How to Relieve Increased Swelling in Feet/ankles at 33 Weeks of Pregnancy

In addition to keeping your feet elevated - higher than your heart is optimal - start drinking green tea and eat broccoli. These are natural diuretics that will aid in releasing water.

I hope I can be of help....
I have had 2 kids, and during both of them, I stayed in the pool teaching swim lessons and doing water aerobics. I had minimal swelling and when my ankles did swell (as they all will during your last 2 momths), the pool decreased the swelling back to almost normal in 2 hours of being in the pool. Let me explain how this works: when the baby shifts during the last 2 months, s/he presses down on the main veins in your legs. Water, blood and the like can't move, so your legs (ankles) swell. Gravity takes it to the lowest point, so that means your feet. By being in a pool, the weightlessness you feel also affects your baby by lifting up on what s/he is pushing down on. This allows your fluids to move and the swelling to decrease. With both of my boys I never changed a shoe size and the swelling was completely manageable. The last week of both of my pregnancies I couldn't get in the pool (plug) and I don't even want to know how much pain you are in because I couldn't stand that one week that I couldn't get in the water. You don't even have to do anything. Just find a pool and walk around in it -- you need to make yourself and the baby weightless to relieve the swelling. Just soaking your feet DOES NOT help. Please see this (and there are PLENTY more) website for more information. You can always contact me if you need ideas on places to go. I will help you if I can. Good Luck!!

http://www.pregnancytoday.com/articles/healthy-safe-pregn...

Biggest advice...get into a pool! I don't know where you live but if you can get into a community pool, Lifetime, Beverly Hills Club (they have a prenatal water mom's class and you don't have to be a member), etc. you will feel a lot better. The water will help take the pressure of your body and you will be able to move around without feeling so much pain. I loved it with my first son b/c I felt like my body was super light and back to my pre-preggo days. Seriously, give it a try! I know that Troy's community center has a prenatal class to but I'm not sure about the date/time.

Good Luck!

the only thing that worked for me was to stack pillows under my feet and keep them elevated.

Keep the elevated and stay off them as much as you can. Unless you have a massage therapist as a friend, then you can't really do much safely without causing an issue.
Talk to the OBGyn as there could be an underlying issue.

For me, I measured mine, called the doctors and I had to go on bed rest, but I suffered migraines and it was also due to the stressful work environment I was in.

Hi S.,

Swelling in the feet and ankles is common in pregnant women. Hormonal factors can cause your veins to dilate, which brings more blood to your feet. Once the baby is large enough, it can put pressure on the major veins in your lower abdomen, which slows blood return to your heart. The blood just hangs out in your lower legs (especially if you stand or sit without elevating your feet for any length of time, compliments of gravity) and throws off your fluid balance, which is why you swell. Watching your fluids and sodium can help, but ultimately it's not going to make the swelling go away. Walking is a good thing, elevation can help, but I think birth is going to be your solution :) I'm going to school right now for Vascular ultrasound, so we've actually covered some of this in class. Hope it helps!

A.

Try to stay away from salt (which you said you are), eat lots of cucumbers (organic of course) and be sure to call your OB/GYN and you might want to insist on being seen just to be on the safe side. Everyone has given you a lot of good natural ideas. I had to be put in the hospital with my first pregnancy and I lost 20 pounds of water weight over night, I had toxemia (sp?) but everyone seems to have swelling someplace during pregnancy. Stress can really mess up our health so try to relax as much and often as you can. Sounds like you are doing everything right. Hang in there it will be over soon.
K.

Hang in there - you're in the home stretch! During my first pregnancy, I had horrible swelling all over. I actually lost 30 pounds in the first week following my daughter's birth because it was all water weight (well, 10 lbs of it was the baby, placenta, etc, but the rest was all water)! As they say, "this too shall pass". Like others have said, just try to stay off your feet as much as possible and keep them elevated above your heart when you can. I work at a desk so this was not possible during the day but I WAS able to put them up under my desk and even that little bit helped slightly.

I would still talk to your doctor about it to make sure there is no underlying issues but this isn't that uncommon... Especially since your blood pressure has been normal,e tc.

Hang in there :)

relaxation a massage and you need to elevate your legs and feet as much as you can when you sit put your feet up

It sounds really icky, but try taking a "shot" of apple cider vinegar. It is a natural diuretic.

Unfortunately, my swelling stayed until a couple weeks after I gave birth. Drinking water, soaking my feet in warm (not hot) Epsom salt water, and keeping them elevated (I stayed in my hubby's lazy boy chair) did help some but it did not take the swelling all the way down. Hang in there and best wishes!

I don't know that there is much more that you can do other than what you are already doing. I swelled up and my toes looked like sausages! I just elevated them when I could. I also had to buy bigger shoes!

Be aware that if you are still swollen up ( I was huge) when you deliver that it will not go down right away and may even get worse. Mine did, so i couldn't even get into the bigger shoes I had bought. It did eventually and I guess it is normal for it to get worse, but it surprised me.

As long as everything else if fine I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep doing what you are doing. Good luck!

Hi S., Just being off your feet is not enough. You should sit in a recliner, or prop you legs up with pillows on the couch. The rule of thumb is to have the "toes above the nose". This allows the fluid to drain away from the feet. Good luck and congrats!

Unfortunately, nothing helped me either. I ended up having to take heavy diuretics after birth to reduce the swelling. It sounds like you're doing all the right things so just try to make yourself as comfortable as possible until your little one arrives.

Double check with your OB, but I would find a good pair of compression socks/hose. I hated the idea but I was more comfortable and I ended up needing them for a short time afterward anyway. Also, I don't know your age, but that can sometimes play a part in how much one swells.