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Many women experience oedema during pregnancy while others do not. But medical experts assure that there is nothing unusual in a woman’s swelling of the feet and ankles during pregnancy if the tips on how to manage oedema are strictly followed
| By Chinwe Okafor | Jul. 7, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
CHIKA Ibeh, loves to take good care of herself. Even before she was one month pregnant, she had made up her mind not to look unkempt. Her husband was impressed that she was always strong and able to continue perform the house chores as before. Besides, she also read a lot of books and journals on pregnancy as a first time mother-to-be.
Apart from her neat dressing and well-maintained hair, she still did her facials, manicure and pedicure. But as she was approaching her third trimester, she noticed something different in her body system especially around her feet and ankles. She found out, to her discomfiture, that her feet and ankles were swollen. Though she felt slight pains, Ibeh said she was scared that they might be excruciating at times.
She hurriedly went to see her gynaecologist and was told she had oedema. Ibeh was confused because the word didn’t seem familiar to her. She listened as her doctor explained: “Don’t worry young lady, oedema is a swelling that is very common during pregnancy. Thanks that the law of gravity is particularly noticeable in the feet and ankles. It varies most times according to the hour and the weather. During pregnancy, body fluids increase in order to nurture both you and your baby and as your body tissues accumulate and retain fluids, you may experience a swelling, particularly, in the ankles and feet.”
Ibeh said she just wished her legs would return to her normal size but her gynaecologist consoled her when she noticed how she was looking at her feet. She told her that although, it was not comfortable or pretty to look at, it was harmless and perfectly normal except if one was lacking nutrients in the body as it was also normal not to experience any noticeable swelling in some pregnant women.
Ibeh was only one of the numerous women experiencing such noticeable swelling during pregnancy. There are many women who experience even more severe painful swellings during pregnancy. But medical experts have given some tips on how to avert such cases from arising. Obiora Nnamdi, an Abuja-based doctor, said women who experience oedema should avoid long periods of standing or sitting. He said: “If you’re on your feet a lot, take a break and have a seat. If you’re on your butt a lot, take a five-minute stroll at least once in an hour, and try to keep your legs elevated when you’re back in your chair.
“Wear comfy shoes while you’re out because those sexy shoes don’t fit in and once you get home, switch to a pair of soft slippers. Avoid tight elastic-top socks or stockings because your goal is to let blood and fluids flow as freely as possible.” He also added that a support hose should be worn early in the morning before the daily swelling starts so that they can do their job effectively.
Emeka Osuji, another doctor in Lagos, said that oedema could be caused by excess retention of water in the body system especially during pregnancy. He said that during pregnancy, body fluids increase in order to nurture both the mother and her baby and as the body tissues accumulate and retain fluids, one may experience this unnecessary increase and a so annoying swelling of the feet and ankles. He added that swollen feet and ankles could also be attributed to excessive salt in the body.
However, he said that pregnant women should not cut off salt from their meals, but that the excess of it should be avoided. “Pregnant women should always drink water early in the morning. Although it may seem illogical to try to flush out fluids with fluids, but drinking eight to 10 glasses of water in a day will help to rid the body system of excess sodium and other waste products and also minimise swelling,” Osuji said.
He advised that if the face or hands become puffy, or if swelling persists for more than a day at a time, the woman should go to see a doctor in order to be examined properly because excessive oedema can be a sign of preeclampsia, especially when it accompanied by rapid weight gain which is a rise in blood pressure and protein in the urine.
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