be sure to abandon high heels, preferring stable shoes. It is advisable to abandon long walks, not stand up for a long time, more often take a horizontal position. Regular foot massage will be useful, at home you need to periodically raise your legs up (you can put a pillow) or stand in a knee-elbow position to facilitate the work of the kidneys and excretory system.
What do swelling of fingers and hands look like?
Hands swollen before childbirth are usually those women who are engaged in needlework, work at a computer or do some kind of monotonous work. You can observe a swelling that disappears over time, traces of jewelry. Stagnant fluid is formed due to uniform movements. Gymnastics for fingers will help to normalize the situation. Also, from the second half of pregnancy, some doctors advise to abandon the rings, so that later there will be no problems in order to remove the jewelry, when necessary.
Swelling of the face and nose in the third trimester
Edema of the face is most easily noticed - the oval of the face is rounded, bags under the eyes appear, a runny nose, which is not associated with a catarrhal disease. The nose may swell due to allergic reactions, which are aggravated during the bearing of the child. Due to breathing problems, the flow of oxygen to the child is disrupted. Edema can be eliminated with the help of special drops, but the doctor should prescribe the medicine, because pregnant women are forbidden to take a number of medications. Most often, everything is limited only by the appearance of bags under the eyes, which is associated with the anatomical features of the eyelids. In this area under the skin is loose fiber, which actively absorbs fluid. You can reduce swelling on the face, following the general recommendations.
What is the danger of edema
If your legs are very swollen before childbirth (in the third trimester of pregnancy), you should definitely consult a doctor as soon as possible, because this may indicate the development of a very serious complication - late toxicosis. Gestosis during pregnancy is practically not treated, but only controlled by doctors. Severe forms threaten premature delivery, the health of mother and baby will improve only after childbirth. Without medical help, a fatal outcome is possible.
This complication is diagnosed in 10-15% of expectant mothers, most often manifested during the first pregnancy. In a second pregnancy, the risk of experiencing late toxicosis is reduced. Risk factors are adverse heredity (if a mother or sisters suffered from gestosis during pregnancy, the risks are higher), the expectant mother is less than 20 and older than 35 years old, has a history of chronic diseases (kidney problems, high blood pressure), overweight, pregnancy with twins or triples.
Pathological edema before childbirth (those that are a manifestation of gestosis) can be determined by three signs: the fluid retention in the tissues, the appearance of protein in the urine, and increased blood pressure. Normally, protein in the urine should be absent, but in the third trimester a small amount is allowed (up to 0.033 g / l). Elevated rates combined with high blood pressure (more than 140 \ 90 units) almost always indicate gestosis.
How to identify hidden edema
Do legs swell before childbirth? As the estimated date of delivery approaches, the edema may subside, but the picture that is not always visible is consistent with the real one. So, fluid retention in tissues may be latent. This is indicated by weight increasing rapidly. If a woman gains more than 300 g per week, the gynecologist can send for the McClure-Aldrich test. During the procedure, the patient is injected sodium chloride under the skin, resulting in a noticeable blister. If the swelling does not appear, then this indicates latent swelling. The diagnosis is also confirmed if the blister passes faster than in an hour.
There are other ways to diagnose latent edema. For example, it is recommended to regularly measure the circumference of the legs. An increase in rates of 1 cm per week or more indicates a complication of pregnancy. A study of daily diuresis, i.e. urine volume, is shown. The amount of urine excreted per day is compared with the amount drunk (you need to take into account water, and other liquids, and soups, and fruits, and vegetables). Normally, 3/4 of the volume of fluid consumed is released per day.
Edema before childbirth and other precursors
Shortly before giving birth, a woman can pay attention to a change in her well-being. The approaching date of the baby’s birth is indicated by the cessation of weight gain or even weight loss by several kilograms (usually a woman loses about 2-3 kg), lowering the abdomen, a decrease in the child’s activity, and the appearance of training contractions. Often, edema subsides before childbirth, because the body itself gets rid of excess fluid. But this is not an exact sign, because every woman has everything individually.
How to deal with edema during pregnancy
If there are swelling before childbirth, what should I do? It is important to normalize nutrition. Smoked meats and fried foods should be excluded from the diet, and meat and vegetables should be boiled, steamed or baked. It is better to refuse sweets and muffins, marinades and spices. Non-fat broths, fruits and vegetables, cereals are very useful. For prevention, it is useful to spend fasting days, but this is allowed only after agreement with the supervisor.
Salt intake should be limited to 1-1.5 g per day. The salt contains sodium, so it retains fluid in the body. It is necessary not only not to salt the food during cooking, but also to abandon herring, chips, pickles, sausages and sausages, canned foods, sauerkraut. Normalizes the water-salt metabolism of fluid intake in sufficient quantities. At least 1.5 liters of pure water should be drunk per day (not including liquid food and vegetables). It is better to drink often, but little by little. Fruit drinks, freshly squeezed juices are useful, but coffee and tea, carbonated drinks should not be carried away.
Moderate locomotor activity will benefit. You can do yoga for pregnant women, attend special classes in the pool, walk in the fresh air. But do not be zealous, because only the load that is metered and uniform is useful. It is not recommended to stand in one place or walk, sit with one leg crossed on the other. It is advisable to do cool foot baths, a light foot massage, while resting, put a pillow under your feet. Swelling of the legs may be accompanied by varicose veins. With such a problem, wearing special compression garments may be recommended.
Prevention of puffiness during pregnancy
The causes of edema before childbirth can be physiological. The load on the body increases, so that excess fluid begins to accumulate in the tissues. Such an unpleasant symptom is encountered by 80% of expectant mothers, but in some cases edema can be avoided. Prevention includes regular physical activity (as much as possible), normalization of the diet, an optimal regime of work and rest, refusal of salt and the use of a sufficient amount of liquid. It is also necessary to regularly take tests and monitor the general condition, so that with pathology in time to seek medical help.