Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

There are a lot of pregnant women asking what causes swelling in feet. This is also known as edema and it affects women in all three trimesters.

Usually it reaches its peak during the fifth month. In the third trimester there is another peak that sometimes can scare women.

The causes of swelling in feet

It is good to know that during pregnancy the volume of blood of women increases by 50%. The swelling is caused by the additional fluid and blood in the body. There is a lot of fluid retained that is meant to soften the body to enable it to grow as the baby grows.

Factors of feet swelling during pregnancy

There are some factors that affect the swelling. In case you stand for longer periods of time, you should expect to see some swelling. In the same time if you don’t have the right amount of potassium, you could notice some swelling, too.

The sodium of your diet can be an answer to what causes swelling in feet. The sodium makes your body retain water which in turn makes your feet swollen. If you have too much caffeine it can lead to an edema. Heat may contribute to your problems too.

Reducing the swelling of feet in pregnancy

The good news is that there are a lot of things that you could try to make the swelling better. The most important thing that you have to remember is not to stand on your feet for long periods of time. This is because your feet are bearing your weight and the weight of the baby as well.

When you are asking what causes swelling in feet you should know that it is important to have your feet elevated when you are resting so that the fluids won’t get to your feet. If you have to sit at work all day, you should have a foot resting period to make the swelling of the feet better.

Believe it or not, when it comes to swollen feet during pregnancy, if you have more water, you can reduce the swelling. This is because your body will see that there is no point in retaining water, because it will have enough water to support blood circulation and encourage kidney activity.

Now you know what causes swelling in feet and what you should do to avoid the swelling so that your life as a pregnant woman will become easier.