The cankles club - if your feet ain't fat you can't come in

[Mercedes519]

Anyone else out there suffering from the dreaded cankles? Am 28 weeks and realised today I had a ledge on my feet where they had swollen around my shoes. Can't bend my ankles properly and they look so horrible...

Am now lying with my feet up and thought there must some kindred spirits out there who fancy a moan?

[WorrisomeHeart]

Ooh try ice packs/frozen broad beans - that was my go-to remedy on the weekend and it worked a treat! All I can say is, I almost couldn't fit my flipflops on, so I can appreciate your pain! Now at 25 weeks, so things can only get worse huh?

[Haggisfish]

I'll join up - I have very fat doughnuts around my ankles and fat feet. my crocs are too small! I went for a walk tonight and put my support hold ups on and my 'grandals' as my hubby hilariously came up with - they are the only shoes that fit me!

[lolabanola]

I have the cankles, plus the tops of my legs just seem to have ballooned out over night! I don't know why, i've put weight on my bump and my legs, no where else! I look very odd!

[Mercedes519]

The other week I had to go out at lunchtime and buy a new pair of shoes half a size bigger as my feet hurt so much...

I have two months left in the office, I can't wear flip-flops for the whole time surely [hmmm] Although at this rate I may not have a choice!

worri how long did the broad bean effect last? Probably not worth going out to get some specifically i would assume any vegetable would do...

[OneFishTwoFish]

Can I join the club?

35 weeks tomorrow and my ankles have swollen up so much over the last week I can't see the bones any more.

People say I should lie with my feet up but what I don't understand is what will happen to the fluid if I do that. I mean, surely it has to go somewhere. Will I just end up with a huge wobbly bottom instead? I'm not sure that's better!

Also I just weighed myself and I have put on nearly 2 stone. I was 52 kilos and now I'm 64. I feel huge and dreadful (sob).

One unexpected bonus is that I've stopped worrying about the birth. Even if it's awful, at least I won't be pregnant anymore.

[lolabanola]

OneFishTwoFish "I've stopped worrying about the birth. Even if it's awful, at least I won't be pregnant anymore" - I never thought of it like that! I too have been stressing over the birth and wondering just how painful it will be, I think I will stick to that mantra now though!

[Mercedes519]

Poor onefish. Not long to go now though, am a wee bit jealous but then I'd be closer to actually giving birth and I haven't quite got used to the idea yet...

I'm sure we're not alone in this Lola!

[kailie]

I'm 39+4 and have HUGE feet so can I join?!

None of my shoes fit and have resorted to wearing DP's fit flops.
last midwife appt she wrote "some" in the notes for Oedema (oedema - fluid retention/swelling) .....only thing is I'm normally a shoe size 5 and am now wearing a size 9!!!

[MrsLevinson]

OK - I don't have cankles, but I have put on 2 stone already (28 weeks) - and I have cellulite BELOW my knees, which I am horrified about. Does this count?

[bananagirl85]

im 39+3 and have had my feet in a bucket of cold water they are HUGE so can i join please

had to walk to my local shop in OH slippers today...the shame of it lol they arent the nicest

[Bonsoir]

OP - you should buy some contention socks. It really isn't good for you to have such swollen ankles.

[5DollarShake]

I'm 35+1 and have the most elephantine feet and ankles outside of a safari park. They are so unsightly and I'm worried I'll never see my ankles again!

I had the lesser of the two feet up last night, and the more obscenely swollen one in a bucket of cold water.

I can't quite believe how unattractive they look. They're not so bad when I wake up, having been horizontal all night, but they soon swell up again.

Oh... and oh to be 64 kilos at 35 weeks!!! What a pipedream!

[MrsC2010]

I'm 35+4 and have the most amazing feet right now. They used to swell up by the end of the day, they're already huge now.

[Hazeyjane]

Bonsoir, I don't think it is particularly bad for you to have swollen ankles in late pregnancy, unless you have other symptoms which would indicate pre-eclampsia, especially in this hot weather - I think something like 80% of healthy pregnant women get oedema.

I have to wear compression stockings for varicose veins, but have been unable to wear them in this heat (they are so tight and hot that it makes me want to pass out - I have talked to the MW about this and she said if I don't wear them to just try and keep feet up as much as possible). They have also exacerbated varicose veins higher up in my leg - they are not a cure for varicose veins, but hopefully prevent them getting worse.

Drink lots and lots of fluid, raise the foot end of your bed, gentle exercise, put your feet up and look forward to losing all the retained fluid after you have given birth.

[Mercedes519]

5DollarShake I'm so glad its not just be with uneven feet - one is much more swollen than the other. Does that mean I've been standing lopsided all this time?

kailie and bananagirl not long to go now. Think about the first pair of real shoes you're going to wear afterwards...I'm thinking my high heeled boots

[Haggisfish]

Oh, I know. i can't wait to put on my glad rags and high heels and go out for a 'date' with my hubby. Have already planned where we will be going and the cocktails I will have! my right foot is bigger than my left. it's oddly fascinating.

[RachelParker]

I'm 35 weeks today and have uneven michelin man feet too - bit of a relief to find in not the only one, bit miserable as I'm still commuting on the tube

[goodlifemummy]

I had dreadful cankles at end of my twin pregnancy, admittedly somewhat due to pre-eclampsia, but it seemed worth it in the end...not when I saw my beautiful babies, but when I looked down at my legs the next morning and I had the skinniest looking ankles ever, bones sticking out and everything!! Will cling to that image this time around

[OneFishTwoFish]

I had a hour of reflexology today - it was HEAVEN! I am going to go once a week until the baby arrives now, I honestly think it is the best 55 quid I ever spent!

I wore these shoes when I got married and cannot wait to put them on again and go out for a nice dinner with my husband, when I will have blue cheese, pate, Parma ham and wine!

[hopingforanother]

Hello - please can I join? I'm only 26+5 ad didn't get any swelling til the day before the birth last time! I have horrid fat ankles and have had to take my rings off already as I didn't want to be getting them sawn off in a&e whilst listening to someone saying 'well you should have taken them off when they felt tight'. Plus, when I tried, I realised I almost couldn't take them off and had to put my had in cold water...

The swelling seems to have coincided with the achiest joints I've ever had! Is anyone else aching all over?

[carolondon]

So glad i am not alone, i seem to have permantently swollen feet and ankles. I am 35 + 3 and fed up with big feet already. I had them up all afternoon yesterday but they hardly went down at all, might try frozen peas tonight. They are so unnatractive i am feeling quite depressed. Nice to know i am not alone. Will they be this big until the birth?

[5DollarShake]

As sorry as I feel for everyone, it is admittedly quite nice to know that I'm not the only one with unsightly feet and cankles.

My midwife told me yesterday that they can linger around for a good 3 weeks after the birth!! I told her that I'm so glad she told me that, as I'd probably have had some sort of hormonal-induced mini-breakdown, assuming that my cankles were here for good!!

One of the symptoms as they start to subside is that you need the loo a lot. All that retained water has to go somewhere..!.

[Hazeyjane]

When I had dd1 and 2, I found that my ankles were enormous for a day after birth, I drank loads and loads, and (sorry, this is foul!) kind of sweated and weed all the retained liquid away!

[Mercedes519]

Here I am trying to keep my feet up and all I'm getting is 'mummy, mummy, mummy' from DS1 who is determined to not go to sleep. Its amazing what you can do by shouting .

I don't remember my cankles lasting after DS1 but then I don't remember much in that baby/hormone haze. I do remember eating a massive meal and realising with sheer delight that I didn't have heartburn...bliss. But have taken note that even if the cankles persist I will have faith that I will be wearing sparkly sandals again (onefish might have to buy some just to look at for now).

hoping well done on the rings. I didn't do that last time but a jeweller (who I was asking to cut them off) did manage to get them off but made me cry it hurt so much.

And, I'd say carolondon if they are big now you don't have much hope before b-day. Especially if it stays warm...