Hello!

I am currently 34 weeks pregnant and have been pretty lucky up until now. I have really bad swelling in my legs, feet and ankles and was wondering if anyone had any handy tips to try and minimise this as much as possible? I have tried keeping my feet elevated but this obviously isn’t always possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


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  • Keep fluids up and walk around a bit.


  • best to keep your feet up as much as possible. Or lie on your back (at night) with your feet up the wall


  • Feet elevation was my number one tip :/ Other than that,avoid salt and try and take it easy


  • Elevation is the best but make sure you are moving around enough. When I was stuck in the office I got it pretty bad but was better as soon as I got to walk around. Standing actually helped.


  • Im guessing you have but just in case….Have you been checked by your Doc in regards to the swelling?

    Pretty much there is not much you can do other then put your feet up…make sure they are up higher then your heart and perhaps put a pillow under the mattress at the end of the bed so that at night your feet are higher then your head


  • Compression stockings/socks, elevation, and drinking plenty of water…


  • My doctor put me on a low carbohydrate low salt diet. He advised me to drink plenty of water. I also elevated my feet with pillows in bed. The swelling went down and I continued this until I gave birth. Wishing you the best!


  • My sister had this quite severely in two of her pregnancies & both times was pre-eclampsia so definitely get it checked out. I only ever got it once after walking around a convention the entire day. Rest rest rest & wish you all the best :)


  • I was told a pillow or 2 under ur feet while u aré laying down. Pretty much Wen ur resteinggoutta Have ur feet in line up high with ur chest


  • My Aunty had something similar to this many years ago and it ended up being Toxaemia which is a kidney condition. Get it checked out asap.


  • I had really bad swelling in my first pregnancy too. It turned out to be pre-eclampsia so you may want to just check that out to rule it out with your doctor. I found compression stockings that went above my knee helped when I was at work. They also say to avoid caffeine though I’m not sure if doing that really helped me. Best of luck, not too long to go now!


  • Definitely speak to your midwife or doctor to see if they can identify a cause and appropriate treatment. I found elevating my legs essential but also used compression stockings when I had to be on my feet more than normal. I found some relief soaking my feet in tepid water, especially on hot days but remember your legs are down then. I was lucky to escape total bed rest near the end but I certainly had to dramatically slow down for bubs health and for mine. I wish you all the best.


  • I read magnesium is good for water retention but check with obstetrician first.


  • First ask doctor, it might be something that needs checking. Remove salt from your diet., You will be surprised at the amount of salt that is in processed foods. Drink more water to flush out your kidneys, some ladies require tablets to help with fluid retention. Get plenty of exercise, in a pool is best, it is also very relaxing and when you sit, elevate your legs. You will also benefit to have your feet higher in your bed, do this by using bed raisers or use a wedge pillow under your legs and feet to keep them up.


  • maybe you can get those compression stockings? i think you should talk to your middie or doc first about options. I would also try to have a bath or go swimming more, just to try and eliviate the weight of your body as well.


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