tips on water retention/calf swelling?

[skookie]

Hi everyone! I'm 25 weeks along and have a desk job. Over the last week or two my calves have felt a bit tight and achy after work. It worries me a little since my bump isn't even that big and I thought all the water retention stuff came a bit later. Is anyone else experiencing this and have any tips? I have something I got to put my legs up on under my desk and I do walk my dog every day. I could probably stand to drink more water but I try to stay hydrated. I get frequent breaks and walk to the kitchen and bathroom a lot but maybe need to do more? Anyone else suffering from this at this point? Any tips/advice?

 

[Indi84]

I suffered really badly with swelling in my last pregnancy, probably starting about 25 weeks. I worked retail and by the end of my shift I could barely walk.
I can only suggest drink lots of water, put your feet up at home when you can, maybe ice the swollen bits, get a massage of dh etc. Often you need your feet up really high!
I was an extreme case with severe odema by the end, my feet went up 4 sizes! But that's really rare, it hasn't happened at all to me this time.

 

[shellgirl]

The best cure for water retention is drinking more water, as silly as that sounds! Try to drink a gallon a day and your body should flush more out because it doesn't feel like it needs to "hang onto" so much.

 

[tu123]

Whilst pregnant when nursing I was also on my feet a lot. I found maternity support stockings really really helpful. They help force water out of the tissues and back into the blood stream.

It's just a pain for some women. Some veins will have insufficient valves and just aren't great at blood back flow.

I get it in one leg only every pregnancy.

 

[Eleonora]

I had a weird thing happen in about the 5th month with my first pregnancy. One night I was shocked to see my ankles were incredibly swollen. I realized I had eaten a lot of very tasty food at a catered event (and been on my feet all day) but I think it was the huge hit of salt that made it happen. It cleared up by the next day. Of course I also had the classic fat ankles at the very end of my first pregnancy and it didn't seem to respond to drinking more water or anything - - at that point it is just a matter of getting to the end!