Swelling

[MelissaPC]

I am a few days short of being 8 months pregnant, and I've just started to notice some slight swelling. I saw my doctor yesterday, and although my blood pressure is up a little, he doesn't seem to think that it is preeclampsia. Are there any exercises that will help with the swelling? It's really not that bad; my rings & shoes still fit, it's just aggravating.
Thanks,
Melissa

 

[FitMom]

Hi Melissa,

I don't think there are any exercises to help but I could be wrong. Drink TONS of water though and stay away from processed and high sodium foods. I have a tendency to swell during the last month of pregnancy though. There's not a dog gone thing I can do about it either! As if I don't have enough body image troubles either, my legs swell up like you wouldn't believe. Of course, bed rest is not helping this either.

Good luck! You're in the home stretch now

http://allisalley.freeservers.com/allisig1-2.jpg
Mommy to Zachary, Jillian and Baby Katie due February 24, 2002
18 days to go!​

 

[tchersue]

Try taking your hands over your head and shaking them vigorously. It helps some with swelling in your hands/fingers. I was one of Sheila's prenatal students before I became an instructor, and she always included these types of movements into her aerobics routines -- and so now that I teach my own prenatal class, I do too!

I've also used this same technique for PMS swelling or the morning after I've eaten pizza or Chinese/Japanese food wiht soy sauce when I'm not pregnant and I find that my fingers are slightly swollen.

Hey -- one thing no one told me before the birth of my son -- you may have swelling for several weeks AFTER you give birth. Although I didn't have much swelling at all during my pregnancy, my ankles got huge and I couldn't wear my rings for two weeks after my son was born. My OB assured me that this was normal... it really freaked me out, though!
Susan