Most young mothers complain of swelling after childbirth. It is worth noting that this is a fairly common phenomenon among women who have recently given birth. Such a defect causes concern, especially if it does not go away for a long time.
The swelling itself occurs as a result of the accumulation of excessive amounts of fluid. You can determine whether there is swelling using normal finger pressure. In this case, a pit forms on the skin. Swelling after childbirth can vary in severity.
Sometimes the whole body swells, other times only a certain part. If doctors had to give intravenous infusions during childbirth, the defect will appear only after 5-6 days.
In some cases, this condition is accompanied by breast tenderness and engorgement, dryness and increased sensitivity of the nipples, so there is severe discomfort when putting the baby to the breast.
Sometimes the pain is so severe that natural feeding is stopped for a while. Increasing the volume of the limbs or the whole body requires wearing larger clothes, which also creates an unpleasant feeling.
If the trouble does not go away a week after the birth of the baby, then there are probably more serious reasons for its occurrence.
Significant accumulation of fluid in the body. This disorder occurs due to poor kidney function. But in this case, the pathology of these organs will be noticeable even during pregnancy.
If they could not cope with the increased load, then after childbirth they will not be able to restore their normal functioning and the removal of excess fluid will be difficult for some time. Chronic kidney disease in a woman increases the risk of swelling for a long period after childbirth.
Unbalanced diet and inappropriate lifestyle. Very often the reasons are hidden in excessive fluid intake and unhealthy diet. You want to drink after a lot of fried, spicy and salty foods. But high physical activity can also be harmful. In this case, the reason is hidden in a long stay in a standing position. As a result, the legs swell in the evening, a feeling of heaviness arises in them, and the swelling subsides in the morning.
Vascular diseases. The main source is varicose veins, which, unfortunately, also very often occurs in pregnant women, especially in the last months of pregnancy. The enlarging uterus compresses large venous trunks in the pelvis and thereby prevents the outflow of blood from the lower extremities.
Every fourth woman has this pathology, but all of them know about it, since in the early stages the disease is quite mild. If persistent swelling occurs that is not caused by other reasons, then it is necessary to consult a specialist - a phlebologist, because varicose veins are a rather dangerous disease with serious consequences if left untreated.
The method for eliminating a defect directly depends on the cause of its occurrence.
If kidney disease occurs, it may require drug treatment. In this case, only a doctor can prescribe the necessary medications, because a woman cannot take many medications during lactation. Perhaps he will allow the use of folk diuretics, for example, birch sap or an infusion of apple peels.
When the cause of trouble is a poor diet and improper daily routine, you need to correct them. For example, it is better to eat steamed or boiled dishes, eliminate smoked foods, and limit the consumption of liquid and salt.
As for drinking, preference should be given to still mineral water, compote without sugar and herbal teas. Activity and rest should constantly alternate; you cannot spend the whole day “on your feet.” This also applies to excessive passivity. Unpleasant phenomena go away only if the regime is followed.
For varicose veins, you must contact a specialist who will select a course of therapy depending on the degree of the disease. In any case, such a patient should rest more in a supine position, placing a bolster or pillow under her legs so that they are above the level of the heart.
It is necessary to take special relaxing foot baths and possibly wear compression garments to relieve swelling. A special diet may be prescribed to thin the blood. Then the diet includes such products as sea buckthorn, viburnum, lemons, tomatoes, grapes, cranberries.
The doctor will give recommendations on this matter, because during breastfeeding, some substances from the mother’s menu can pass through the milk to the baby and the latter will have an allergic reaction.
Blood thickening can also be caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals, for example, lecithin, zinc, selenium and vitamin C. A young mother should not overuse coffee, green and black tea, cocoa, and soda. It is recommended to drink cranberry juice, grape juice, herbal teas, but it is better to give preference to plain water.
Normally, these defects should go away on their own within a few days after birth. If they are observed for more than a week or occur repeatedly, it means that there is some kind of disorder in the body. In chronic kidney disease, it goes away within a few weeks.
It is worth noting that the time for swelling to subside also depends on the fluid accumulated during pregnancy, which is eliminated by urination. Probably every woman notices that after giving birth she begins to visit the toilet more often.
An important point is that it is not advisable to limit fluid intake, as milk production may decrease, so it is important to seek advice from a qualified specialist in this regard.
In some cases, restricting drinking is a necessary measure. Also, excess water from the body can be eliminated through sweating, so increased sweating in the postpartum period is normal.
Swelling of the legs after childbirth should also go away within a few days if the woman has healthy blood vessels. If this does not happen and the swelling increases, it means that the valves of the external and internal veins are not working well and varicose veins are present.
To get rid of swelling that is not caused by pathology, the following measures will help:
These recommendations can be used during pregnancy as measures to prevent edema.
If swelling does not go away and you have a headache after childbirth, then your blood pressure may be high. Another problem that is a reason to consult a doctor is swelling of only one limb, which is accompanied by severe pain. This condition indicates deep vein thrombosis, a life-threatening condition.
Hello friends! Let's look at a topic today that is familiar to most young mothers. This is swelling after childbirth, which is observed in almost 80% of women who have recently given birth. What causes swelling after childbirth? Can they be avoided? And how to deal with them? Let's take a closer look.
Edema occurs because too much fluid accumulates in the body. Due to its point nature, edema differs from swelling. If you press your finger on the swelling, then after half a minute a hole will appear in this place. Swelling after childbirth is a very common occurrence among young mothers. For some, only their arms or legs swell, bags appear under their eyes, and for some, their entire figure suffers. If intravenous infusions were given during childbirth, the swelling will go away later. Often, swelling contributes to breast engorgement and changes in the shape of the nipple. The skin in these places becomes wrinkled and dry. Swelling prevents the baby from attaching to the breast, which is why some women simply cannot breastfeed their children. In addition, due to swelling after childbirth, women often have to wear shoes and clothes several sizes larger. Of course, they don’t feel much pleasure from this, and dream of returning to their former form as soon as possible.
Edema after childbirth occurs not only due to excessive fluid intake, but also due to the accumulation of sodium salts in the tissues. In addition, edema can be associated with problems of the cardiovascular and urinary systems. Since the uterus actively grows during pregnancy and puts pressure on the organs, the outflow of blood from the lower and upper extremities slows down. As a result, swelling occurs. Postpartum hypothyroidism also leads to swelling due to decreased iron levels in the blood. If a woman stands and walks a lot, rarely rests without giving her legs rest, and also has venous insufficiency, then she has every chance of getting edema.
Doctors advise drinking as little water as possible and not eating spicy, salty, fatty, sour, smoked or fried foods. All this only increases thirst. Dill, honey water with lemon, green tea, diuretic herbs are useful for edema, but soda and sweet drinks will not help. Instead, you need to drink still water, fruit drinks, and compotes without sugar. It is necessary and possible to consume anything that is a diuretic. In general, you are allowed to drink no more than one and a half liters of liquid per day (not counting broths, soups, fruits, vegetables). Women suffering from edema are advised to wear tight tights and often take baths for their hands and feet with the addition of medications that have a diuretic effect. If swelling predominates in the legs, then you must give them rest, and as often as possible: lie horizontally, placing a pillow under your legs so that they are slightly elevated in relation to the body. By following these simple rules, you can get rid of swelling in a couple of weeks. Parents should remember that in the absence of chronic diseases, doctors do not recommend drug treatment for edema after childbirth. This is especially important if the newborn baby is breastfed. During this period, the mother’s health needs attention and support more than ever, so you should not self-medicate or take diuretics, and in case of any complications, immediately consult a doctor. Be healthy!
Most women experience swelling during pregnancy. This happens due to the action of hormones and too much stress on the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Your feet no longer fit into your favorite boots, and all the rings become tight. There is nothing outlandish about this. But what does swelling of the legs after childbirth mean? After all, with the birth of a baby, such problems should disappear...
If you think that immediately after giving birth your body should immediately rebuild itself, then this, alas, is not so. It takes him some time to return to his previous prenatal state. Because of this, swelling after childbirth may remain for another week or two, which is normal. During this time, hormonal levels normalize and the body stops storing water.
Sometimes the recovery process takes a little longer. Everything is individual, and swelling can persist for up to a month, but then it does disappear. If more than a month has passed since childbirth, and the swelling does not go away, then the reasons lie in something else. You should pay attention to your health:
Even if you are completely sure that everything is in order with your health, swelling that persists for a long time cannot be ignored. The first thing to do if swelling after childbirth persists for more than 2-3 weeks is to check your diet to see if you are consuming too much salty and smoked food. If everything is fine with this, then you will have to see a doctor.
First, go to a phlebologist who can determine whether you have the initial stage of varicose veins. When the situation has not yet started, it is easier to cope with it. In the early stages, taking blood thinning medications and ointments may be sufficient. In the case when you do not have problems with the vessels of the legs, you need to consult a urologist.
Until the swelling after childbirth goes away, you don’t have to sit back and wait for everything to go away on its own. You can help your body cope with the problem in the following ways:
But you shouldn’t indulge in medications or homemade recipes with a diuretic effect. Firstly, this is dangerous if you are breastfeeding, because unnecessary substances can enter the baby’s body with milk. Secondly, you may harm yourself. Swelling of the legs after childbirth can be treated with diuretics only after consultation with a doctor.
Physical activity copes with many problems in the body. After childbirth, swelling in the legs is also perfectly removed with the help of various exercises that are very easy to perform. To begin with, make it a rule that immediately after waking up, while still lying in bed, perform the “bicycle” exercise with your legs raised high for several minutes. You can also do it in the evenings before going to bed.
If you have to stand a lot, then this is another reason why your legs swell after childbirth, so you need to perform simple movements every half hour or hour:
If you need to sit a lot, periodically try to grab some small object (pencil, ball, toy) with your toes.
There is another good set of exercises that helps drain stagnant blood in the legs and gives them lightness. Here's what you need to do daily if your legs are swollen after childbirth:
How quickly does swelling go away after childbirth normally? From several days to two weeks. If you see that the process has been delayed, then you should definitely visit a doctor. Perhaps this is a feature of your body that takes longer to recover, or perhaps it is a sign of the onset of the disease.
After the birth of a baby, each woman has to go through her own recovery period, which lasts differently for everyone. Almost 80% of young mothers in the first months face such a problem as swelling after childbirth, which spreads to the face and figure as a whole. However, the legs and vagina most often suffer, because while carrying a baby they had to withstand enormous loads. What are the main causes of postpartum tissue swelling and is it possible to somehow stop this process?
First, you should make sure that you actually have swelling and not swelling. Press your finger against the enlarged tissue and release. A hole is formed, which will disappear in a couple of minutes. This is swelling, and after childbirth it occurs for the following reasons:
All these problems can be solved quite quickly and easily if the cause is identified correctly. Most often, swelling of the legs is observed after childbirth, since all the excess body fluid accumulates in them, and the outflow is impaired due to the above factors. To get rid of them, you first need to eliminate the root cause of this phenomenon.
As soon as you notice that your legs are swollen after childbirth for no apparent reason (i.e. you did not receive intravenous infusions during the birth of your baby and you have never suffered from a disorder of the genitourinary or circulatory systems), try to solve this problem yourself with the following ways.
If you did everything correctly, the defect will disappear in just a week, returning you to your former shape. However, everything is much worse if after childbirth the swelling does not go away for a long time. In this case, you should worry and seek help from doctors.
With such a misfortune, it is quite understandable for women to worry about when the swelling will go away after childbirth and they won’t have to worry about it. Ideally, if the process is not provoked by serious diseases of various organs and systems, everything should go away in 1 - maximum 2 weeks. Despite the fact that these terms are very individual and arbitrary, if the problem does not go away longer than the specified time, you should immediately consult a doctor, undergo an examination and find out the causes of your condition. Only after this they will tell you for sure whether the swelling on your body after childbirth will go away in the near future. For a speedy recovery, you will have to undergo a full course of treatment prescribed by a specialist.
Modern women, thanks to the Internet, are maximally informed about the processes that occur in their bodies before and after childbirth. Knowing that the main cause of edema is fluid retention in the tissues, they begin to actively drink diuretics, thereby driving themselves into a trap. Firstly, lactation is disrupted. Secondly, the child suffers, who also has to swallow these drugs through mother's milk. Thirdly, in most cases the swelling never goes away, because the kidneys turn out to be fine.
Do you want to know for sure how long after childbirth the swelling goes away and your figure is completely restored? Only a doctor can answer this question after an examination:
If you know the causes of postpartum edema, you can get rid of them in the shortest possible time, which will shorten the recovery period and quickly return to normal. It is better to think about this as early as possible: even while carrying a child. If you take preventive measures, then you won’t have to suffer from pain and complexes about blurred forms. If you were unable to avoid this misfortune, be sure to undergo a course of treatment so that nothing interferes with your communication with your baby.
There are a number of conclusions about the dangers of washing cosmetics. Unfortunately, not all new mothers listen to them. 97% of shampoos use the dangerous substance Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or its analogues. Many articles have been written about the effects of this chemistry on the health of both children and adults. At the request of our readers, we tested the most popular brands.
The results were disappointing - the most advertised companies showed the presence of those very dangerous components in their composition. In order not to violate the legal rights of manufacturers, we cannot name specific brands. The Mulsan Cosmetics company, the only one that passed all the tests, successfully received 10 points out of 10 (check out). Each product is made from natural ingredients, completely safe and hypoallergenic.
If you doubt the naturalness of your cosmetics, check the expiration date; it should not exceed 10 months. Be careful when choosing cosmetics, this is important for you and your child.
Almost every woman experiences swelling of the legs in the third trimester of pregnancy. This is a completely physiological phenomenon associated with the natural accumulation of fluid in the body, which is necessary to increase circulating blood volume (CBV) and normal development of the fetus. The weight of a pregnant woman is constantly growing, it becomes harder to move, the enlarged uterus compresses the pelvic vessels, complicating venous outflow, the load on the lower extremities increases significantly - all this leads to the formation of edema in the last stages of gestation. But why do your legs swell after childbirth? After all, all these reasons are no longer relevant.
information Normally, swelling of the lower extremities, the cause of which was only a physiological increase in the volume of blood volume, disappears without a trace within a few days or a week after childbirth. But if you still have swelling or have reappeared, then there must be more compelling reasons for this.
Possible causes of postpartum edema include:
If the mother has chronic kidney disease (for example, pyelonephritis) before pregnancy, there is a high probability that after childbirth it will be difficult for her to cope with the rapid elimination of fluid that has accumulated during this time. Therefore, such swelling can persist for a long time.
Pregnancy is one of the predisposing factors for the development of varicose veins. If you notice that spider veins have appeared on the skin of your legs, you feel swelling and heaviness in your lower extremities at the end of the day, and sometimes you are bothered by cramps in your calf muscles, then you should know that these are the first symptoms of varicose veins.
Symmetrical swelling of the legs after childbirth will indicate varicose veins, but if one leg is swollen, swelling, redness and burning of the skin appear, then this is most likely due to deep vein thrombosis. The presence of such a symptom requires immediate examination.
Nutrition and daily routine
Sometimes the occurrence of edema and its persistence after childbirth is associated with a very banal reason - poor nutrition. Eating salty, smoked, fried foods leads to excessive accumulation and retention of fluid in the body. In addition, the high physical activity of a young mother (housework, caring for the baby) contributes to the development of excessive fatigue, which ultimately leads to the formation of slight swelling and heaviness in the legs in the evening.
Methods and recommendations for eliminating edema after childbirth are directly related to the causes of its occurrence.
You can already be congratulated - you have become the mother of a beautiful baby and now all your time is occupied with caring for the child, feeding him, and, of course, restoring your own body after childbirth. After all, some women, even a few months after giving birth, will not be satisfied with their reflection in the mirror, to put it mildly. What to do in this case? In this article we will talk about what to do if swelling appears after childbirth? How can they be removed and is it worth doing? Maybe the swelling will go away on its own, without outside intervention?
Why does swelling appear after childbirth? Initially, it is worth pointing out that any swelling on your body is the result of the accumulation of fluid in the body, and in large quantities.
You can determine that you have swelling by:
After childbirth, swelling almost always accompanies a woman, the only thing is that it varies depending on the severity. We should not exclude such severe cases when a woman’s entire body swells after childbirth. This occurs when a woman will need to receive intravenous injections during the birth process. In this case, swelling may appear after 5 days.
Some patients after childbirth note that their breasts are very swollen and swollen. As a result, the sensitivity of the mammary glands increases to the maximum and it becomes very painful for the woman to put the baby to the breast. Sometimes, painful sensations are characterized by such severe pain in the nipples that doctors decide to temporarily stop breastfeeding.
It is morally unpleasant for every woman that after childbirth her swollen body does not give her the opportunity to wear more beautiful clothes that fit her size.
If swelling does not go away after childbirth within one week, then it is important - in this case, the cause must be sought in serious pathologies - we list them below:
If a woman, even before pregnancy or during pregnancy, was diagnosed with kidney disease, then this can explain the appearance of edema.
If you have kidney disease, a woman may complain of swelling during pregnancy. The patient's legs, arms, and face will swell, which leads to poor health and discomfort during pregnancy.
Remember! During pregnancy, all internal organs and vital systems of a woman undergo great changes. And the woman’s body begins to work with double load.
If a woman enters pregnancy with chronic kidney disease, it is very important to be observed by a urologist throughout the entire period of pregnancy. It is necessary to monitor a woman’s physical well-being, both during pregnancy and after it.
It is impossible to relieve swelling after pregnancy caused by kidney disease by any external manipulation. First of all, you need to pay attention to your physical health and treat your kidneys.
Swelling of the legs after childbirth during pregnancy is often associated with poor nutrition, poor diet, and consuming a large amount of life.
A woman could consume a large amount of fried, spicy and salty foods in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Of course, all these dishes require a lot of fluid intake. As a result, a woman's legs swell, especially in the evening. And when a woman goes into labor, this swelling does not go away, since the fluid has been accumulating all this time and is not completely removed.
It’s not for nothing that doctors say that during pregnancy you need to eat right and not for two, but for two.
What to do in this case? After giving birth, it is necessary to immediately improve your diet and start moving more, this is the only way you can remove excess fluid from the body.
Pregnant women may develop varicose veins in the 3rd trimester. With what it can be connected? This is due to the fact that during pregnancy, a woman’s uterus increases in proportion to the growth of the fetus. As a result, blood circulation in the lower extremities is impaired.
This pathology occurs in most pregnant women (statistically, every 4th woman). Moreover, during pregnancy, varicose veins are not very noticeable. But after the birth of a child, a woman notices that her legs swell excessively.
If you have varicose veins, a woman must contact a phlebologist. Remember! Varicose veins are a pathology that can lead to very serious consequences.
You cannot eliminate swelling without finding out the cause of its occurrence. If the cause of swelling of the legs is associated with pathological formations in the body, then you will not be able to remove them with the help of compresses. Swelling will occur again and again every time!
For example, infectious and inflammatory kidney diseases require exclusively drug treatment and nothing else. Local treatment will only make the situation worse. The only thing is that a woman needs to clearly agree with her doctor about the side effects of the medications she will take. Since most medications are not recommended to be taken during lactation.
If the cause of leg swelling lies in poor nutrition, then you can take diuretic folk remedies immediately after childbirth. You can take birch sap or prepare your own infusion from apple peels. Change your diet completely - eat low-fat meat and steamed fish. Eat less salt. Drink teas without sugar, as well as compotes.
If you have varicose veins, you should also switch to a healthier diet, give preference to grape juice, sea buckthorn, viburnum, and cranberry teas, which help thin the blood.
Many people experience edema during pregnancy, but in some cases they appear precisely at the birth of the child. If swelling of the legs appears after childbirth - what to do? This question can arise both in women after natural childbirth and during caesarean section. Sometimes drug treatment for swelling may be required, but most often it goes away on its own.
The most common among them are:
The last reason in relation to the maternity hospital and the appearance of edema is not very suitable; to a greater extent, salty and spicy foods can be blamed for the current situation in the case when more than a week has passed since the birth, and the edema does not decrease. They can appear not only directly in the feet or calves, but also on other parts of the body. If a woman enters the maternity ward with general swelling, then it also takes time for the condition to normalize after childbirth, so you shouldn’t worry too much about the fact that the ring is still small, and the bags under the eyes in the mirror are scary. This is due to the fact that sodium salts, which interfere with normal fluid circulation, do not disappear during childbirth. Additionally, the process of blood circulation and fluid outflow is slowed down by the growing uterus, which compresses other organs. Therefore, the stress that a woman’s body experiences before and during childbirth does not go away without leaving a trace; it takes more than one day for swelling to go away. In a number of situations, you should be especially careful about your health when there is a suspicion that the cause of edema is poor kidney function. Additional signs indicating that it is the kidneys that are to blame for swollen legs after childbirth, what to do in this case is best to find out from doctors, is a rapid increase in swelling, as well as dry and pale skin. Puffiness in this case may also appear on the face. If a young mother has problems with her veins, then varicose veins can also contribute to a deterioration in the outflow of fluid. Most often, there is no doubt about the presence of such a disease, since spider veins are visible on the legs, large veins stand out from the rest, and in severe cases, varicose nodes are visible. The treatment regimen here should be discussed with a phlebologist, since most medications in this situation are contraindicated during breastfeeding.
Swelling on the face and hands after childbirth, which not everyone knows what to do with, is difficult not to notice: bags under the eyes, fingers bend with difficulty, not only they, but also the hands themselves swell. When you press on such edematous tissue, a mark in the form of a dent remains on it, which disappears only after some time, and not immediately, as happens in the absence of edema. Swelling of the legs is especially noticeable in the morning, when trying to get out of bed, when the legs seem to “not obey”, the soles and calves seem to be “filled” with water. An attempt to put compressive shoes on such a foot may not be successful: the shoes will be simply too small. If you wear shoes that are not too loose, after taking them off, marks from contact with their edges will remain on your feet.
You should start by consulting a doctor, since if the cause of edema is kidney disease, then the lack of therapy can lead to adverse consequences for the woman who gave birth. In other situations, it is advisable to control the amount of fluid consumed, which is necessary not only in the presence of edema, but also to establish healthy lactation, hyperstimulation of which with an excessive amount of fluid can lead to congestion in the chest. The nutrition of a young mother itself plays an important role. The less fatty, salty, spicy or canned foods there are, the less thirst there is. In addition, excess salt retains fluid in the tissues, stimulating additional swelling. Instead of tea, it is allowed to use a decoction of lingonberry leaves, but you should avoid taking medications whose purpose is to remove excess fluid without a doctor’s prescription if the child is breastfed.
It won’t hurt to be attentive to your legs if swelling after childbirth, what to do with it depends on the cause of its appearance, appears due to venous disease. In this case, contrast baths, baths with sea salt, and herbal decoctions that normalize blood circulation are recommended. A number of young mothers note an improvement in their condition after massaging their feet with ice cubes or simply any contents of the freezer. A good rest is extremely welcome, but it is not always possible to organize one with a small child in the house. Therefore, all that remains is to make good use of the rest time that is available: it is advisable to sleep with your feet on a pillow, and let them rest at least several times a day. This can be done lying down, raising your legs above the level of your heart for a quarter of an hour. All these simple procedures will help facilitate the outflow of excess fluid, which ideally should leave the body before the mother and baby are discharged from the maternity hospital, i.e. within a week after birth. If the condition does not improve, it is best to find out why your legs are swollen after childbirth, what to do in this situation, directly with your doctor, who can ask all your questions before leaving the hospital, and then follow his recommendations, not forgetting about your health lifestyle.