What it is
Your feet are more swollen now than they were pregnant. Pregnancy adds a lot of fluid to the body. Labor often adds more through an IV. After birth, that fluid shifts out of the blood vessels and pools where gravity takes it: feet, ankles, legs, hands, and sometimes the face.
What's typical
Swelling often gets worse for the first few days and peaks around day three to five. Then it drains. Most mothers are back to normal within one to two weeks. Swelling in both legs that is soft and painless is the usual picture.
What's known
ACOG and the NHS describe this as expected and self-limiting. The warning signs sit next to it: one swollen painful leg can be a blood clot, and sudden swelling of the face and hands with a headache can be postpartum preeclampsia.
What helps
- Feet up above the heart when you sit or lie down. A pillow under the calves in bed.
- Drink water. Cutting fluids does not drain swelling faster.
- Short walks. Calf muscles pump fluid back up.
When to call someone
- Now (911 or go in): swelling in one leg only, with pain or warmth; shortness of breath or chest pain; or swelling of the face and hands with a severe headache or vision changes.
- Todayswelling getting worse after day five, or swelling with a fever.
- At your next visitswelling that has not cleared by two weeks.
Who helps
Tools: Postpartum Prep Checklist
Related
- Swelling: feet, ankles, hands, facePregnancy: Your Body
- Postpartum preeclampsia: the warning signsPostpartum: Your Body
- Blood clots: the signs to knowPostpartum: Your Body
- Night sweats, chills, and the hormone dropPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say
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Experiences and questions are their authors' own, not reviewed advice. The topic's steward lists the ones that help most in a credited digest once there is one. Unusual experiences stay, with a note.
Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Patient FAQ on your body after birth
- NHS — Your body after the birth
- March of Dimes — Your body after baby: the first six weeks
Sources are named, not yet linked. The steward verifies each one and adds the link.
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