Child Development

One of my pregnancies problems is varicose veins and spiders. I had some spiders on my right leg before pregnancy, but it became much worse now. So I decided to find some information about this problem. Look what I found.
Many women first develop varicose veins or find that they get worse during pregnancy. Because during pregnancy there is a huge increase of amount of blood in the body. This can cause veins to enlarge. And your progesterone levels rise, causing the walls of your blood vessels to relax. Also as your uterus grows, it puts pressure on the large vein on the right side of your body, which in turn increases pressure in the leg veins. Veins are the blood vessels that return blood from the extremities to your heart, so the blood in leg veins is already working against gravity.
Doctors say that pregnant woman more likely to get varicose veins if other members of her family have had them. Actually I don’t have anybody in my family with such problem. If you have varicose veins, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you get older. That is not good news! Being overweight, carrying twins or higher multiples, and standing for long periods can also make you more susceptible.

But the good news is that varicose veins usually improve within 3 months after delivery!

There are some steps to prevent varicose veins and spider veins from getting worse:
Rest frequently. The less you exert your body, the less pressure you will put on your veins.
Exercise to increase blood flow and circulation.
Sleep on your left side. Wedge a pillow behind your back to keep yourself tilted to the left. The largest vein in your body is the vena cava and carries the largest amount of blood through your body. Because it is located on the right side of your body, lying on your left side will decrease added pressure on the vein.
Elevate your feet often to increase blood flow. When your legs become fatigued and sore, sit with your feet propped up on a table or chair. Don’t cross your legs or ankles when sitting. Don’t sit or stand for long periods without taking breaks to move around
Do not stand or sit for long periods of time. If you must stand for a long time, shift your weight from one leg to the other every few minutes. If you must sit for long periods of time, stand up and move around or take a short walk every 30 minutes.
Eat a low-salt diet rich in high-fiber foods. Eating fiber reduces the chances of constipation which can contribute to varicose veins. High fiber foods include fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, like bran. Eating too much salt can cause you to retain water or swell.
And I understood that the best way to keep our legs beautiful is to wear special support hose. Prescription-strength hose, known as graduated-compression stockings, work best and are available from medical supply stores and pharmacies. These stockings are twice as thick as normal pantyhose. Tight at the ankle, they get looser as they go up the leg, making it easier for blood to flow back up toward your heart. As a result, they help prevent swelling and may keep your varicose veins from getting worse. Put them on before getting out of bed in the morning, while you’re still lying down, to prevent blood from pooling in your legs, and keep them on all day.
I got this special support hose for myself. I am wearing it the whole day. Yeah, it really helps. Now I don’t have any ache and heaviness in my legs, feeling of heat and tenderness over my veins. And there is one more good thing. I don’t see my legs during the day because this support hose is black and very thick. When I go to the bed and put it off my legs look not so bad. That calms me down!!! And it is very important for me. But, my God, how difficult to put it on in the morning! And the summer is coming! It is gonna be so hot to wear it! What I’m gonna do?
Besides, doctors say that I should wear support hose at least 6-8 weeks after giving a birth to my baby. My God! I’m not sure I can do this. Too hot!

After I stop to feed my baby I decided to make sclerotherapy. This is the most common treatment when the doctor injects a solution into the vein that causes the vein walls to swell, stick together, and seal shut. This stops the flow of blood and the vein turns into scar tissue. In a few weeks, the vein should fade. The same vein may need to be treated more than once.
This treatment is very effective if done the right way. Most patients can expect a 50% to 90% improvement. Microsclerotherapy uses special solutions and injection techniques that increase the success rate for removal of spider veins. Sclerotherapy does not require anesthesia, and can be done in the doctor’s office.
Possible side effects include: temporary stinging or painful cramps, temporary red raised patches of skin, temporary small skin sores, temporary bruises where the injection was made. I think I can handle it and have nice legs again!!!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 at 4:52 pm and is filed under About pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.