Fluid retention
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Category: Pregnant
Forum Name: Pregnancy
Forum Description: Pregnant! Wanting to chat to other mums-to-be (or dads-to-be)? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas... This is that place!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31201
Printed Date: 26 August 2025 at 3:11am
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Topic: Fluid retention
Posted By: Raspberryjam
Subject: Fluid retention
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 5:10pm
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I seem to be suffering from this already, by the end of the day by tum is huge and tight and quite uncomfy.
Has anyone else had or has this and knows how to stop it ?? ------------- http://lilypie.com] 
http://lilypie.com] 
http://lilypie.com] 
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Replies:
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 7:30pm
| Rest is the best thing (with your legs up), and strangely enough, drink lots of water is what I was told. But lots and lots of rest!! |
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 7:37pm
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Reduce the salt intake
And yes, feet up (though is that possible with a toddler  ) ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 7:47pm
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Does feet up work when its just your belly? Im sure I can do it, if I sit in the wendy house.
mmm salt - thats hard to do - im so a savory girl! Is it common to get this so early in pregnancy, I was huge and very puffy with Milla , but it was after about 32 weeks from memory. ------------- http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 7:52pm
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Is it a bit of bloating as well? I know tummies are usually bigger in the evenings than the morning - probably all the extra food/fluid in your system that breaks down overnight (but I really don't know, just surmising) ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 8:06pm
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To some extent quite likely! But Im not gassy, and have cut out bread cause I thought the same thing and rather than getting better its got worse. Like we had pizza on saturday and I looked 8 months pregnant so what i eat does play a part in it. ------------- http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 8:39pm
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I have been nosying about on the web and I ownder if im not drinking enough water - how much is enough? can you drink too much? ------------- http://lilypie.com]
http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 8:42pm
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Different for each person. The golden rule is 8C a day but if I have more than 4, I get really light headed and it throws my electrolytes out. From memory, when pregnant, you're meant to have an extra glass or 2 on top of what you normally have (though maybe more since it's yucky Auckland summer)? Good question for the MW! ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 27 January 2010 at 8:45pm
Yeah for sure, she is back from leave next wednesday. Thanks Flissty  ------------- http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: squoggs
Date Posted: 28 January 2010 at 2:41pm
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Hiya Raspberry Jam, I have been getting terrible fluid retention too - esp with exercise. It got so bad the other day when I was out walking that I lie down with my feet up a bank & send DH to get car to pick me up :-( I didn't realise how painful it could be to have legs that were so bloated. I was going to make a GP appt to see what could be done, but my MW told me not to bother, and apparently that much fluid retention is 'normal' in PG.
What I have found to help - drinking lots of water - it seems to flush the system out, and keep the fluid moving rather than retaining. Also I have actually increased my salt intake and found this helped. And I have gone back to the gym,after the first hard week I found that the exercise did help, and now feeling a lot better. I hope that made sense, sorry for the waffle :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: 0mrs0ana0
Date Posted: 28 January 2010 at 9:06pm
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I too am suffering bloating early on... I feel like I look 6 months preggers, DH reckons I don't look any different being only a minute PG, but I sure feel it!
I know that keeping up fluids helps but I'm already going to the toilet ALL the time... hmm... but I know I do need to up the H2O intake, fingers crossed that helps ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 May 2012
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Posted By: Raspberryjam
Date Posted: 28 January 2010 at 9:34pm
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Thanks squoggs - I did actually reply to you earlier but I lost the post and my monster was in perfect monster form today so I had to wait to get back on here.
Thats all good - expcept for increasing your salt intake ?? I am going to start swimming as soon as DH changes his hours to start a little later which may not be til march but will be good then anyway. And yeah the lots of water thing - I googled and apparently I could be holding on to water if Im not drinking enough - just means a week or so of extra peeing ( which is not that exciting when your already peeing for africa!) until your body gets used to it Apparently you can drink too much?? Will ask my midwife about that one - Im sure Id be sick if I tried to get too much in there Also, as Flissty suggested, some of it could be bloating - so a gentle increase in fibre may also help Sounds like your on the same page 0mrs0ana0 ------------- http://lilypie.com]
http://lilypie.com]
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Posted By: squoggs
Date Posted: 28 January 2010 at 9:42pm
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yeah, i know weird about increasing salt! It seemed to work though...maybe something to do with electrolyte balance & drinking so much water may deplete that?
Also, the extra peeing only seemed to last a few days, then I was back to the normal frequency. Regarding the bloating & fibre, I take a product called Phloe which has a kiwi fruit enzyme in it (I use it for IBS) but have found it fantastic for bloating (also I can't eat gluten or dairy :-( but this makes huge difference too). ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: MindyW
Date Posted: 28 January 2010 at 11:47pm
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If you drink too much water you can get low in sodium, which is why in hospital if you have low sodium you get put on a fluid restriction usually 1-1.5 litres depending on your levels.
I dont think there would be much that could be done about bloating of the tummy- though would be keen to hear what your midwife says ------------- My Beautiful Little Emily http://lilypie.com"> 
We've Waited for You Forever! |
Posted By: Rovic
Date Posted: 30 January 2010 at 5:38pm
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A tip from one of the mums to be at our antinatal group to reduce fluid retention, was to eat asparagas (?sp). APparently her mw told her and she said it had worked. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: babyg
Date Posted: 30 January 2010 at 9:49pm
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Ah, so maybe thats why I seem so massive by the end of the day (just in my belly too). I am terrible with drinking water, must do better. I read that in summer us preggo mums should be drinking between 8 and 10cups a day, I couldn't do that ------------- Ev, Mum to: Carys Ruby - 4 October 2007 Spencer James - 2 July 2010 |
Posted By: squoggs
Date Posted: 31 January 2010 at 9:36am
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babyg - I use a trick to drink water from my hangover days (a VERY long time ago!) I keep a jug of water in the fridge, and every time im thirsty I make myself drink a another whole glass - because its cold its easy to slug back :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 01 February 2010 at 12:15am
I had wicked fluid retention too, from about 20 weeks or so. My Ob/Gyn suggested upping my protein intake as well as fluids. And definitely LOTS of rest. An hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon with your feet up. I thought I was being a lazy ar$e and resting plenty but ended up on bed rest at 31 weeks (completely unrelated to the fluid thing) and my ankles actually went back to normal  So I clearly *hadn't* been resting enough (put that in your pipe and smoke it MIL!!!!)------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 01 February 2010 at 7:25am
| Oh...and I did aquanatal classes as well. After I got out of the pool was the only time I even remotely looked like I had ankles (just minor indentations where my ankles should have been, in my case) or could walk more normally. The water moving around your legs etc. helps the circulation and reduces swelling...it's absolutely amazing, next time I'm pregnant I want to do it right from the beginning instead of just in my third trimester. |