Cold hands and feet during early pregnancy

Since many pregnant women are experiencing their first pregnancy, any abnormal changes in their bodies will attract their attention. Because many women who suffer miscarriages do so because they did not pay enough attention to their bodies in the early stages of pregnancy, and some women in early pregnancy find that their hands and feet are often cold. Is it normal for pregnant women to have cold hands and feet in the early stages of pregnancy?

Why do my hands and feet become cold during pregnancy?

Reason 1: Indirect influence of pregnancy edema.

The most common symptom in the late stages of pregnancy is edema. Poor blood circulation and excessive salt intake are the causes of edema. If blood circulation is not smooth and the mother's blood supply is not sufficient, cold hands and feet may occur.

Reason 2: Maternal blood is being redistributed.

When a woman is pregnant, she is growing another life in her body, and the fetus also needs blood nutrition. So when a mother becomes pregnant, the blood in her body will be redistributed, with most of the blood flowing into the body of the little life, while the blood originally flowing to the mother's limbs will be reduced accordingly, and then cold hands and feet will appear.

Reason 3: It may be a symptom of certain diseases.

Inadequate blood supply is the main cause of cold hands and feet. Therefore, pregnant women with anemia, cardiovascular disease, eclampsia, etc. may also experience cold hands and feet.

Reason 4: Unbalanced diet.

During pregnancy, if the expectant mother does not have a proper balance of diet types, resulting in a lack of certain nutrients and insufficient blood supply, cold hands and feet may occur.

What are the ways to improve the cold hands and feet of pregnant women in winter?

1. Supplement iron to increase blood production.

Because the main cause of cold hands and feet is insufficient oxygen supply to the blood, you need to supplement more and produce more blood. Pregnant women in particular need iron supplementation, and different amounts of iron should be supplemented according to the situation at different stages of pregnancy.

The best source of iron is naturally from food. Pregnant women can eat more iron-rich foods such as liver, reddish meat, red dates, red amaranth, spinach, grapes, cherries, apples, plums, etc. Some pregnant women may not like to eat meat or other fishy foods. In that case, they should eat more iron-containing vegetables, eggs, yam, and drink more milk. Secondly, in order for the body to fully absorb iron, you should also eat foods rich in vitamin C. Pay attention to nutritional matching and develop good eating habits so that the body can produce blood better. Remember not to eat only one kind of food, which will definitely cause nutritional imbalance.

If a pregnant mother has anemia, heavy menstrual bleeding, etc. before pregnancy, and prefers to eat vegetarian food but not meat, she should pay more attention to iron supplementation after pregnancy and consult a doctor about the dosage limit of iron supplementation.

2. Keep your hands and feet warm.

Pregnant women who have cold hands and feet in winter should remember to wear thick pants or gloves. At home, you can add onions or ginger to rice wine and boil them together, then put your hands and feet on it to steam the steam. When the temperature drops to about 42℃, you can soak your hands and feet in the rice wine water, which will keep you warm and help blood circulation.

3. Increase blood circulation.

Although you need to keep your hands and feet warm, remember not to wear socks that are too tight and should be elastic. Pregnant women can put a pillow or bolster under their legs when sleeping. They can also massage or apply hot compresses to their legs by themselves or ask their family to help them increase blood circulation.

There are many things that expectant mothers who are nurturing a life in their bodies need to pay attention to. Anemia is easy to occur during pregnancy, so they should supplement iron appropriately according to the doctor's advice. In addition, if the pregnant mother has a partial or picky diet, she should try to correct it for the health of the baby and strive for balanced nutrition.