Is it too early for slight swelling?

[Deleted]

My fingers hands swelled a lot from 20 weeks on. I also developed pregnancy related carpal tunnel syndrome (who even knew that was a thing!). My doc wasn't worried about the finger swelling at all as long as my BP remained normal.

Drink more water.

[gibbinator]

I started getting slight swelling a little later on in 2nd tri...maybe 25ish weeks? And stopped wearing my rings for comfort reasons. It never really got any worse than that except when I was dehydrated or standing for a long time.

[greekypie]

I'm way swollen this time around since about 8 weeks. My watch won't fit!!

[holly116]

I'm already noticing a little swelling this time around too and I think we're due around the same time. I just make sure I take my rings off before bed because it seems to be worse overnight but I can still wear them during the day. With my first pregnancy when I was due in August I was out of my rings around June and my fingers went from a 5 1/2 to about an 8. When I had DS in February I was fine in my regular rings till like 38 weeks. In my experience its pretty weather/humidity dependent.

[halfpint]

I stopped wearing my rings a couple of weeks ago - I fell asleep on my left side (arm/hand underneath of me) with them on, and had a very scary 10 minutes where they would NOT come off. Finally a shit-ton of hand lotion and a very painful wrenching motion and they came off. The swelling comes and goes, mostly in my fingers, sometimes in my feet/ankles. My blood pressure has always been fine, and if I consciously drink more water and avoid sodium, it usually remedies itself.

I'd say at this point, it's worth keeping an eye on to make sure it doesn't get worse, and just mention it to your doc at the next appt, but it sounds normal to me.

[chickens987]

May 9, 2013 9:27:42 GMT -5 swizz said:

May 9, 2013 9:20:37 GMT -5 holly116 said:

In my experience its pretty weather/humidity dependent.

So  being due in mid-September and living in DC is probably not going to turn out well for me? LoL

it was terrible for me

[chickens987]

May 9, 2013 9:42:29 GMT -5 swizz said:

This is why I've pretty much told everyone not to expect much/anything from me at work or home after like mid-July, lol.

I had to fly to MKE to run a conference last July. I told my Exec Director in advance that I would be wearing flip flops but would stay behind the reg counter as much as possible; fortunately she was cool with that. And we have casual dress all summer which helped

[Deleted]

Not too early. I feel like I didn't start swelling until later last pregnancy, but this one I did early and then it went away (and now it's back again). Walking helps a lot for me, although most of my swelling is in my legs - in my thighs somewhat oddly - and yoga seems to help a lot too. I remember reaching a point where I couldn't wear my rings last time, but haven't reached it this time (at 32 1/2 weeks) - everyone, and every pregnancy is really different. If you start to notice a LOT of swelling, I'd call the doc to be sure everything is OK.

ETA:  My swelling the last 4 weeks (late july/Aug) was really bad last time.  I tried to keep my legs propped as much as possible, but there's not much you can do about Aug in DC.  Even with that I loved having an Aug baby because it was great for getting out when the weather was nice in early fall. 

[ijack]

how warm has it been? are you eating salty foods? taken your BP lately?

[ijack]

I'd grab your bp next time you're at walgreens or whatever, and maybe try and cut back on salt. It's probably normal, but I always err on the side of caution

[ladygrey]

My rings are a bit tighter than usual. I have to have wet or lotioned-up hands to take my rings off at night. I think it's just one of those lovely pregnancy-related symptoms, and it probably doesn't hurt that the weather is warming up too.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Not too early. I started swelling in my hands this time around at about 18w.

When I went in for my cerclage at 20w, I had to remove all jewelry, and could barely get my wedding and engagement bands off, and they usually are a bit big for me. I was glad I removed them then b/c if I'd waited any longer, it would have been bad news.

[chia]

Last time around, at around 20 weeks my fingers started swelling, and at 25 weeks, my ankles and feet started swelling like MAD. OMG, it was terrible.
Hasn't been the case this time around (yet).

If you're starting to see swelling in your fingers, you might want to start wearing compression socks to prevent foot swelling. It's a pain, but you'll thank me later.
My doc said 20-30hcg when flying, so I'd think something like these 15-20hcg socks would be good for "normal" wear.

[djc315]

I am prone to swelling and switched my rings out for a cheapie around 24ish weeks. The heat is not your friend!

[ryry]

I was noticing a lot of swelling early on this time around too. I stopped wearing my wedding rings early on (last time I had to stop around 34 weeks), but weirdly in the past week or two I can actually wear them again. So maybe it's just temporary?

I still have the stupid leg swelling I had last time, but earlier. I am insanely jealous of pregnant women who can wear short skirts/dresses. My legs are like tree trunks by the end of the day. I've stocked up on maxi dresses so I have something to wear when the weather gets warm.

[ijack]

I loved searching for a fake ring to wear

[holly116]

May 9, 2013 11:36:18 GMT -5 swizz said:

Thanks guys! I'm downing water and trying not to get up too much today (I was up a lot yesterday and then cleaned most of last night).

Praying for a seasonably cool summer, lol, and I'll look for a cheapie fake set of rings in case I need them (I irrationally hate not wearing any rings.)

I'm the same way!  I need some sort of wedding band.  You can find cheap sets at places like Macy's or even Kohls.  DH's uncle holds a jeweler's license for family and friends and we can get everything at cost so with my b-day next month I think I'm going to ask for a sterling silver/cz set in a size 8 lol.

[Deleted]

If your feet and ankles start getting it, I have to rec compression stockings. They are the best.

[LaceyV]

I started slightly swelling around 16 weeks. Not terribly but my rings were feeling uncomfortable so I switched them to a chain. I tried lowering my salt intake and drinking more water and that seems to have helped a bit.

[daisybuchannan]

May 9, 2013 9:10:09 GMT -5 @libgrl said:

My fingers hands swelled a lot from 20 weeks on. I also developed pregnancy related carpal tunnel syndrome (who even knew that was a thing!). My doc wasn't worried about the finger swelling at all as long as my BP remained normal.

Drink more water.

Ditto.

It wasn't until about 34 weeks that my ankles and legs were elephant status. 

My watch was too tight around my wrist at around 30 weeks. I genuinely though I just gained a ton of weight, but it was just water retention (thank god).

[niq]

msniq definitely noticed foot swelling at week 20, not sure about hands.