Shanshan (pseudonym) started to have lower limb edema after the third trimester. As long as she walked more, or after sitting for a long time at work, her muscles felt tight and swollen when she returned home, and she couldn’t even put on her shoes. , I was looking forward to quickly recovering my original slender figure after giving birth, but how did I know that my lower limbs would become more and more swollen after giving birth?

After giving birth, mothers feel that they should be able to return to their pre-pregnancy appearance soon , but often things backfire, you will find that apart from the small changes in your stomach, other places, whether it is the face or the limbs, are round and round , and the meat is still very soft, as if it is not normal. In fact, mothers may not be really fat, but postpartum edema.

Blood volume increases by 30-50% during pregnancy Hormonal changes lead to increased vascular permeability, decreased plasma albumin, and decreased osmotic pressure in the body, resulting in water retention in the interstitial spaces, which is more obvious in the later stages of pregnancy. The enlarged uterus will compress the inferior vena cava and pelvic cavity of the body The veins that affect the venous blood return are not smooth, resulting in blood retention.

Generally speaking, within 3 days after giving birth, nearly 1,000ml of water will return from the tissues to the blood vessels. One week after giving birth, the parturient will obviously feel sweating and urination. The increase is a normal drainage phenomenon in the body.

Why do you get edema after delivery?

Postpartum edema is generally divided into pathological edema and physiological edema. Pathological edema includes pregnancy toxemia, gestational diabetes, and pregnancy-induced hypertension , pregnancy kidney disease, etc., will cause severe edema during pregnancy and even postpartum, and the original heart and kidney diseases are also prone to cause edema, and these conditions may aggravate the edema.

Physiological edema often occurs in the following situations: push water to the periphery (such as limbs and face) during delivery, Uneven maternal diet, resulting in insufficient albumin content in the blood, low colloidal protein content in the blood, insufficient osmotic pressure, water will easily run from the blood vessels to the body tissues; or the diet is too salty and tastes too much Heavy water retention, etc., may further affect the edema situation. If you have iron-deficiency anemia, thalassemia or more bleeding during childbirth, anemia and dietary problems may aggravate the edema.

In addition, during the confinement period, people often lie flat on the bed for a long time, sit for a long time, etc., and it is easy to compress the iliac vein, which affects the venous return of the lower extremities. Moisture accumulates in the lower extremities, increasing swelling. Another possibility is secondary abnormal excretion of urine and urine caused by perineal pain after delivery, resulting in a temporary inability to urinate or a decrease in urination, or edema due to urinary retention.

Traditional Chinese medicine to help restore a perfect body easily

< p data-track="19">Postpartum edema is related to TCM viscera “spleen” and “kidney” in TCM theory. In addition, the depletion of Qi and blood after delivery will also affect water metabolism, which is not conducive to water elimination. In addition, the inferior vena cava is oppressed by the uterus, and poor blood flow or varicose veins can also easily cause swelling of the lower limbs. In Chinese medicine, it is also treated from the perspective of “blood stasis”.

Postpartum edema Traditional Chinese medicine often adds spleen-invigorating and damp-reducing medicines, such as Poria cocos, Coix seed, Alisma, and Plantago, to the conditioning of qi and blood etc., or medicines for invigorating blood and diuresis, motherwort, eupatorium, etc. Black bean water, red bean water, and barley water in common confinement meals also have the function of promoting water.

In addition, there are many External use can help. For example, ginger water was often used in ancient times to dispel wind and cold, promote water and reduce swelling, and promote blood circulation. It has the function of invigorating blood circulation. The commercially available formula is often combined with mugwort, grass moss, lemongrass, etc. to enhance the effect of dispelling wind and cold and dispelling dampness. Massage or scraping can stimulate the meridians on the body surface locally and improve the reflux of the lower limbs. It is recommended to follow the The spleen and kidney meridians are strengthened, and a centripetal massage is done.

Cooperate with a “low-salt” diet and reduce the intake of processed foods to avoid water retention in the body, increase Do moderate exercise to increase gastrointestinal motility, help with defecation and urination difficulties, and restore the body’s blood metabolism and circulation. In addition to simple leg lifting exercises, you can also advance to the ankle heel lifting movement through the active muscles Shrink to squeeze blood vessels and lymphatic vessels to help return flow.

When will you be able to postpartum Start losing weight?

Postpartum obesity is defined as 10% more than pre-pregnancy weight 6 weeks after delivery. It is generally recommended not to lose weight within the first month after delivery Especially lose weight to avoid the body not being able to obtain enough calories and affect milk secretion. During the confinement period, consume low-fat, low-sugar, low-salt, balanced vegetable and fruit protein, etc., and use simple stretching exercises to remove water and help the body’s metabolic function to return to normal. Only by losing weight can you get twice the result with half the effort!