Conference moira::parenting_v3

    
    Hi there Wendy!
    
    I'm dying to hear the replies tho this note. Again, I am right behind
    you on yet another topic....  
    
    I have no suggestions for you...but just to let you know youre not 
    alone.  I haven't noticed swelling except for the HOT days, except on
    a couple of occasions when I was on my feet ALL day...(ankles)...but
    with this last week being so hot, it sure has become more prominent!
    I noticed last night when I came home and threw on the shorts, that
    my "calves" were *really* swollen. All I could think of was the cartoon
    character "Popeye"'s arms!  You know what they look like??  My ankles
    were a little puffy, but not too bad... and haven't noticed a big
    change in my hands yet.
    
    Although....they just announced a "brown out" here at work (or course,
    take my last bit of savior from the heat away!) and are cutting down
    the a/c...  its heating up already.  I wouldn't be suprised if I am
    the size of a house by the time the day is over!
    
    I've been CRAVING going in a *pool* so badly lately..... more than any
    food I have craved during this pregnancy...  (but of course we don't
    have one, and don't know anyone well enough that does).
    
    Oh well...it will be interesting to see these replies...
    
    :-)
    
    Chris
    

    Sleeping or lying down on your left side should help a lot. This
    is because the Vena Cava (something like that), a major artery runs
    through the right side of your torso down to your leg. Lying on
    your left side takes the pressure off this artery (vein) and helps
    reduce swelling in the legs/ankles/feet (maybe the upper body too,
    I'm not sure). Incidently the baby gets the most oxygen when you do 
    this as well. 

    Wendy,
      regarding the "evil eye from the old ladies!". When I was pregnant
    with my daughter 3 years ago, I had the same problem.  My wedding
    anniversary was in April and I was due in October.  My husband
    surprised me with a new "larger" wedding band!  Nothing fancy, just a
    plain band. The girl in the jewelery store suggested at least 3 sizes
    larger than my current.  Since I was pregnant in the hottest summer I
    could remember, I grew into it!!! Anyway, I didn't get any more of
    those "evil eyes".
                                    good luck
                                        Cheryl

    I was just thinking to myself this week "I'm sure glad I'm not pregnant
    now".  Dealing with the heat is bad enough normally, but with a souped-up
    metabolism, it feels much worse!  My sympathy to all of you who are
    extra uncomfortable right now!

    For swelling feet - you might try talking to the nurse at your site to
    see if you can lay down on one of the beds for a while a couple times
    a day (maybe you can even get a note from your doctor requesting it?).
    For my second pregnancy, I was working from home, and I would lay down
    for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a day.  I thought it helped a lot,
    especially during the hot weather (Gregor was an end-of-June baby).

    re: wedding ring won't fit
    Happened to me, too.  I got kind of a kick out of it - imagining people
    thinking I was not married when obviously pregnant made me feel a bit
    daring.  Since my husband did continue to wear *his* ring, I suppose
    people could have reached some interesting conclusions.  (Obviously
    it didn't take much to amuse me!)  In fact, I never noticed any evil
    eye business - people seemed to purely react (with great pleasure and
    interest) to the fact that I was pregnant, and never paid any attention
    to minor details like rings.
						cheryl

    My feet and ankles have been swelling for some time now.  It all
    depends on the heat, humity, amount of time on my feet and so on.  When
    they swell too bad I either soak them in cool water or jump in the pool
    for about 15 minutes.  Sometimes this helps sometimes it doesn't. 
    
    Other suggestions I remember from my first pregnancy are to keep feet up 
    on a box under my desk during the day, drink plenty of fluids, moderate
    exercise (walk for about 15 minutes in comfortable shoes).  All these
    suggestions helped me.  Otherwise just accept the no ankles, chubby
    fingers look.
    
    I stopped wearing my rings with my first at approximately 7 months
    and my fingers are just starting to puff again.  I kinda got a kick out
    of the evil "your not married" look.  I can't believe that people would
    not understand a pregnant women not wearing a ring. 
    
    Angie.....

    RE: 
    
    My wife had a severe problem with swelling.  She ended up leaving work
    because of it (she is a Special Ed teacher).  The "cure" was to elevate
    the legs as much as possible.
    
    Good luck,
    Dan

    Also, cut as much salt out of your diet as possible.  And remember to
    check ingredients lists for sodium content!  Some things that you would
    never guess would have alot of sodium do!!  My swelling was always
    worse when I had eaten something salty.  
    
    I also had a garbage can turned upside down under my desk to elevate 
    my feet, and a fan!

    
    re .last
    
    I was reading in the book, Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth,
    and it said that although salt can contribute to water gain, it can
    make the problem worse if you eliminate it.  For some reason
    people who consume little or no salt have a higher risk of developing
    complications from too much water gain and gain more water than
    someone who consumes a moderate amount.  The key to helping water 
    gain is to drink LOTS of it. 
    
    Has anyone else ever heard of this theory?  I figured I'd ask my
    doctor...I'm already noticing swelling in my feet and hands and
    I'm almost 4 months.....(maybe it's the Georgia heat!)
      
    Kristen

During our childbirth classes (10 years ago), the basic rule we were given
was "salt to taste".  The pregnant woman has to have a greater total fluid
volume, and getting enough salt is part of making the whole system balance.

Back one or two generations of PARENTING ago, I posted the text of a lengthy
article which argued the position that a salt-restricted diet can interfere
badly with this system, actually causing many of the problems that it was
intended to prevent.

	-Neil

    re 8:
    
    If I do not drink over 8 glass of water a day or more I notice that I
    will swell more.  This is especially true on hot day.  I first thought
    it was my imagination but I really can tell the difference when I don't
    drink lots of water.  
    
    I mentioned this to my docter and she agreed that it is important to 
    drink lots of fluids.
    
    Angie

    As you may recall I made it to 33 weeks last year, and I did not have 
    any swelling at all.
    However, last week (at 31 weeks) I started getting tingling on the 
    soles of my feet (rather like having walked 10 miles in rough woolen
    socks). Now, its been confirmed by minor ankle swelling AND tight rings
    that I am suffering from water retention (darn!)
    However, the greatest discomfort is NOT the swelling itself but this
    tingling in my palms and soles; like a sunburn on them. I'm starting
    to walk around the house barefoot (which is a little bizarre seeing as
    it is still a good -10C outdoors here) and putting my palms up against
    the windows to feel the cold. 
    I can't grab pot handles or hold anything warm without feeling burning.
    
    Has anyone else had this effect from swelling? Any possible solutions?
    My buddy at work wants me to hold my hands in the air -- but I told
    her this makes keyboard work awkward 8-) 8-) 
    I drink a lot of water and other beverages, and try not to walk around
    too much, but there seems to be no correlation for the palm problem.,,
    
    Monica
    

I had carpel tunnel in my hands for several weeks at the end of my pregnancy.
My fingers would tingle and sometimes they would hurt and other times they
would feel numb.  Typing was not a problem, but writing with a pen was.
All of the things I had planned to do while waiting for the baby to arrive
I couldn't do, because they required using my hands in ways that I could
no longer handle.

I saw a specialist about my problem.  He said that it was caused by swelling
in my wrist, pressing on a nerve.  He also said that it normally goes away
after the pregnancy, but occasionally needs surgery to correct.  Mine
went away a few weeks after the birth (I had hoped it would go away *right*
after the birth, but alas...).  :-}

        Carol

    
    I also got Carpal Tunnel as a result of the swelling and it too made my
    hands "sting" and "tingle". I ended up wearing braces on both of my
    wrists (this while being in a full leg brace), people would ask me what
    had happened to me (expecting that my reply would be something to the
    effect of a train wreck) and my answer would be "I got pregnant".
    
    It took a long time for my hands to get better and even now (6 months
    later) I can not open jars or do fine things like needlepoint. I don't
    know if they will always be this way or not. Sooner or later I will see
    a physician about it, but it will probably be later than sooner.
    
    			Wendy

    
    hmmm... not encouraging news, Carol and Wendy!
    For the moment I rather like to think that because this same sort of
    feeling is in my feet that its not Carpal Tunnel in my case. 
    Doc's over-the-phone suggestion is more rest, but I am seeing her
    again on Wednesday....
    
    Monica 

    Ditto on Carol's repsonse! 
    
    Mine started out at about 4 months with the swelling.  Most of the time
    I had the tingling in my hands along with numbness.  Anytime I raised
    my hands above my heart level they would fall asleep, so I would drop
    them down by my side and the feeling would slowly return.
    
    Now the tingling isn't as much, but new symptoms are setting in.  I now
    wake up at night (the normal 4-6 times!) and my hands feel like they 
    have severe arthritis, no tingling, more stiffness and pain when I try
    to move them.  I flex the fingers and after a few minutes the stiffness
    starts to diminish.
    
    My doctor said it should hopefully all disappear a couple weeks after
    delivery.  I figure this is just another wonderful souvenir of
    pregnancy!
    
    ..Lori

I also had a lot of swelling due to water rentention in my first pregnancy.  In
my second, I had less because I followed the doctor's advice :-)

First, I cut out all salt.  I ADORE salt.  This was probably the hardest part
to my pregnancy.  NExt I cut out almost all salty foods, including cheese and
processed meats (these are basically the mainstay of our evening meal).

I tried a salt substitute but it was awful- tasted like eating metal.  In the 
end, I just added extra spices, particularly pepper, to my food.

Fresh cheese was ok (like cottage cheese or what I would eat here which is
called fromage blanc) because it is not normally salted.

The doctor also mentioned that he could give me a medication in the first 
pregnancy which would reduce the swelling but since it was so near to the end,
he felt it better to wait.

Maybe it will help a bit?

    
    Yes, Cheryl, its tough to get rid of salt - I too adore a good slice
    of cold cuts or cheese on my roll, but I've been trying to have 
    egg or tuna or cooked chicken on my rolls at lunch these days. I've
    really sort of given up paying attention to strict dietary
    restrictions, mostly because its becoming a complicated dance to
    avoid those things that might affect me:
    
    - avoid migraine causing foods (cherries, wine, chocolate, nitrates,
      old cheeses, donuts, and a host of others) I CAN consume these
      if I am feeling okay, but there is always a risk.
    
    - avoid gallbladder attack foods (rich and/or spicy foods), seems to
      affect me more when I have the spicy stuff
    
    - avoid congestion causing foods (again, creamy stuff), as long as I
      have something more acidic soon after its not so bad, but if I have
      any milk products too close to bedtime I'll usually cough and choke
      for some time before I get to sleep.
    
    - avoid heartburn foods (which is in direct opposition to the above) 
      acidic foods that cut the phlegm usually give me outrageous heart
      burn.
    
    - And now, avoid water retention foods (anything with salt) Its a salty
      world we live in and this is difficult to avoid. We do not add a 
      lot of salt at all to our cooking, but most processed and canned 
      goods have it so its tough.
    
    All in all I could probably obey all these restrictions (along with
    the general pregnant person's guidelines), but it would be a boring
    eight weeks if all I had left to eat was porridge!!!
    
    So, in the end I've just decided to not overdo it on any one thing
    and hope for the best (I think I am starting to drive my doc around
    the bend!)
    
    Monica
    
    

    There are some foods that have a diuretic effect (cantalope comes
    to mind) -- perhaps add those to your diet. This was recommended by
    my midwife.
    
    Lucy

    What other foods/herbs have a diuretic effect?

    
    A teaspoon of cider vinegar in a glass of water has tremendous dieretic
    effects. (it's also a fairly pleasant drink in the summertime).
    
    				Wendy
    
    				

	Watermelon