Getting rid of leg swelling after pregnancy

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Swelling of the legs after childbirth is one of the main problems that worries modern women. During pregnancy, a large amount of fluid accumulates in the body of the expectant mother, and this is a natural process during childbearing. If the swelling continues to bother you after childbirth, this is a reason to think.

Perhaps unnatural processes are taking place in the body. Over time, this can lead to swelling of the hands, fingers, eyelids, and even the entire body. Why do my legs swell a lot after childbirth?

Swelling of the legs after childbirth - what to do with the problem first?

The first thing to do is to find out the cause of the problem. Its source can be changes in the hormonal background of a woman, as a result of which fluid has accumulated in the body. It also increases the amount of circulating blood that both the mother and her baby need.

Over time, obvious signs of edema may disappear, but there are times when they do not go away:

• improper diet - passion for salty and fried food, which retains water in the body;
• incorrect daily routine - constant physical exertion, activity leads to fatigue;
• weak elasticity of the veins. After childbirth, there may be obvious signs of varicose veins. During pregnancy, the weight of the fetus presses on the capillaries of the perineum, slowing down blood circulation;
• cystitis is a disease that in the first days after childbirth resembles pain in the perineum. Later, it will cause swelling;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system - the load on the heart muscle causes slow blood circulation. The result is that the woman's legs are very swollen after childbirth;
• impaired renal function - chronic diseases of the excretory organs. The kidneys cannot remove fluid from the mother's body in a timely manner.

Tips for women to help relieve leg swelling after childbirth

Women faced this problem even before the advent of official medicine. The first thing that came to the rescue was simple exercise and rest. You need to go to bed early, do not burden yourself with exhausting physical work. Try to cope with household chores by 9-10 pm, ask for help from loved ones.

Since the legs are the first to suffer from edema, it is necessary to do exercises:

• walk on tiptoes every 2-3 hours, raise your legs a little while sitting on a comfortable chair;
• roll your foot from toe to heel and vice versa;
• make circular movements of the foot in the clockwise direction, and vice versa.

Talk to your primary care physician who can prescribe a foot and leg massage for you. Before going to bed, you can prepare a salt bath and leave your feet in it for 5-7 minutes. To avoid pinching the veins in your legs, try to sit correctly, without crossing your legs or placing them under you.

During sleep, the legs should be above the head. It is recommended to sleep on the left side to improve blood circulation. If you have to stand on your feet for a long time during the daytime, periodically stand on your toes and do simple exercises.

If your doctor permits you, and you are not allergic to citrus fruits, drink water with lemon, or eat grapefruit. You can drink an infusion of viburnum, sea buckthorn, eat grapes. But taking diuretic herbs and medications on your own can be dangerous. Before treating edema due to kidney failure, it is better to consult a nephrologist.

Legs swell badly after childbirth - preventive measures

The best treatment is prevention. If before pregnancy you know about health problems, conducted an examination of the body, then you can be cured in a timely manner.

What you need to do to prevent swelling of the legs after childbirth, or go away quickly:

• do not wear high heels during pregnancy - they put stress on the legs, impair blood circulation in the blood vessels;
• do not wear too tight tights and stockings. Compression knitwear is an excellent substitute for nylon material. It prevents stretching of blood vessels, and prevents the occurrence of puffiness;
• use a prenatal bandage. It reduces the risk of stretch marks and back strain. As a result - weakened pressure on the uterus, perineal veins and pelvic organs;
• do simple exercises for your legs, do a special massage.
• before pregnancy, you can take a contrast shower, which reduces swelling. This method is contraindicated for those with cystitis and cardiovascular disease;
• rest after exercise. During rest, the legs should be higher than the level of the heart - in a reclining position;
• correct diet and fluid intake. Try to eat and drink at the same time of day. Do not consume large meals or liquids at night. Eliminate salty, canned and fatty foods, carbonated water from the diet.

Swelling of the legs after childbirth - drug treatment

If you have followed all the recommendations and preventive measures, but the problem has not been resolved, you will have to consult a doctor. Alarming signs when, during pressure on the leg, the skin does not return to its original position, itching, redness appear. The asymmetrical appearance of one leg compared to the other, pain and heaviness in the legs are also dangerous.

Do not take medications on your own, as they can enter the baby's body through the milk of a nursing mother. At an appointment with a phlebologist, a woman who has given birth may be given a referral for a duplex angioscanning of the veins of the legs to determine their condition. Such a procedure is necessary for those women who may have a predisposition to the disease. If you are over 35 years old, have smoked or have used hormonal contraception, are overweight, or have seizures, an angioscanning procedure is essential.

Depending on the etiology of the disease, the doctor may prescribe Heparin Ointment, Lioton gel, Troxevasin. They help in the event that microthrombi and deterioration of blood circulation in the legs are detected. If no venous thrombosis is found, you will be prescribed topical therapy. With regard to kidney disease, then taking medications should be postponed. Certain medications can be used only after consulting a nephrologist.

Diuretics are prescribed by a doctor for a specific case. Some diuretics quickly remove potassium and calcium from the body, while others delay it. For example, some patients, having barely given birth, are in a hurry to take Furosemide, not knowing that they can negatively affect the work of the heart.

Safer Canephron, which contains plant components. It relieves swelling of the legs, has anti-inflammatory properties. Herbal infusions will also help relieve puffiness, are characterized by a diuretic effect. These include infusion of parsley, dill, birch, bearberry, field horsetail.

There are a number of other drugs that do not flush nutrients from the body, but quickly accumulate water, resulting in swelling again.

For a woman who has barely recovered from labor, any medication intake can have repercussions. In order not to harm your health, you should consult with specialists in the field of medicine.