Water Retention - natural remedies

Ahhh the hot weather, glorious for most us but for those carrying a minature incubator around, it can be hard work - ankles may start to swell and the lethargy can kick in. Water retention and swelling can be really problematic for some women, while people joke about ankles, I have known some women to have swelling in thier hands leading to carpel tunnel syndrome which can cause quite a bit of discomfort.

Usually water retention is worse in the morning and in the evening, but it can can happen any time of the day. There are lots of methods of beating water retention and allowing yourself to be more comfortable and sleep better. Before you try any of these - if you think your swelling is getting worse, mention it to your midwife as swelling can indicate other issues and it's a good idea to get yourself checked over.

Here are my tips to beating water retention:

• Drink, drink drink. You may not feel like it but water can help flush your system out, it's also really important to keep yourself hydrated during warm weather. Also try cranberry juice this can act as a diuretic and can help ease swelling resulting from oedema. Cabbage is also a diuretic so try that as well - munch it raw or make yourself a salad with it.


• Stock up on bananas. Bananas contain high amounts of potassium, which helps eliminate fluid retention. If you can't stand bananas, try raisins instead.


• Try applying an ice pack can help bring them back to normal size. Wrap a light towel around the bag, and apply for five to ten minutes. A bag of frozen veggies also works well.


• Lift your legs! Exercises that work the calf muscles help move blood and excess fluid out of the ankle area. If ankles swell while seated at work, try lifting your legs up parallel to the floor every few minutes. During breaks, walk around the office or up the stairs. Spend a portion of the lunch hour on your feet, exercising.


• Keep your feet up. While resting, reading, or watching television, prop your legs up. A little help from gravity can go a long way in draining fluid from swollen limbs.


• Make sure that you are wearing comfortable clothing - if you have to squeeze into your trousers (which may be the case later in pregnancy) you can be guaranteed that pressure is being placed on your upper thighs and waist, in turn restricting the removal of fluids from the lower legs.

You can also use visualisations to help reduce water retention, make yourself very relaxed, imaging your whole body relaxing, taking deep slow breaths. Then visualise all your blood vessels allowing the blood in your body to flow freely, allowing water to subside and flow in its natural way. Imagine how your body is when water is flowing freely and imagine the skin relaxing and becoming more comfortable. When you are pregnant your capillaries leak fluid due to hormonal changes so you can imagine patching up those leaks and making your capillary walls stronger and more robust. Imagining the fluid to move freely through your body.

Give it a go and listen to a free sample mp3 on reducing water retention. Click here to download