Should I be worried about the swelling in my legs, face, and hands?

For the past weeks, I've been gaining excessive amount of weight every visit at the doctor. Well, I'm usually a petite person who weighted 105-110lbs prepregnancy. And now, I've reached 165lbs. Oh my gosh... I can't understand what's happened to me. For one thing I noticed is that I've been having trouble walking because my hips hurt (not a lot, but I can feel the pain). My maternity clothes seem to be getting tight... I'm not eating that excessive (an average of 3 meals a day). Then when I started going to my doctor for my checkup, there's a huge jump in my weight gain. For instance, 5kg in 2 weeks. WOW!!!

And now, as I get closer to my due date, I also realized there's pain when I try to get up from a bending position. It almost feels like that there's a bulge in between my legs that's about to pop. (sorry for TMI) --- I mentioned to my doctor but she doesn't seem to be alarmed. I worry about it because I have really bad swelling now on my lower legs... I could hardly even fit my feet into a pair of slippers due to the water retention. Also, I've been having trouble getting in/out of my bed because of the swelling.

Does it sound normal? Oh, one other thing I should mention is that last week, my urine showed protein so I had to do an urinalysis because my doctor wanted to make sure everything was okay... well, the test turned out to be okay. Thank God for that otherwise I had to go back to the hospital and get some blood tests done... Did anyone get this type of swelling too?

Carmen,

I would go to your hospital/dr asap to get checked for pre eclampsia. Sudden swelling can definitely be a sign of this especially when combined with protein in your urine.

As far as the weight gain and discomfort probably just a normal pregnancy thing but always ask questions etc until u feel comfortable and get a 2nd opinion on things if u don't feel right about it

Definitely get checked again! How long has it been since you saw your doctor? Has there been a rise in your blood pressure? Have you got a constant headache or upper abdominal pain?
The swelling of your face and hands is much more concerning than your lower legs; that is very common. And joint pain is common with water retention as it puts lots of pressure on the joints.
Even without protein in my urine I was put on twice weekly blood tests and ctg's with my first pregnancy based on high bp and sudden weight gain due to water retention. It did turn into preeclampsia eventually, which they caught early because I was being monitored so closely. Even when it did there were no other external symptoms that I would have been concerned about. Don't just leave it because your doctor didn't seem concerned. If YOU are concerned get a second opinion, even if it is just down to the pharmacy to get a bp check.

I just got my bp checked by a friend of mine who's a nurse. It was 110/50 and this is my normal blood pressure. The swelling is more noticeable on my lower legs because I was unable to fit into my house slippers. As for my face and hands, it's not so bad. Well, others could notice the swelling too, but it's not as bad as my legs.

My last visit at the doctor was Thursday, so 4 days ago and am due for another visit this coming Thursday. So far, no abdominal pain and no blurred vision. Had a bit of headache earlier this morning due to lack of sleep from last night (at this stage of pregnancy, I've been having trouble to get some good night sleep since I'm so consciencious of not sleeping on my back). The one thing I feel at the moment is a little nauseous...

My friend will monitor my blood pressure over the few days till my doctor's visit comes. If my blood pressure is okay, is it safe to wait till Thursday to see the doctor?

I believe so. My bp has been fine this pregnancy so my ob hasn't wanted urine checks or anything. Even when I was getting headaches for a couple of weeks he wasn't worried as my bp was still normal.
I am pleased that it appears to just be swelling! There is enough to worry about when you are pregnant without complications. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Keep an eye on your bp though.

I called my nurse this morning and explained to her what happened last night. My headache did go away last night but it was when I fell asleep which I can't recall what time. This morning, I noticed my face and hands are more swollen than usual and my hands have been having tingling sensation the whole night. I woke up feeling okay but now started to get a headache again. So, I will be going into the caseroom to check if everything is okay. Crossing my fingers that I don't have to hospitalized since DD#1 will miss me... I am a little scared at the moment... will keep you all updated!

Hope all turns out to be fine but I think getting checked is the best option..always better safe than sorry

I really hope it turns out to be nothing, but definitely better to be safe than sorry. At least at this point in your pregnancy bub is 'ready' if they decide they need to come out straight away.

Hope everything is ok, Carmen.

Yay, I'm home... Today has been a long, tiring day but at least knowing that my baby is fine is definitely worth running a trip to the hospital.

I went in around 10am and left the hospital at around 2pm. They kept me on a monitor for 2 hours because they wanted me make sure things are okay. At first, the nurse was worried that my baby wasn't doing much movements so she gave me some apple juice and was hoping to catch some movements. We heard the heart beat at a continuous rate of 140s-150s. Then, the monitor also picked up some of my contractions. When my nurse looked at the swelling in my legs, face, and hands, she paged my doctor.

The doctor came in 20 minutes later. By then, the baby was showing some increased movements. The baby was probably sleeping when the nurse put the monitor on. I was advised by my doctor to return to caseroom if I should get increased headache when not possibly relieved by acetaminophen or blurred vision. As for now, I am told to take it easy and have my blood pressure monitored daily just to make sure things are going accordingly.

I have to admit that I feel more at ease now even though after a tiring day of running around. Hopefully the baby will decide to show up sooner than my full 40 weeks...

Glad to hear that you're ok and bubs is fine. I hope the swelling stays under control for you and that your BP behaves. Hopefully little one isn't far away!

hi, I just wanted to let you know I had exactly the same thing going on late last year in the last few weeks of my pgcy.
from about 34wks onwards, my belly, arms,legs,hands and face ( I had mick jagger lips!!) just ballooned!
i was measuring 42wks at 34wks (around the belly) i ended up being monitored for 5 hrs on a ctg (baby was fine) blood pressure was fine and trace protein in urine.
I had to have my blood pressure taken every week by the gp inbetween hospital visits.
I was on strict orders to take myself to emergency if visiopn was blurry or increasing headache.
by 39wks, I had no ankles or knees, just treestumps! big pouches of fluid under my eyes and fish lips. i also couldnt make a fist due to my fingers being like sausages, also the only shoes I had to wear were a size 11 mens pair of crocs, (i am usually a size 8!!)
anyway, everything was all normal, my baby was fine, i understand your worry though, everything I had pointed to pre eclampsia but it never eventuated.
hope you dont end up as big as I was, I put on over 30kg (I am sure it was all fluid!!)
and I hope you have an uneventful rest of your pregnancy. xxx

Thank you everyone for your concerns. I think most of my weight gain is also due to the fluid. This morning, I woke up larger than yesterday. Well, I'm 37w1d now but am sure hoping that the baby will decide to show before my full 40 weeks.

This morning, I could barely make a fist with my hand as my fingers look like sausages. I have a hard time opening anything because my fingers just swell up so nicely! I'm hoping that the swelling will just stop. I have to say that I am glad I haven't had any blurred vision since day before yesterday. It does feel worrisome when these symptoms assimilate to preeclampsia.

These last weeks seem to take its time... I feel so tired now. DH starts to think I'm a complainer now (I usually don't talk about any discomfort)... Everyday, he's been hearing me complaining how I can't get on the bed and out of bed without any discomfort. Then of course, my hands have tingling sensations so I wake up every 2 hours during hours of sleep.... SIGH... crossing my fingers that things will move smoothly for me because my first pregnancy went so smoothly!

Hi Carmen
In my first pregnancy I had a similar experience to you. I had high BP the whole 3rd trimester, with occasional protein in my urine, but had HUGE feet and hands and my face swelled up like a puffer fish! That was when I went into hospital overnight - just to be monitored. I ended up being diagnosed with PE, which surprisingly didn't worry me at all because I knew I could do nothing about it except rest (yeah right!) Chloe came at 37 weeks, due in part to the PE but also some other things, but everything turned out fine.

This pg is completely different, although I have the same trouble with my hips that you do, and the pain between the legs. Mine is due to an unstable pubic symphisis, and is very common in pregnancy. I have been seeing a physio for it and it is really helping. Try not to worry about the swelling thing though. As long as you are having checkups and being monitored, there's not much else you can do. I also found during my first PG I went from a size 5 1/2 shoe to a 6 1/2, then after dd was born back to a 6, and now nearly the end of this pg I am a 7 1/2!!!

Oh, how I wish that my baby will decide to show NOW! I am beginning to think that I might have an unstable pubic symphysis because of the added weight my hips are not taking in very well. It hurts even when I try to sit or the moment I move my hips. I don't remember feeling this way last pregnancy. It hurts more even DH and I DTD... It was DH's birthday yesterday and we DTD and boy, I was in a lot of discomfort even though he was being extra cautious.

Will my swelling stop because it doesn't seem like it can collect any more fluid. My skin is so swelled up and it looks like it's going to explode any time. I can't even make a fist with my hands and when I have to bend down, my feet feel horribly painful! Sorry for those who have to hear me vent but I feel a bit down with all the discomforts I am getting at this point. I'm so tired and am just hoping that it will end soon...

Has your carer suggested anythig to helpw it the oedema?
What about accupuncture or something like that?

No, my doctor only said that I will have to put up with the oedema... I have asked her many times if I could do something about it but all she said was to wait it out. She suggested me not to do acupuncture though... so, at the moment, I am stuck and have no where to turn to besides seeing the swelling go on everyday!:wall:

I'm not sure why she would suggest not to do acupuncture?? It can help.

Interesting that she'd tell you not to have accupuncture... did she give you a reason?
Massage can help with oedema. There are massage therapists who specialise in lymphatic drainage, however even your DH can possibly give you a little relief with some massage.
He will need to use light, stroking movements - pressing too hard will not be good for you (and will be uncomfortable anyway). The stroking movements should be made in the direction towards your heart (i.e. if he is working on your legs, he needs to stroke upwards towards your torso; if he's working on your arms, upwards towards your shoulders.)

At a guess, if she hasnt had much to do with accupuncture then Id say shes worried about the accupucturist doign the wrong points and putting you in to labour. Some specialise in pregnancy so knwo which points to use and which to leave alone.

I have also been told acupuncture is very good for water retention. It definitely seems odd that your ob would be against it.
I wouldn't have thought that inducing labour was a bad thing for you at this point even if the acupuncturist could manage it. Mine has assured me that unless the baby is ready to come then acupuncture won't change that, it just relaxes you and encourages the body to do its thing.
Swimming/ soaking in the bath can help relieve the swelling. Massage is good. Are you somewhere cool enough to wear stockings all day? I was swollen in Brisbane in summer so never tried it, but putting on pressure stockings before you get out of bed in the morning is supposed to really help with legs. Don't suppose it would do anything for your face though. :lol:

big hugs to you hun, I feel your pain.....it wasnt that long ago for me.....on the upside, after you have the baby, everyone will be amazed at how quickly you lose your "babyweight!"
keep moisturising, at that point in my pregnancy, i just couldnt be stuffed and now as a result I have stretch marks on my ankles, back of knees, thighs, feet, under my arms....its unbelieveable!
massage is good, but I found it too painfull, when my feet got really bad, I tried the alternating hot and cold water was good, ice water in one bucket and warm water in another, just pop them in one for a few minutes, then the other one.
everyone says to stay off your feet and elevate them as much as possible, it helps, but sometimes its just not feasible.
I was recommended accupuncture by the midwives at hospital, and to drink celery and carrott juice, but I never did get around to it.
I hope you find something that gives you a bit of relief.
xx

My doctor thinks that it's best I don't do anything regarding the swelling because she said it's a normal part of the pregnancy. She mentioned that acupuncture could be helpful to some but not to all... so she suggested that since I don't have too much longer to go, I should just patiently wait it out (easier said than done)! LOL

I have tried massage a couple of weeks ago... unfortunately, I am one of those which massage has made it much worst. It was just gentle strokes and the very next day after the massage, my ankle swelled up so bad I had to put ice on them. I spoke with
my doctor regarding this and apparently the massage has promoted my circulation thus increasing more fluid retention. Am I just one of those odd ones! Now, my edema has gotten to a point where I could put a little pressure to that spot, and it'll stay "dented" for a minute before returning to its puffiness.

I have also bought stockings and wore them. And guess what, it didn't do anything either. Well, I guess I am one of the odd ones AGAIN! At least I know that my blood pressure is not elevated which means I am not close to getting preeclampsia. I am thankful for that. So maybe at this point, I should just try to "enjoy" the pregnancy symptom of the last weeks!

hiya carmen, how are you today?
the "pitting odema" is just lovely isnt it??!! press your fingers in and the marks just dont go away!!;)
after I had my baby (c section) I was given the hospital strength support stockings to wear 24/7 while in hospital and to go home with, I think after a bout 2 weeks I was almost back to normal.....I was like you too, massage just made things worse, I was also wearing those "flight socks" but they didnt do anything for my swelling either.
hey, we are just "special!!" :lol:
xx

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hiya carmen, how are you today?
the "pitting odema" is just lovely isnt it??!! press your fingers in and the marks just dont go away!!;)
after I had my baby (c section) I was given the hospital strength support stockings to wear 24/7 while in hospital and to go home with, I think after a bout 2 weeks I was almost back to normal.....I was like you too, massage just made things worse, I was also wearing those "flight socks" but they didnt do anything for my swelling either.
hey, we are just "special!!" :lol:
xx

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Yay, I am not the only one! At least we are two now with the same issue. Don't we just feel special. DD has been having fun with my pitting edema... she is amazed how come my feet would have the dents after she put her fingers in. LOL
I am praying for the baby to show soon. Today I've started to get some low backache (similar to what I experienced when I had my first a day before my delivery). Also, I am still retaining more fluid. Yay, that means I'll probably be walking like a whale by the time I am ready to go to the hospital. Wouldn't that be a sight!
I have a feeling that the baby might decide to show up before my full 40 weeks. Crossing my fingers for that and hoping that I could finally feel lighter after the delivery. Did your doctor give you a diuretic for your fluid retention or did it just go away after 2 weeks from your delivery? You know what I am tempted to do... put a needle in and expel the fluid out of my feet... I bet it would feel great but at the same time, I'll most likely end up with other complication... but just the thought of it give me heads up! I stopped wearing the stockings because it just doesn't do anything so instead of making me itch all the time, I'll just leave it alone... that way, at least I don't scratch every other minute for people to think I have some skin problems!

I hope for your sake your bubba makes an early show!
I ended up being induced at 40wks exactly, due to my bp doing crazy things, up and dawn and allround......I could barely walk by then, I was also in pre labour for 2 weeks before that.
do you find the shower makes it worse? lying in bed at night would marginally improve things, only for me to get up and shower and hello balloon feet! pfft forget about sleep!!
thats a b it hard to do with restless legs, indigestion, crazy itchiness from the swelling and contractions every 10 mins.....
sorry, im still a bit peeved about all that!!:lol:
I think I said before that the bath was good, as long as my feet were up out the water on the edge.
I feel for you, hey if im up feeding i will have a look and see if youre here, looks like u were up early this morning.....
have a happy easter, as hard as it is, try to enjoy this last little bit, theres not too long to go!!
xxx

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I hope for your sake your bubba makes an early show!
I ended up being induced at 40wks exactly, due to my bp doing crazy things, up and dawn and allround......I could barely walk by then, I was also in pre labour for 2 weeks before that.
do you find the shower makes it worse? lying in bed at night would marginally improve things, only for me to get up and shower and hello balloon feet! pfft forget about sleep!!
thats a b it hard to do with restless legs, indigestion, crazy itchiness from the swelling and contractions every 10 mins.....
sorry, im still a bit peeved about all that!!:lol:
I think I said before that the bath was good, as long as my feet were up out the water on the edge.
I feel for you, hey if im up feeding i will have a look and see if youre here, looks like u were up early this morning.....
have a happy easter, as hard as it is, try to enjoy this last little bit, theres not too long to go!!
xxx

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Sorry I wasn't able to respond earlier! Hope you had a happy easter too! My easter sucked as I ended up staying home because I wasn't feeling so great with the increased swelling in my legs. I am finding it SO SO hard to pass the rest of the days. It feels like it's just dreading on forever and ever. I know there's supposedly two weeks left but these two weeks don't seem to exciting to me. I have put on another 3lbs just over a period of 2 days. This is primarily due to my water retention again. So now, wearing my sandals is almost not a possible thing. I try keeping my legs up as much as possible but don't do much either. SIGH

So far, my blood pressure has been okay. I am told to keep monitoring just in case things do get wild... I will probably try taking a bath later just to give myself a treat. Unfortunately, my bath tub does not serve an easy access for pregnant individuals like me! I have a jacuzzi type of bath tub so it's much harder to get in though once I'm in, I hate to come out. I think I will take on your advice and put my legs up while I'm in there. Last time, I spent half an hour in the tub without elevating my legs so my legs swelled up even more I had to get DH to get me out! LOL, it was a sight for DH and DD!!!:wall:

I am also putting heaps of cream these days because it's so itchy everywhere (I guess the skin is stretching so much my body is having a hard time to adjust to the elasticity)!

Oh, I live in Canada which explains why I am up early because we are in different time zones... How I wish I am in Australia with such a beautiful weather.... Maybe this will help me make my days happier!:redface:

Just a little update... my swelling has been quite the same since I last posted here except for my hands to feel quite numb and the inability to clench my hands into fists. So my doctor asked me if I wanted to speed things up a little though it's not guarantee to work 100%.After telling me how dilated I was, she went up to my cervix and stretched the membranes a little. If it does work, things could be happening any time now. So, here I am waiting for the "magical moment" to appear... I have been feeling pretty strong tightenings so maybe something will happen but then again I am not putting my hopes too high because I don't want to feel disappointment by the end of the day which I always end up feeling. All I could say is that I am happy my blood pressure is under control and I have no protein in my urine. WIth that, I should be grateful that this pregnancy is uncomplicated except the fact that I have some discomforts!:dance:

Oh no, my swelling has gotten much worst today. I don't know what happened but this morning woke up with huge hands. I can't clench into a fist at all. It's painfully numb:cry:

I went out today with DD and DH to do some grocery shopping... ended up being up on my feet without sitting for 4 hours straight... now, I come home with swollen legs and feet. It's so bad that I get red blotches on my lower legs and my ankles are just so swelled up... I have practically no ankles!

Does that mean I have pushed myself to the limit with the walking? I thought the walk would speed things up but it doesn't look too good at the moment.

My blood pressure is okay though, but just have heaps of trouble with the swelling....:wall:

I had this problem with DD1. Seeing that you've had a big day today, try and rest for a bit to see if the swelling goes down. If your bp is ok then you should be fine. However, if you do become concerned take a trip to the hospital to get checked out.

Bekz,

Was your swelling really bad with DD1? I didn't have any swelling while pregnant with DD but with this 2nd pregnancy, everything seems to act out at the same time.

Hopefully the swelling will go down by tomorrow as I'm having heaps of trouble just walking around... and it's not so easy when you've got an active toddler demanding for attention. Oh well, not too much longer to go, but I certainly hope that my baby will decide for an earlier show!

My swelling was so bad that I couldn't close my hands, I had no ankles and my feet ached even sitting down. Thankfully I didn't have it with DD2 and so far only one episode with this pregnancy but it started at 28wks with DD1 and I am 28wks next week.

Oh no, I hope that you won't get the swelling when you reach your 28 weeks. I feel for those who have swelling. I wouldn't understand how difficult it must be for those who say "I have swelling and I feel horrible" up until I have experienced it myself. It's definitely not a pleasant symptom, but it's all worthwhile because we get to meet our precious one.

I have my fingers crossed for you that your swelling will stay away!

I certainly hope that it stays away too. I don't like my chances of keeping up with a 3yo and a 1yo in the next few weeks with swelling thrown into the mix.

After giving birth to DD1 the majority of the swelling instantly disappeared..so there is light at the end of the tunnel

Can't imagine if you have to deal with the swelling plus 2 toddlers! It certainly will become quite a challenge. I am glad that my parents are helping me with DD because some days my swellings get so bad that I can't even bend to put my socks on let alone caring for a toddler who's much more active than me!

Meanwhile, I hope you are getting the rest you need in preparation of your 3rd arrival! Can't wait till I have a third, but I think I will get by with this second first!

One bub at a time I say!!!

Don't you just envy those who have twins? I mean one bundle comes with two gifts. How great would that be! Unfortunately, no twins run in my family nor DH's. So chances are minute for me to conceive with twins. Oh well, I guess I will just have to bear with maybe two more pregnancies. As long as I don't experience any more swelling in the future pregnancies, I will be thankful!