Elephant feet....

[snowboarder]

..of all the late pregnancy niggles and unpleasantness, the thing that has hit me at 37 weeks is hugely swollen ankles and feet. It's grim. Aesthetically mostly, but practically too as getting any shoes on is even more of a struggle than it would ordinarily be with an enormous bump. I don't think there's any serious medical reason - bp etc all ok - what can I do?!? It doesn't even improve overnight! Oh the misery!

[Marcus]

edited as wrong user

[charlottep]

had to live in flip flops for the last two weeks of pregnancy with number 1, it was truly grim. Keep an eye on bp, as mine started creeping up a little while after the onslaught of the swollen feet. The best thing is obviously to try to keep them elevated, near on impossible with a toddler to run after, i know. You're nearly there, good luck!

[sanity girl]

I too lived in flip flops towards the end of my pregnancy. Massage helps. There is an excellent masseur who works from home locally and advertises on here as Aloued. Just think- not long to go and then your feet will get back to normal again :)

[Saffron]

Some of what looks like swelling can also be due to relaxation of the ligaments in your ankles and feet, which explains why you don't see a reduction in it overnight or when you elevate your feet. You could try getting a new pair of trainers. Go to a specialist shop for athletic shoes and have them fitted by someone who can really watch you walk and recommend a shoe to aid your foot. Things like pronation and fallen arches can become more apparent in pregnancy. The right type of shoe can really help with this.

I wore Uggs a lot. They were easy to get off/on, but had to add some extra arch support. My husband and the midwife tried to take them off me at the hospital when I was in the throes of active labour, but I wouldn't let them b/c my feet were so warm and comfy!

xx

[snowboarder]

Am living in uggs too - but even they are now am effort to get on!! but once on keep 'em on all day for fear of not getting anything else on! Oh the glamour! Come on baby I'm ready for you now!!

[sillywoman]

SB, I know you probably already know this but . . . . if it's not going down overnight you should mention this to your midwife, as occasionally this kind of severe swelling can be a pre-cursor to Pre-eclampsia. It can also be due to just being heavily pregnant though :). If you get any of the other symptoms of Pre-E (headache, blurred/ fragmented vision or flashing lights, blood in the urine or a pain in your chest) you should go straight to MAU to get yourself checked out. And as charlottep says. keep an eye on your BP, hopefully you're seeing your midwife each week now?

Re the shoes - as you're 37 weeks so potentially have a couple more weeks to go might it be worth investing in some cheapish, comfy slip on shoes a size or so larger than usual just to get you through?