Swollen Feet

This morning one of my Mamas wrote a FB airing her 8 months of pregnancy grievances. Hot NYC weather, inability to roll over in bed or touch her toes which have swollen into little vienna sausages. Inspired by her, I've put together the following informational sheet about swollen feet and natural remedies. I've also been inspired to create either a foot soak or a foot massage oil for my Etsy shop. Stay tuned!

Kavanah Doula-Tips for Managing Swollen Feet

What causes swelling in pregnancy?
Swelling (oedema) is triggered by increased pressure in the veins of your legs, and by pressure from your growing baby on the big veins in your groin. Water retention adds to the problem.

Swelling is common. About half of all pregnant women experience swelling around their ankles, particularly in the last few months of pregnancy. You may find your fingers, face and lower back become swollen too.

The swelling in your legs usually gets worse as the day progresses, especially if you are on your feet a lot. Gravity makes the fluid build at the lowest point. Hot weather and being tired can also make swelling worse. You'll probably have oedema in your feet and ankles, and in both legs.

Call your doctor or midwife if the swelling:
• Moves up your calf and leaves an indentation when pressed, or is sudden or severe in your face, hands or feet. If this happens in your third trimester, it could mean that you have pre-eclampsia.
• Occurs only in one leg, particularly if your calf is red, tender and lumpy. These can be symptoms of a blood clot in your vein (thrombosis).

If your wrists and hand are swollen, you may have carpal tunnel syndrome, which is when the swelling compresses the channel of nerves running up your arm.

Your swelling is likely to become temporarily worse in the first three or four days after your baby's birth.

As your body recovers after birth, all the extra tissue, blood vessels and fluid needed during pregnancy now need to be dissolved and expelled. This makes you pee a lot more, though your kidneys won't yet be able to cope with the extra fluid. Some of the fluid will build up in the tissues around your body until it can be passed out of your body.

How can I prevent swelling?
It may not be possible to prevent some swelling from developing. But you can prevent it from becoming severe. Severe swelling can make your legs painful and your skin tender.

Try to eat a balanced diet so that you put on a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy. Your diet should include a small amount of lean protein such as meat, poultry, eggs, beans and pulses, with each meal.

Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Aim to reduce how much salt, sugar and fat you have and drink plenty of water to help your kidneys to filter the excess fluid.

Some foods may help to maintain good kidney function and make you pee more (natural diuretics). These include celery, watercress, parsley (in small amounts), apples and citrus fruits. Onions and garlic may help to improve your circulation.

Try to avoid eating pre-packaged, highly processed foods that contain both salt and other additives, as these can make fluid retention worse. Opt for foods which are naturally rich in vitamins C and E.

Good sources of vitamin C include:
• Citrus fruits
• Melons
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Dark leafy greens (Kale, Collards, Spinach)
• Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts
• Kiwi fruit
• Papayas
• Strawberries
• Bell Peppers
• Papaya

Foods rich in vitamin E include:
• Sunflower seeds
• Wheatgerm
• Sweetcorn
• Cashews and almonds
• Leafy Greens-kale, spinach, mustard greens
• Swiss Chard
• Broccoli
• Olive Oil
• Papaya
• Kiwi
• Bell Peppers
• Asparagus

Smoking may contribute to your swelling, which is another good reason to quit during pregnancy.

What tips can I try to ease swelling?

Rest as much as possible, putting your feet up above your hips by resting them on a stool. Try not to cross your legs, as this restricts your blood flow. Sit down when you can, and if your work involves standing for long periods of time, move about from one foot to the other to increase blood flow.

Ask your partner to massage your feet and legs gently, using both hands and working upwards from feet to knees, using a base oil such as grapeseed. However, if your legs are excessively swollen and the skin is very tight, this may be too painful for you.

Dandelion tea, an herbal remedy, may help to prevent fluid retention, but don't take this if you have a gall bladder condition. Always drink herbal teas in moderation during pregnancy.

Which complementary therapies could help?
Acupuncture may help. The theory is that it rebalances your internal energies and aids your circulation and kidney function. Osteopathy and chiropractic treat misalignments in your skeleton, which may be placing stress and tension on specific areas of your body, restricting your blood flow.

Foot massage may help to relieve your swollen ankles, and reflexology may ease swelling and the discomfort it causes. Choose a registered reflexologist who is qualified and insured to treat pregnant women.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a549316/swelling-natural-remedies#ixzz2dCHN3ioN

Soothing tired, sore, achy feet can easily be relieved by using carefully selected aromatherapy oils in a footbath or as massage oil.

Best of all, these oils will provide you with an instant pick-me-up leaving you feeling invigorated and refreshed. Pure essential oils such as Litsea cubeba and Grapefruit (Citrus paradise) have excellent anti-inflammatory and calming properties and also treat swelling water retention, fatigue and insomnia. In addition, Ginger essential oil acts as a pain, eases aches and cramps also improves circulation. Cypress oil is particularly good for circulation and varicose veins. Lavender and chamomile oil may ease your discomfort and make you feel more relaxed.

Tips to Help Soothe Swollen Feet
There are a number of things that you can do to ease swollen feet during pregnancy and prevent further foot problems and these include:

• Take short breaks during the day and elevate your feet to relieve the pressure
• Stretch and flex your feet when you are sitting down
• Wear shoes that fit properly and avoid wearing high-heeled or tight shoes while you are pregnancy as they will constrict circulation
• Exercise regularly to ensure optimum health – practice walking every day
• Shop for shoes towards the end of the day as feet tend to swell as the day progresses
• Measure your feet often throughout your pregnancy as they will change in size
• If you suffer from over-pronation, use custom-made inserts in your shoes
• Wear compression hosiery to keep the pressure from fluids down
• Wear seamless socks that do not constrict circulation
• Eat healthy, well balanced meals and avoid foods high in salt that can cause water retention
• Drink plenty of water to keep the body hydrated, reduce swelling and improve circulation
• Have a relaxing foot massage to soothe swollen feet and stimulate circulation
• Soaking your feet in tonic water can help relieve swelling

Water Retention Massage Oil- safe throughout pregnancy to help reduce swelling
2½ tablespoons almond or coconut oil
½ tablespoon jojoba oil
1 Evening Primrose oil capsule (approx. 10 drops)
2 drops tangerine oil
1 drop lemon oil
4 drops cypress oil
4 drops lavender oil
3 drops geranium oil
This can be used throughout the pregnancy.  Just relax on the sofa, with your legs raised on pillows.  Apply this aromatic massage oil to your feet, ankles and legs, massaging toward your heart to help circulation.  (The help of your partner would certainly be appreciated.)

Recipe from Young Living Oil website

The Truth About Baby Oil and Vaseline-Looking for a Few Good Babes

Ah, Johnson's Baby Oil. It's iconic script and scent are what memories are made of. I remember when my nephew, Shane, was born. His skin had the distinct smell of baby oil and the silky softness, no doubt from the baby oil his Mama and my mother who often watched him applied to his wiggly body after a bath. Johnson's baby powder along with a good schmear of Vaseline was the routine of my aunt and my mother. No doubt, what her mother has done and her mother before her. It's what we always do and like many things we used to do, it turns out it's not so great for us.

Let's start with Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder. The ingredients seem simple and straight forward: Talc and Fragrance.The fragrance is made with almost 100 different chemicals which often include phthalates, a human carcinogen that may adversely affect human reproduction and development.

Next up, Talc. According to the American Cancer Society Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up of mainly the elements of magnesium, silicon and oxygen....In it's natural form, some talc may contain asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled.

Next up? Baby Oil and Vaseline

Baby Oil: again the ingredients are seemingly simple; Mineral Oil and Fragrance.
Mineral Oil -Most often, mineral oil is a liquid by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum-based products from crude oil.

And Petroleum Jelly is simply Petroleum Jelly.

Petroleum jelly is a byproduct of oil drilling, and when you spread it on your lips, you end up eating it, which is essentially the same as drinking gasoline. Add up the amount of lip-gloss the average woman uses (and consumes) over a decade, and it equals 7 pounds. The European Union has banned many petroleum jelly products, and experts are concerned they could be linked to cancer. Women with breast cancer have twice the levels of hydrocarbons (substances found in petroleum jelly) in their breasts than women who haven’t had breast cancer. Steer clear of any products that list petroleum jelly or mineral oil on the ingredient list.     ~~~Dr. Oz 

 Crazy, huh?

As my partner and I plan and prepare for our own TTC journey in the winter I've been doing some digging into the major products that usually find their way onto baby shower registries and in the rooms of babes to see what's out there and try to figure out what I can do to make our house safer.

It's honestly how I started creating the products I already make-find ways to make the stuff that we normally reach for without parabens, artificial fragrances and synthetic ingredients.

I'm partnering with a friend to create some salves and have been researching petroleum jelly alternatives and baby powder alternatives that are made with everyday, natural ingredients-that work just as well.

Of course there are a lot of amazing products out there, with ingredients that you can read and understand.
Check out this blog entry for a list of ingredients another blogger found for her and her family. It also has a simple recipe for petroleum-jelly-free vaseline.

I'll be cooking up some more products in my kitchen and can't wait to share them with you! Until then, check out my Etsy store for a wonderfully lush belly butter made with coconut oil and shea butter for growing bellies, massage oils made with jojoba oil as a baby oil alternative and my birthing room sprays.

I'm looking for a few Mamas with babies in diapers to try these new products in September. The products will be made with all natural and organic materials, I'll send you small samples of each-baby oil, baby powder and a vaseline alternatives approximately 1 oz. I'm asking that you send me the flat rate USPS shipping cost of $5.70 and follow up with a quick questionnaire after you've used the products for two weeks. If you're interested in trying out any of these products, please leave a comment or send me an email.

Kavanah Doula Room Sprays

 Last night I blended 100% pure essential oils with distilled water to create two, individualized scents for a friend and expectant Mama in Maryland. This Mama wanted Kavanah, the lavender-based scent and Pick Me Up which is citrus-based.

 I pulled out our old type writer to make the labels. I like the old-fashioned feel of a typed letter. I'll be honest-it took a lot of playing around to get the labels to line up perfectly, which I sort of liked. Like making these blends, recipes I borrowed and slightly adapted from an essential oil workshop I took this spring, working the machine is all about intention, kavanah. I knew I was sending them out to a friend, a woman who would be giving birth for the first time, so I wanted to make sure that I stayed focused on the task, enjoyed myself and didn't dwell on the frustrations of an old and clunky machine.

Because I make each scent to order, and essential oils tend to change over time, I only used my recipes as a guide. I mixed and sprayed and mixed again until I was happy with the scent. I then went to our garden and plucked some fresh lavender and sage and tied it all together with kitchen string. I finished it all up with a little note of thanks and it's going to ship out tomorrow!

I currently have three scents for the birthing process; Kavanah, Pick Me Up and Root Down, but I'm working on two more this weekend. Using the workshop notes as a guide and an essential oil encyclopedia I hope to debut the two new room sprays in August.

Kavanah: The essential oils in this blend can allow focus and relaxation during labor. Ingredients: Distilled water, Lavendar, Clary Sage*, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Orange**
Pick Me Up: The essential oils in this blend can be invigorating and uplifting, great for a boost during labor. Ingredients: Distilled Water, Orange, Grapefruit***, Frankincense
Root Down: The essential oils in this are very grounding, thiscan be a great post-labor blend. Ingredients: Distilled Water, Clary Sage, Grapefruit, Cedarwood, Frankincense

*Clary sage is thought to help induce labor. For this reason, Kavanah should be used during active labor.
For non-pregnant women, Clary sage is thought to relieve pre-menstrual symptoms.
**& *** Caution should be taken with Citrus-based essential oils. When used liberally, avoid prolonged exposure to the sun

Please note that my essential oil sprays and massage oils are very diluted (100drops max to 2 oz water) and shouldn't cause problems when used, but please talk to your provider.