It's official, I've lost my ankles

[HollyC]

The swelling is here. Need I say more?

I don't even have any long pants that fit anymore, so I can't hide my cankles. It is too hot anyway.

Oh well, it happened a lot earlier in my last pregnancy.

[Shanti]

Oh the swelling is awful!!! I remember that all too well.... I had kankles too.

[HotI]

i am just a ball of fluid, and i hate it. my hands, feet, face...

i will be so relieved when the fluid goes again.

[Kass79]

My feet are swelling, but they are swelling below that funny bone that sticks out under your ankle - its weird! They all puffy and soft! I feel for you.

[Loupy]

I was just going to post about my fluid retention too. My feet are enormous!! It's embarrassing!

Worst though, is my fingers. They are so painful, I can barely move them in the mornings. They're like claws, and some of them lock completely. I've never had anything like this before in my life (first pregnancy, can you tell?). Feels like I imagine arthritis would feel.

Does anyone know how long after the birth this lasts? I'm only 30 weeks and am worried that my fingers won't work when the baby arrives! I can barely pull up my pants in the morning

[Jellymaker]

I have shcoking knuckle pain in the mornings too, it does feel like what I imagine arthritis would be like, by the end of the day they arn't so bad but then seize up again overnight. Luckily haven't had any swelling anywhere yet (knockwood) but i get shocking cramps in my calves a night and i have to leap out of bed and stop myself from screaming. Luckily hubby hasn't woken up to see me doing this or he would freak out and think i was in labour He already jumps when i make the slightest ouchy noise, bless him.

[fourthontheway]

They'll be back

I found that swimming would help them go down. All that fluid is quite painful isn't it.

[HotI]

Worst though, is my fingers. They are so painful, I can barely move them in the mornings. They're like claws, and some of them lock completely. I've never had anything like this before in my life (first pregnancy, can you tell?). Feels like I imagine arthritis would feel.

Are you getting pins and needles? If your thumb and next 2 fingers are the most affected, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome. This caused by swelling in the wrists and it compresses the nerve that goes through to those fingers.

I have found icing my wrists at night can help with the swelling. Also wearing snug bandages from elbow to fingers (i use tubigrip bandage) can help. One more is very light massage, pushing away from the hand up the arm- this helps to move the fluid and lessens the pins and needles/aches for a little while.

Apparently carpal tunnel is pretty common in pregnancy and settles down again after bub is born.

take care,

[HollyC]

I had lots of trouble with my hands last pregnancy due to carpal tunnel issues. It started sometime in the second trimester too. It was so much worse at night time too.

I remember my hands were better very soon after birth. The rest of my swelling went down when my milk came in. I think this was on day 5 or 6.

[SammyRo]

but i get shocking cramps in my calves a night and i have to leap out of bed and stop myself from screaming. Luckily hubby hasn't woken up to see me doing this or he would freak out and think i was in labour He already jumps when i make the slightest ouchy noise, bless him.

I get these cramps too!! And a couple of times DH has woken up in a panic! you'd think he'd remember that the exact same thing happened last time!

I've been noticing my lack of ankles of late! Oh dear. And my fingers are all tingly from being swollen. For me though, the cankles during pg were nothing to what emerged after labour - I found it difficult to wee during labour, and so I think all the fluid went to my feet and ankles instead! They looked like tree trunks luckily, by the time I was discharged 2 days later, they were back to normal!