During pregnancy, your body goes through a variety of different changes due to the constant shifting of hormones. Foot swelling is one that affects the majority of women suffer from during pregnancy.
What causes it?
The hormone directly responsible for feet swelling is called relaxin. What it does is stretch the ligaments in your body, with the addition of overproduction of fluids and water retention.
What it can mean?
Swelling is completely normal for women during pregnancy, with the swelling making your shoe size stretch to a half to full size bigger. However, it is still important to communicate with your doctor about the swelling, because excess swelling can be a sign of preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication.
What you can do?
One important thing to do when your feet start to swell is to invest in a pair of comfortable shoes that will adjust to your changes. The amount of feet swelling can change throughout the day depending on the person, their level of activity, and how far along you are into pregnancy.
A good option for shoes are thick, strappy sandals with a lot of cushioning to support your weight. The cushion is especially important for your foot’s arch because the stretching of ligaments can damage your foot if there is no proper support.
One way to ease the amount of foot swelling is to vary your activity throughout the day. Standing still or sitting can cause your feet to swell more, light walking is a good method to reduce the amount of swelling.
To avoid foot swelling as much as possible, trying staying hydrated with water and eat foods that don’t cause bloating. If the pain from your foot swelling is too much to bear, trying talking to your doctor about more clinical treatments for alleviating the symptoms.
Also taking time out and putting your feet, always helps! There is no better excuse to relax and take time out than pregnancy.