Pregnancy calendar » Pregnancy
Swelling on the body appears due to the development of any disease or chronic pathology. During gestation, the cause is gestosis (late-term toxicosis), heart disease, and impaired renal function. The symptom can also occur covertly, affecting internal organs and the genitourinary system. In severe cases, fluid accumulates on the thighs, abdomen, upper limbs and external genitalia. A diuretic is used for treatment. During pregnancy, preference is given to herbal or folk remedies.
Edema during pregnancy
Fetal development places excessive stress on the body. A hormonal imbalance is the cause of the pathological process. If swelling is noticeable only to a pregnant woman, then there should be no cause for concern in this case. The disease is accompanied by swelling, which indicates a malfunction of the body. If the doctor notices a pathology, he must prescribe a diuretic.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, the pathological process can be diagnosed against the background of diseases of the cardiovascular and urinary systems. If a woman consumes salty or spicy foods in excessive quantities, this becomes the cause of pathology. It develops against the background of a lack of protein in the body. If a pregnant woman leads a sedentary lifestyle, this is also often the cause of the disease. If a patient is diagnosed with fluid retention during pregnancy, she is recommended to take diuretic teas.
In the 3rd trimester, swelling in most cases signals the development of gestosis. Before removing excess water using diuretics, the patient is recommended to consult a doctor and undergo appropriate diagnostics. If a representative of the fairer sex drinks a large amount of liquid for several days, this can cause swelling. Only a doctor can tell how much water pregnant women need to drink per day.
Why are internal edema dangerous?
While carrying a child, expectant mothers may experience not only external swelling, but also internal swelling. They are more dangerous at 37 and 38 weeks of pregnancy than in the first months.
The pathology of internal swelling can be recognized if there is an increase in weight. The optimal weight gain is 500 grams per week.
If weight gain increases by more than 1 kg, doctors prescribe various tests to identify the cause of the swelling.
There are a number of pathologies that can be dangerous due to internal swelling:
- The appearance of gestosis, fetal hypoxia.
- Premature birth.
- C-section.
- Development of fetal pathology.
In severe cases, after a full examination of the pregnant woman and identification of the cause of internal edema, she is placed in hospital treatment, where special therapy is prescribed.
Folk diuretics during pregnancy
If during pregnancy a woman is prohibited from taking pharmaceutical drugs, then she can take medicinal herbs, foods and teas that have the effect of relieving puffiness.
Diuretic products
Read more: Lingonberries during pregnancy
During the period of bearing a child, you can use products from berries and vegetables that remove excess fluid from the body.
Strawberries, which are consumed fresh, are quite effective in treating pathology. It is also recommended to use parsley roots, which are brewed with boiling water. In order to ensure complete fluid removal, it is recommended to take the drug three times a day. To relieve swelling, a single dose of the medicine is 1/3 cup.
The most commonly prepared decoction of berries is based on lingonberries and cranberries.
Diuretic fruits and vegetables are selected so that they do not cause allergic reactions. To prepare medicine from berries, it is better to use fresh products, which are pre-mixed with sugar and added to tea.
Read more: Cranberry juice during pregnancy
To ensure rapid removal of fluid, it is recommended to provide proper nutrition to the expectant mother. Consume drinks in minimal quantities. It is best to choose diuretic products, which will make it possible to overcome pathology without the use of medications.
Alternative to tablets
Today, kidney tea is used quite often to combat swelling in women during pregnancy. This product allows you to remove excess fluid from the body that can accumulate in tissues.
Kidney teas are available in a wide range of pharmacies. However, not all of them are allowed to be used during pregnancy. Remember that you should drink tea according to the instructions, and also exactly follow the prescription that your doctor previously made. This course of treatment should last no more than four weeks. In this case, one glass of tea is not drunk immediately, but this dose should be divided into three or four approaches.
Tea with duaretic properties is made from:
- Birch leaves.
- Horsetail.
- Bearberry.
- Mint.
- Oats.
- Linden trees.
- Viburnum.
- Birch buds.
Do not forget that any diuretic tea must be prescribed by your doctor. Self-medication of swelling during pregnancy on your own is prohibited.
Is it possible to take a diuretic during pregnancy?
Diuretics for pregnant women are characterized by a quick and harsh effect. If fluid removal is not observed, then it will be quite difficult to get rid of edema, especially in the later stages. In the third trimester, there may be a deterioration in the condition of not only the patient, but also the fetus.
To find out which diuretic herbs you can use during pregnancy, you need to consult your gynecologist.
If you have heart disease, taking certain medications is strictly prohibited. In the early stages of the disease, it is recommended to take herbal medicines for swelling. Treatment with special tea is also carried out. A diuretic drink makes it possible to remove fluid in pregnant women. If this medicine does not give results, it is recommended to take a diuretic at night. During the treatment of the pathology, the patient is recommended to eat properly, as well as adhere to the drinking regime. Also reduce your salt intake: take no more than 5 grams of the product per day. Despite the limited drinking regime, a woman should take at least 1.5 liters of water daily.
Medicines to eliminate edema
Diuretics for pregnant women, first of all, must be safe. We are talking about hypoallergenic drugs, the negative impact of which on the child is minimal.
Popular synthetic drugs allowed during pregnancy:
• Eufillin
is a diuretic prescribed for bronchial asthma. In addition, the drug has a pronounced diuretic effect. The medication is contraindicated for expectant mothers who suffer from low blood pressure and epileptic seizures.
• Canephron
is a combination drug from a German manufacturer. The main components are centaury, lovage, rosemary, etc. Dosage forms are tablets and alcohol tincture. Expectant mothers are prescribed diuretic tablets. This is explained by the fact that the tincture contains alcohol, which negatively affects the development of the fetus. Dosage of tablets – 2 pieces three times in 24 hours for 14 days. Doctors allow pregnant women to take this diuretic during the 1st trimester. Although it is possible to take the drug in the 2nd and 3rd trimester after permission from the gynecologist.
• Phytolysin
is a diuretic based on herbal components that has an antiseptic and diuretic effect. The drug is produced in the form of a paste with the taste of herbs and the aroma of essential oils. The paste is mixed with water and taken orally. Ingredients of the medicine: piraeus root, parsley, birch leaves, horsetail, knotweed, etc. Phytolysin can be taken by pregnant women only in the absence of acute kidney inflammation.
• Furosemide
is a strong diuretic for pregnant women, which is used for a short time in emergency cases. Suitable for women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
• Hypothiazide
is a drug from the thiazides group that helps remove excess fluid from the body. Pregnant women use the drug only according to medical instructions for functional kidney or heart failure. Doctors allow the use of a diuretic for pregnant women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
• Spironolactone
is a diuretic that does not affect the amount of potassium in the body. According to the results of medical studies, the drug does not have a negative effect on the embryo. But despite this, doctors recommend taking a diuretic for pregnant women in the 3rd trimester.
It is important to remember that almost all diuretics flush minerals and salts from the body. For this reason, while taking diuretics, foods rich in magnesium, potassium and other minerals should be included in the diet. In addition, you should pay attention to vitamin-mineral complexes that contain the substances described above.
What diuretics are dangerous during pregnancy?
In the second and third trimester, patients are strictly prohibited from using certain medications. The following should not be taken during pregnancy:
- Ethacrynic acid;
- Aquaphora;
- Triamterene;
- Vizcaldix,
- Lasilactone, etc.
Prohibited drugs are Furosemide and Dichlorothiazide. Taking these medications may cause kidney problems. It is worth noting that it is prohibited to take Teombromine, since tachycardia may be diagnosed in the fetus. The doctor may prohibit Hypothiazide, as it provokes an increase in blood pressure. Some patients develop thrombophlebitis and elevated glucose levels.
Diet
For mild edema, it is recommended to introduce diuretic products into the diet. For example, medications can be replaced with watermelons and melons, which have a pronounced diuretic effect. Also used for this purpose are lingonberries, cranberries, rose hips, and viburnum. Fruit drinks or compotes are prepared from the berries.
In addition, it is recommended to eat dried fruits: prunes, raisins, dried apricots, figs. These products are eaten pure or made into compotes.
Vegetables have a diuretic effect: tomato, spinach, cucumber, carrots. Vitamin drinks are prepared from these products; to do this, they are washed, cleaned and juiced.
Citrus fruits, grapes, apples, and pineapples have a moderate diuretic effect. You can squeeze juice from oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and other fruits or eat them in their pure form.
If a pregnant woman has edema, then the consumption of salty and spicy foods should be limited. To do this, gradually reduce the daily portion of salt and give up spicy seasonings. This way you will reduce the severity of swelling or get rid of it completely.
Drugs approved for use in pregnant women
This group includes medicinal products made from plants. For example, this:
- Canephron (composition: centaury herb, lovage root, rosemary leaves) has not only a diuretic, but also an antiseptic, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory effect. Allowed for use at any stage of pregnancy. Available in the form of drops and dragees. The tablet form is recommended for pregnant women, since the drops contain alcohol.
- Phytolysin (composition: extracts of parsley root, wheatgrass rhizome, horsetail herb, birch leaves, knotweed herb, mint, sage, pine, orange oils). Pregnant women can take it, but you need to be sure that they do not have an acute inflammatory process in their kidneys.
- Eufillin has a diuretic effect. You should not take it on an empty stomach, as there is a risk of intestinal disorders, headaches, and dizziness. The drug should not be taken if you have low blood pressure, heart disease, or epilepsy.
Source: beremennost.net
28-32 weeks of pregnancy: 5-6 meals a day
Metabolism has already increased by 20%! The baby grows, and, naturally, to create a body he needs more and more energy. Its primary source is glucose, a simple carbohydrate, which very quickly goes into the resynthesis of the energy molecule ATP.
The hormone insulin plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. It is released as a response to increased blood glucose and promotes fat deposition if the amount of glucose goes off scale. And this happens quite simply when consuming, first of all , refined, sweet and flour products , and most of all - industrial ones!
Take an interest in the GI table - glycemic indices. The higher this indicator, the greater the likelihood of converting glucose into fat. The list of dangerous foods for your figure includes polished rice, potatoes, pasta, and baked goods.
Complex carbohydrates from unrefined whole foods also contain glucose, but due to fiber, it is absorbed slowly and enters the bloodstream slowly, maintaining a stable, normal level. Sources: fruits, vegetables, greens, bran, whole grains, legumes.
Small meals 5-6 times a day (every 2-3 hours) will also help to constantly maintain normal blood glucose levels and prevent the wild desire to eat. And it’s easier for our digestive system, crushed by the large uterus.
During this period of pregnancy, sensitivity to glucose, which dominated in earlier months, is replaced by resistance to it. Insulin resistance is a decrease in the biological response of tissues to the action of insulin. Most often, it is a weakening of the sugar-lowering effect of the hormone. In practice, this means that more glucose will go to the baby, and less will contribute to the accumulation of fat deposits in the mother.
But this does not mean at all that you can relax and eat everything. Maintaining homeostasis, the balance of all processes, for two bodies at once is an extremely difficult task, and the main thing here is to avoid any sudden imbalances or too large doses of certain substances.
Moderation, caution and awareness are your best guides for objective responses to the body's desires. Learn to be a calm, wise, loving, but strict teacher now in your own body - this will help you develop the right mothering skills.
And, as we mentioned in the previous month, your decisions determine whether your child will be overweight. Probably, hypersecretion of insulin, a factor in hereditary obesity, is caused by the mother's indiscriminate eating during pregnancy. So now you are responsible for shaping his figure.
Thyroid hormones are, in a sense, insulin antagonists - they activate fat oxidation. It makes sense throughout pregnancy to maintain good thyroid function by eating seaweed - the best source of iodine, which it simply needs.
Prohibited drugs
Some diuretics for edema are strictly prohibited for expectant mothers. This is explained by the fact that they disrupt the development of the fetus, cause side effects in women, and impair blood circulation in the uterus and placenta.
Prohibited medications:
• Ethacrynic acid
can damage the hearing aid of a woman and child.
Long-term use increases the likelihood of hearing loss. • Triamterene
disrupts the water-salt balance and placental-uterine circulation.
• Veroshpiron
reduces the concentration of platelets in the blood, causing jaundice in the child.
• Theobromine
can cause tachycardia in the embryo.
Some diuretics are allowed to be used only for medical reasons. For example, after taking Dichlorothiazide
allergies, weakness, and dizziness are often observed. The drug is contraindicated in the 1st trimester; from the second half of the 2nd trimester it is allowed to be taken, but only under the supervision of a doctor.
Furosemide
inhibits the reabsorption (reabsorption) of sodium in the kidneys, accelerates the excretion of bicarbonates, calcium, magnesium and potassium ions. The medication should not be taken before the 13th week of pregnancy.
Hypotazid
can provoke hypotension, thrombophlebitis, increased concentrations of sugar and low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) in the blood. In addition, the drug disrupts liver function, provokes digestive disorders, temporarily impairs hearing and vision, and causes weakness. The drug is used from the 5th month of pregnancy and only under the supervision of a doctor.
There are many more diuretics that can cause side effects in the mother and disrupt the development of the fetus. For this reason, you should consult a doctor before using medications.
Benefits and harms
Properly selected diuretics during pregnancy help remove urine from a woman’s body, freeing tissue from excess fluid and normalizing blood pressure.
Diuretics during pregnancy:
- wash away valuable microelements (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron);
- promote salt deposition. This can cause osteoporosis;
- increase the risk of diabetes;
- provoke hormonal imbalance;
- addictive.
Use gravity
To reduce swelling in the legs, it can be very useful to do gymnastics for pregnant women and, as often as possible, raise your legs slightly above body level.
During pregnancy, if there is increased swelling, it is better to give up heels and switch to more comfortable shoes. It should not rub, squeeze the leg, deform the foot, and ideally the feet should not sweat in it. If your feet have significant swelling, you may even need to buy shoes a couple sizes larger - don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with that. If everything is in order with your kidneys and heart, then almost immediately after childbirth the swelling will subside, and you will return to your usual shoes.
Water is a key element of pregnancy
It is known that the human body is approximately 80 percent water. This means that water is the most important component of our body. During a normal pregnancy, even more water is collected, as much as 6–8 liters, 4–6 of which are outside the body tissues, and 2–3 in the tissues. By the end of pregnancy, about 3 liters of water accumulate in the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid. Another three liters are used to increase the mother’s blood volume, to grow and enlarge the uterus and mammary glands. This is such a flood! Note: this is designed so that there is a lot of water. Whether anyone likes it or not.
The volume of the liquid part of the blood begins to increase very early, from 8 weeks of pregnancy. But, for example, the number of red blood cells is only from 18 weeks. It seems that fluid accumulation is a phenomenon of paramount importance, since the body begins to deal with it so early. And it’s true: after all, how liquid and fluid the blood is, so quickly it can deliver nutrients for the growth of the child, uterus, and mammary glands. And blood can fill a whole new vascular system only if there is a lot of it.
However, the child’s vascular system and all the water space around him is not filled with maternal blood or plasma. Then where does the child get fluid from?
The placenta is a key character in pregnancy
So, we have come to the most important point in the physiology of pregnancy. From the mother's blood, everything necessary, and first of all water, is obtained by another main character of pregnancy, which is not well known - the child's temporary organ called the placenta.
The placenta begins to form like this. Approximately on the 7th day after conception, after traveling a long way through the fallopian tube, the embryo ends up in the uterus. An embryo is an unborn child in a vesicle, the shell of which is covered with villi. When the vesicle is near the wall of the uterus, it first attaches to it with its villi, and then gets to work: with the villi it rebuilds the vessels of the uterus so that they become dilated, full of blood, and around the villi itself they form a mini-pool of mother’s blood, which is constantly and quickly renewed . In this case, the baby’s blood in the villus and the mother’s blood in the pool do not mix. Much like a germinating seed, its roots absorb water and everything it needs from the soil, but not sand, clay and other large objects. “You provide us with building materials, but we know what and how to build,” both the embryo-child and the seed of the plant seem to be saying.
The seed takes roots from the soil only what it offers it. It cannot cause rain, or turn an underground source towards itself. Not so with the placenta: it is not a simple pump that pumps out what is given. No, she, in the apt expression of Michel Auden, is a “baby’s lawyer,” who, among other things, knows how to intervene in the physiology of the mother’s body and “squeeze” out of it what the baby needs. And if the blood pressure (and it is provided by water) in the placenta and the baby begins to fall, she will do everything to get the necessary fluid.
The placenta grows and develops; its construction also requires nutrients from the mother’s blood, and by 18 weeks its formation is generally completed. That is, by the time the child’s rapid growth begins, there should already be a powerful, functional placenta.
So, let's remember two facts well. First: the amount of water in the mother’s blood determines the amount of water in the child, as well as how well building substances will flow to him. Second: the placenta, as an active organ-advocate of the child, in case of shortage, will manipulate the mother’s body so as to receive enough nutrition and water. Up to conflicts.
Two more important substances are salt and protein.
The reader already understands why a lot of water is needed for a normal pregnancy. Now, in order to understand where and how problems with “water supply” can arise, we need to understand something more from physiology. Water to reach the child must be in the blood, in the vessels (and not, say, under the skin, in tissues, body cavities). What holds it in the vessels? There are two substances that pregnant women and obstetricians need to keep in mind: table salt and the protein albumin. If there is a shortage of them, water will leak from the vessels into the tissues, causing EDEMA. Vessels in this situation are like leaky hoses: no matter how much water you pour in, you won’t get the required pressure, and everything around is wet.
Albumin is synthesized by the mother's liver from the amino acids of the food that the mother eats. Therefore, it is important what she eats and how her liver works. Salt – comes from food, can be stored by the kidneys; salt metabolism is also regulated by certain hormones. Remember from physiology that the volume of the liquid part of the blood begins to increase very early, from the eighth week? Now remember what pregnant women crave during the same period: pickles, sauerkraut, herring, salted tomatoes.
