Week 27: Well, Isn't that Swell? EDEMA

Week 27, I sure tell you that time is going fast. Her is a post I got from WhatToExpect. com. If you are expecting and interested you can sign up for a free email subscription by visiting the link above.

"Continuing on those sports analogies (remember, it was a soccer ball two weeks ago), your uterus has swelled to the size of a basketball this week. But unfortunately, that's not the only thing that's swelling. Beginning somewhere around this stage of pregnancy, nearly three-quarters of pregnant women start to experience mild swelling of the extremities, particularly of the feet and ankles (but also your hands, as you may have noticed when you last tried to take off your rings). Called edema, such swelling occurs when fluids accumulate in your body tissues as a result of increased blood flow and pressure of your growing uterus on the pelvic veins and your vena cava (the large vein on the right side of your body that returns blood from your lower limbs to the heart).
Mild swelling sure isn't swell (especially when you try to squeeze into your shoes at the end of the day, when puffiness is at its peak), but it is completely normal. If your swelling seems to be more than mild, talk to your practitioner. Excessive swelling can be one sign of preeclampsia, but when it is, it's accompanied by a variety of other symptoms (such as elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine). If your blood pressure and urine are normal (they're checked at each prenatal visit), there's nothing to be concerned about.

To spell swell relief, avoid sitting or standing for a long time, try to get some pregnancy-appropriate exercise, such as walking or swimming (if your practitioner okays it), and when you rest, do so with your feet elevated (if anyone deserves to put her feet up, it's you). Be sure, too, to drink enough each day to stay hydrated. Restricting fluid intake will not decrease swelling, but making sure to get your eight glasses daily may. And also try to look on the bright side: First of all, pretty soon your belly will be so big, you won't even be able to see how swollen your feet are. Second, edema is a temporary condition — you'll deflate completely soon after you give birth."