7 Ways to Relieve Swollen Feet After A C-Section
In this post were talking about how to relieve swollen legs and feet after a C-section for our post-op mamas! We’ll give you the best remedies to stop the swelling get those puppies back to normal.
Relieving swollen feet after a c-section is probably one of the biggest thoughts and concerns on the minds of mama’s all over the world.
Swollen feet are seriously no fun, at all…especially after you’ve just had a c-section.
Your body is literally trying to recover after giving birth to a child, and you’ve also got to add swollen feet to the issues? No thanks.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to say “see ya later” to swollen feet with words, but there are ways that you can relieve swollen feet after a c-section that really aren’t that complicated at all!
Here’s the low down on how to keep those swollen legs and feet at bay!
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How to Relieve Swollen Feet After a C-Section
It’s actually quite shocking how painful swollen feet are.
The swelling in your legs after a c-section is no joke.
Retaining fluid can cause pressure and an uncomfortable feeling that no one likes.
And while it’s uncomfortable, it’s not uncommon.
Is It Normal for Your Feet to Swell After a C-Section?
In a nutshell, yes.
Anytime your body undergoes anything out of the ordinary, there’s always a chance that swelling will occur.
In addition to your legs and feet swelling, there’s also a chance that you may notice some additional swelling in your hands, face and c-section surgical area as well.
While some or all of them may be uncomfortable, the swelling will go down after a varying amount of time.
Keep in mind that swelling most times is just caused by the excess fluid that is found in the body.
This fluid has to go somewhere and typically goes to areas in the lower legs and feet.
Why Are My Feet Swollen After My C-Section?
During a C-section, you likely received a very large amount of fluid in your I.V.
Then hormonal changes in your body make you hold on to the extra fluid in your body, and the easiest place for it all to settle is your feet!
How long do feet stay swollen after a c-section?
So how long are my feet going to stay swollen?? If this isn’t the million dollar question!
Typically, swelling doesn’t last longer than a week, but there are factors that can change that number drastically as well.
If you aren’t doing your part in eating well, drinking fluids and trying to move about, your swelling very well could last longer than those 7 days.
Remedies for Swollen Feet After a C Section
We’ve found some of the best home remedies for swollen feet after a C section.
With these tips, you feet should look like your feet in no time!
1. Move Around
When your legs are swollen after your c-section, you need to get moving!
Of course, be careful here.
I mean, you did just had a c-section so this doesn’t mean that you need to go running or lift weights…
But you you should get up and move about or go for short walks here and there.
This can help circulate the blood in your legs which in turn will help the swelling start to go down.
Start by making a pledge to get up and move for a couple minutes every hour.
That way, you aren’t sitting still for long periods of time and you’re working your legs as well.
2. Put Those Feet Up
Quite contradictory to moving around more, right?
This applies to when you are already sitting down.
When you are sitting in a chair or on the couch, elevate your feet so that the blood and fluid has a chance to flow down from your feet.
Do this as often as you can.
You’ll notice a difference right away and might even find out that it’s the key to keeping your feet as un-swollen as possible throughout the day.
3. Say goodbye to salt
Oh, salt…While it tastes so good, it’s not very good for you when you’re already swollen.
As a matter of fact, eating salt can actually make your swollen feet even worse!
For the time following your c-section, you may need to consider just putting your salt shaker away for a while.
Is it really worth becoming even more swollen just because you needed a little salt on your food?
Just remember that it’s not forever.
Once you get over the swelling aspect from your c-section, you can reintroduce the salt back into your diet however you want. (Within reason and moderation, of course!)
4. Hydrate Yourself to Reduce Leg Swelling
You may be thinking that you don’t want to put in any more fluid in your already swollen body, but that’s completely opposite of what you should be doing.
The fluid that you’re holding onto that’s causing your feet to swell needs to be pushed out of your body.
And how does that happen?
By drinking water and staying hydrated!
That way, you’ll drink your fluids and then use the restroom to get them out.
The more hydrated you stay, the quicker you’ll release that extra fluid that is causing your swollen feet.
One helpful tip is to keep a water bottle with you at all times and keep it filled with ice cold water.
Not only does it taste refreshing, but having a full, fresh bottle of water makes it tempting to sip over and over again.
Without even realizing it, you’ll be drinking down more water than you ever thought possible.
5. Apply Cold Packs to Your Swollen Feet
Another great remedy for swollen feet after a C section is using cold packs.
Applying ice packs to your swollen feet is a great way to help the swelling go down.
Not only that, but it feels so good on achy feet.
Give your piggies a nice cold feeling and apply ice packs off and on every 15 minutes or so when they are swollen.
6. Limit Your Time Standing
Another great way to reduce swelling after a c-section is to limit your standing.
Standing upright in one spot isn’t good when your feet are already swollen.
In fact, doing this can cause the swelling to grow even more.
Why? Because the blood and fluid in your legs aren’t circulating to your entire leg, but rather dropping down to your feet area.
If you stand up and walk, that’s good because it’s giving your body time to circulate and move everything around.
To recap:
- Standing up and not moving = bad.
- Standing up and walking around = good.
7. Wear Support Stockings
Support stockings are amazing for swollen feet!
The light compression will help encourage the fluid to move back up your body and disperse more evenly until you finally pee it all out.
The type of socks I’m talking about are these socks.
These are actually the same ones I wore at work for 13 hours shifts, but they are great for postpartum too!
You can also get thigh high ones if your swelling goes all the way up your leg.
They will also relieve some of the pain if your swollen legs are feeling bogged down and achy.
One thing about these stockings though, you must check your feet and legs each day.
This means removing the socks completely (it’s best to keep them off for 30 minutes a day) and taking a thorough look.
We suggest this, because although it’s rare, sometimes the stockings can get bunched up in a certain spot and cause a skin injury. And the last thing you want is swollen AND wounded legs.
Obviously, this may be a bit difficult after a c-section, but try to get your partner or a friend to take a look for you.
[wps_note size=”17″ background=”#fae588″ color=”#333333″ radius=”3″]Pro Tip: With Compression socks, the easiest way to get them on your leg is to bunch them up from top to toe and slowly pull them up your leg.
Trying to stick your foot in the tube of the sock and pulling up, usually doesn’t work well.[/wps_note]
You Got This
While having swollen feet after delivery is no fun, there are things you can work on right now to reduce it!
If you find that you have to stand for longer periods make certain that during the moments that you aren’t standing, you’re applying some of these other methods mentioned above to your feet to try to help the swelling go down a bit.
Even putting your feet up for a very short time, or applying an ice pack for a few moments can be helpful to the swelling!
When it comes to you and your feet, don’t fret.
The swelling is temporary. Repeat that with me…the swelling is temporary.
Your ankles may hurt and you may feel as though they are going to be swollen for forever, but they aren’t.
Remember the tips listed above to help the swelling go down, and if you can’t remember them all, think this thought in your head:
You just got done having a baby, and your feet are swollen and hurting.
While your baby is resting, you need to be doing whatever you can to take care of you so that you can be the best you that you can be for yourself and your newborn.
Walking around in short spurts, drinking fluids, and putting up your feet when sitting are all quick and simple things that you can do to get rid of your swollen feet!
If you find that you are concerned by just how swollen your feet are, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor and see if he/she has any further advice on how to reverse the swelling of your feet.
