Swelling in pregnant women necessarily appears, no matter how hard women try to avoid it. Too much stress goes on the kidneys, and all other internal organs. Another thing is in what period puffiness appears and on what parts of the body it is localized. Therefore, in order to avoid complications for her own health and the health of the child, every woman should know what the danger of edema during pregnancy is , in which case it is necessary to sound the alarm, and what needs to be done to ensure that the edema appears as rarely as possible.
When does puffiness appear?
Everything in order. If the future mother does not have any health problems, the woman does not suffer from renal pathologies, cardiovascular diseases, or any other serious pathologies, then edema, as a rule, appears in her in the second half of pregnancy. Nothing terrible or unnatural will happen if the swelling is of a short-term nature and passes quickly.
Usually, pregnant women have swelling of the legs in the ankle area, hands and fingers may swell. If the accumulated fluid in the body manifests itself as swelling in the lower abdomen or on the face, this is less pleasant and safe, but fixable for a healthy woman.
In the morning, such phenomena are less noticeable, since during the night all the liquid has time to be evenly distributed throughout the body. By the evening, the swelling is localized, usually in the ankle area, the skin on the legs becomes smooth and taut.
If edema began to appear at the initial stages, before the 20th week, then this may be an alarming signal about the existence of a latent disease in the body, which has been aggravated due to increased load. In this case, the examination must be completed, since edema during pregnancy is so dangerous that it can serve as a sign of serious pathologies of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system, be associated with varicose veins, etc.
It is necessary to treat such a condition in any case, since the so-called dropsy of pregnant women is considered the first stage of late toxicosis, preeclampsia. And if high pressure and protein in the urine are added to the pronounced symptoms of puffiness, you need to be treated urgently! Gestosis is dangerous in that it has an extremely negative effect on the functions of the placenta, disrupting the uteroplacental blood flow and causing hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the fetus.
Moreover, gestosis can take the degree of preeclampsia , nephropathy of pregnancy or eclampsia. And this is already a real threat to the life of both a woman and an unborn child. With such a development of events, it is too late to think about the danger of edema during pregnancy – hospitalization is required immediately!
How to deal with edema?
Medication for puffiness during pregnancy is used in extreme cases, and then for a short time. As a rule, the doctor recommends the patient to drink diuretic herbal teas. These herbal teas can contain a variety of herbs, such as kidney tea, horsetail, bearberry, or bear ears. It is necessary to take infusions exactly on schedule, 3-4 times a day, 50-70 ml, for 3-4 weeks.
In addition, the doctor observing the pregnancy must prescribe special drugs and vitamins that strengthen the walls of blood vessels. This prevents excess fluid from seeping into body tissues and accumulating there.
But the most important remedy in the fight against edema during pregnancy is diet and competent preventive measures. So, the volume of liquid that a pregnant woman should consume daily is 1-1.5 liters. First courses, juices and berries (watermelon) are also included in this volume. Salty, spicy, fatty foods, carbonated drinks, sweets should be excluded from the diet. Food should ideally be undersalted , and it is recommended to steam it.
An excellent prevention of puffiness is a special gymnastics for pregnant women. The more you move, the better the metabolic processes will be, and, therefore, the fluid will be better excreted from the body.
Contrast showers or cool foot baths can also help relieve swelling. Plus, it is very useful to rest for half an hour several times a day, lying on your back with raised legs.
And finally, do not listen to the advice of your mummies – if swelling torments you all the time, no one better than a doctor will advise you on how to get rid of them!