Swollen feet during pregnancy is a common condition. Although not dangerous, swelling of the legs makes some pregnant women feel uncomfortable and interfere with their activities. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with swollen feet during pregnancy properly and safely.
Swollen feet or edema in the legs during pregnancy is often experienced by most pregnant women. Swelling can appear at any time, but this complaint is usually more common as pregnancy enters the second and third trimesters. Swelling can also appear in other parts of the body, such as the face, hands, fingers and breasts.
Factors that cause swollen feet during pregnancy
Swollen feet during pregnancy can occur naturally because a pregnant woman's body produces more blood and body fluids to meet the nutritional needs of the fetus.
In addition, there are several other factors that can also make pregnant women experience swelling in their legs during pregnancy, namely:
- Hormonal changes
- Habit of standing too long
- Excessive activity or exercise
- Hot weather
- A diet low in potassium and high in salt or sodium
- High levels of caffeine consumption
Even though it's normal to occur, swelling during pregnancy that occurs suddenly and is severe, especially if accompanied by other complaints, could be a sign of a more serious pregnancy disorder, including preeclampsia.
Apart from causing swollen feet, preeclampsia can also cause pregnant women to experience headaches that don't get better, blurred vision, upper abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and nausea and vomiting. This condition can also cause high blood pressure during pregnancy.
Not only preeclampsia, swollen feet during pregnancy can sometimes also be caused by certain diseases or medical conditions, such as:
- Varicose veins
- Blood clotting
- Kidney illness
- Heart failure
- Liver disfunction
- Thyroid disease
Various Ways to Overcome Swollen Feet During Pregnancy
Swelling of the legs often makes pregnant women feel uncomfortable and difficult to move. To overcome this, there are several ways that pregnant women can do it easily, namely:
- Prop your feet with pillows when sitting or sleeping to improve blood circulation.
- Sleep lying on your left side.
- Exercise regularly, such as swimming or walking.
- Avoid sitting or standing for too long.
- Avoid physical activity that is too strenuous.
- Wear comfortable shoes when traveling and avoid wearing high heels during pregnancy.
- Drink enough water, which is about 2 liters or 8 glasses of drinking water per day.
- Eat foods high in potassium, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, spinach, nuts and yogurt.
- Limit consumption of caffeinated drinks.
- Reduce the use of salt in cooking.
If the various ways to deal with swollen feet during pregnancy above don't work to overcome the complaints that pregnant women feel, you should consult a doctor to undergo an examination. This is important so that the doctor can determine whether the swollen feet are caused by certain diseases or medical conditions.