Some of the effective home remedies for treating swollen feet or Edema during pregnancy includes increasing the intake of water, drinking herbal tea, avoiding salt, reducing the caffeine level, practising yoga, going for walking, etc.

One of the side-effects of pregnancy that one must grapple with are swollen hands and feet. Though normal, they make women feel uncomfortable. So, what can you do about this reality? Are there ways out of it? Can it be avoided?

Why do the hands and feet swell up during pregnancy?

Excess fluids in the hands and feet cause them to swell up, a condition known as edema. The blood volume of pregnant women increases by 50%. This fluid is good for the baby as it gets what it needs. During pregnancy, the enlarged uterus exerts pressure on the pelvic blood vessels and constricts them, which leads to swelling of the feet.

Swelling during pregnancy may also be due to:

• Lack of protein and iron in the body
• Insufficient exercise
• High blood pressure
• Poor blood circulation

Whatever the cause, it is important to treat it.

Home Remedies for Swollen Feet during Pregnancy

You can choose among all the home remedies listed below to bring relief to your swollen hands and feet:

1. Drink  Herbal Tea

Mix equal proportions of Cumin,Coriander and Fennel herbs, and use 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of each herb per cup of hot water. Drink 2 or 3 times a day.

If the swelling is severe, certain herbal teas made of diuretic herbs can help to stimulate the kidneys. Make a tea of punarnava or gokshura, or combine the two in equal proportion, add 1 teaspoon in hot water and drink 2/3 times in a day. This tea will act as a mild diuretic and will remove the swelling.

2. Drink more water

By drinking more water, you can eliminate the excess fluids in your hands and legs. If this sounds strange, here’s the rationale: When your body becomes dehydrated, your kidneys feel the need to hold back as much water as they can, but the water isn’t enough. By drinking as much water as you can, your kidneys will realize that they can get rid of extra liquid.

Read More: Health Benefits of Coconut Water During Pregnancy

3. Reduce your caffeine intake

The diuretic nature of caffeine causes it to increase the fluid level in your body which you throw out as urine. This leads to dehydration, leading the kidneys to want as much excess fluid as possible. By reducing your caffeine intake, you can get rid of swollen hands and feet. Of course, complement this with drinking a lot of water.

4. Bring your electrolyte levels back in the balance

To stay hydrated, you don’t need just water, you need salt too. So, get requisite levels of salt in your food. Apart from sodium which you get from salt, there are other electrolytes too that keep you hydrated. They are potassium, magnesium and calcium. You should take care to see that you have all these electrolytes in good balance by drinking salt water through the day.

5. Dandelion tea

Dandelion’s diuretic nature helps drain out excess fluid from the body. Boil this herb with eater and allow it to steep for a while. Drink it every day fresh.

6. Cucumber

This vegetable can absorb excess fluid from the body. Slice this vegetable and place the slices on your swollen feet and hands for about 15 minutes and see how the puffiness reduces.

Read More: Health Benefits of Cucumber for Babies

7. Cabbage leaves

Like cucumber, cabbage leaves too absorb all excess liquid from the body. So, it helps to place the leaves of this vegetables on all the affected parts of your body and cover it with cloth. This can reduce the inflammation and tenderness in the feet. Do this twice a day for best results.

Read More: Health Benefits of Red Cabbage for Children

8. Coriander seeds

Treat edema by soaking coriander seeds in a glass of water for a few hours. Next, boil it until the water reduces by half. Drain the liquid, cool it and drink it once a day.

Read More: Health Benefits of Coriander

Foods that are diuretic in nature will help reduce the inflammation in your hands and legs. These include cucumber, watermelon, apples and oranges, besides other citrus fruits.

Read More: 15 Miscarriage Foods To Avoid During Early Pregnancy

 Lifestyle tips:

1. Do Yoga

One great way of improving your body circulation is to exercise, and what better form of exercise than yoga for this? Join a class but not before consulting your doctor. If you have inhibitions about yoga, speak to an instructor who can tide you over all your hesitations.

Read More: 11 Yoga Poses to Improve Fertility

2. Don’t remain standing or sitting for long

If you go to work, you might find this difficult to do. But from time to time, it would help if you got up and took a short walk away from your desk.

3. Put your feet up

One good way of getting over your swollen feet is to prop up your feet. Do this for an hour at a time, in fact, it should be above your heart. This will drain the water and help to gradually decrease swelling.

4. Magnesium oil 

Magnesium is best absorbed through the skin, so it helps to spray a little of this oil on your arms and legs. Doing this will increase your magnesium levels and therefore help get rid of your swellings.

Read More: Home Remedies For Swollen Feet During Pregnancy

5. Exercise:

Walking everyday for 20 to 30 minutes will improve circulations and help reduce swelling.

6. Avoid Salt:

Salt makes the body retain water and promotes swelling. So it is best to reduce the intake of salt in your diet.

Conclusion

Your swollen hands and feet may look unsightly to you, but this isn’t a permanent situation. There are ways of bringing down the inflammation safely and inexpensively. So, try any one of these home remedies and bring the much-needed relief into your life.

Reference:

The complete book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies ( Vasant Lad)