Swelling (feet and hands)

[strawberryplum993]

I’m currently 35 + 5 and over the past couple of days my feet and ankles have really swollen. My hands are swollen (but less so) and with my hands it has come on gradually.

I just wondered how much swelling people experienced throughout their pregnancy? I know gradual swelling can be considered normal because of water retention but there’s also the worry of pre eclampsia.

We’ve got some very hot weather at the moment so it’s also likely that the swelling in my feet is worse because of that. They are now quite painful to walk on.

I have an antenatal appointment on Tuesday and as I don’t have any other concerning symptoms I’m wondering whether it would be ok to wait until Tuesday and raise it, or if it’s worth speaking to the hospital. I feel a bit silly if it is because of water retention and heat!

My feet were quite swollen by about 28 weeks last time (summer time, no pre-eclampsia). They weren't really painful but they were swollen enough to make it that I could only fit about 2 of my pairs of shoes on. If you are worried I think it's definitely worth a call to triage - no question is silly, always better to check

I developed swelling at about the same stage as you, fingers are like sausages. My ankles are really swollen too and they've got a lot of pitting about them, it's miserable but expected apparently! You can phone, I did but they were pretty dismissive of it aslong as I wasn't experiencing headaches or floaters in my vision.

It is normal to have some swelling, especially in the warm weather.
If you notice it getting worse or you get facial swelling do ring the maternity assessment unit though.

Thanks! Going to keep an eye on it and then call if I feel like they’re getting worse

I had my twins a few days before this but the swelling was genuinely insane and then somehow it got worse after my caesarean and my knees were the size of my head. Ended up with cellulitis in one knee. You wouldn’t believe the size of my feet.

Epsom salt foot baths and keeping them elevated helped a bit. Obviously if you’re worried then seek some medical advice, especially if one side swells more than the other, facial swelling, headaches etc