Compression Socks For Pregnancy Swelling – (Cute Designs!)

Pregnancy: You and You’re Growing Baby

Pregnancy is an amazing and super emotional roller coaster in life. From the day you find out, and every single day after until birth you will find yourself trying to figure out how decisions you make will impact you, your health, and your new baby’s health. A lot of times as a mother you may find yourself neglecting yourself to give your all to your baby, this includes pregnancy.

There are so many different symptoms you will encounter from morning sickness to cravings, swelling, and even round ligament pain. There are also countless remedies you will search for and find throughout each trimester and through each, you will find that some work and some don’t. I will walk you through a few items that you deal with per trimester and give some possible solutions. I will also be sharing the best item that is a for sure fix for swelling and varicose veins.

First Trimester

One of the hallmark first trimester symptoms is morning sickness. Morning sickness can leave you sick all day, or just sick for part of the day. It can last a trimester, or it can last the entire pregnancy, it’s a literal roll of the die. Morning sickness is just the beginning of the multitude of symptoms you encounter during pregnancy.

What Can Help Me?

Most of the time you will find medication to be prescribed to help with morning sickness, but a few home remedies include ginger, snacking more often, drinking more water, and ice-cold slushies.

Second Trimester

The second trimester is when you find yourself super hungry, all the time. You will want to eat almost anything you crave. One of the more common symptoms here is the aches and pains associated with a growing baby, organs moving, uterus expanding and ligament stretching. Other common complaints include leg cramps and leg pain. This is even more so if you are working on your feet all day. You might also notice some spider veins forming due to the strain on your legs all day from your growing baby. Varicose veins are also visible by this trimester since your blood volume has increased the flow has increased and your veins end up pressurized causing the veins to bulge. Sometimes varicose veins are also strictly hormonal.

What Can Help Me?

A couple of major items you might see other pregnant women utilizing at this point are a pregnancy pillow and a belly band. These items help support the weight of the baby. Another major item recommended is compression stockings. These will help if you have to stand on your feet all day. Keep reading to find out which specific ones would be best for you.

Third Trimester

Lastly, in the third trimester is when you will find yourself to be the most uncomfortable. By the beginning you have a baby as big as a cantaloupe, and at the end as big as a watermelon. It’s important that you keep yourself as comfortable as possible during this last trimester. In this trimester you will encounter swelling due to your blood volume increasing, hormones changing, and your blood pressure changes as well.

What Can Help Me?

A few items that can help include belly bands, compression socks, and that pregnancy pillow. In the last trimester, the weight of the baby really starts to take a toll on your legs, and those leg cramps, swelling, all get worse over time. Utilizing a mix of the belly band and compression socks during the day, and the pregnancy pillow and compression socks at night can really ease up that uncomfortableness. This is also around the time that some women are put on bed rest. Compression socks are best utilized here as well. Keep reading to find out why.

Compression Socks

By now you are probably wondering what compression socks are, and why they could possibly help you. Compression socks or compression stockings help promote blood flow from your legs to your heart. This starts through compressions being provided starting at your feet and then slowly up your leg. Compression socks are made for just the feet, up to your knees, and even up to your thighs. The most common ones are up to your knees. Compression stockings help in a variety of ways.

What do Compression Socks Do?

Compression socks promote blood flow from your legs to your heart through gradual compressions that are done through the stockings. By improving that circulation, compression socks help to reduce a variety of other ailments. Not only do compression socks promote blood flow,but they also help to reduce swelling in the legs. Other items compression socks prevent and/or treat are:

• Varicose veins – as mentioned earlier these can be caused by the increased blood flow in a pregnant woman, as well as through hormone changes
• Spider veins- these can be caused by too much strain in one’s legs, including working on your feet most of the day
• Ulcers- these can be caused by a variety of factors but is mostly found in individuals with diabetes or with low blood circulation
• Deep vein thrombosis- this is caused by low blood circulation
• Edema – swelling mostly found in those with diabetes
• Joint pain – can be found in almost anyone, but more specifically athletes

Why Should I Wear Them While I’m Pregnant?

The main reason to wear compression stockings is to prevent or reduce the chances of having varicose veins. Varicose veins are a common effect in pregnancy due to the high blood volume and hormone changes. Spider veins are also pretty common due to the strain of carrying the baby over time.

You might be asking if it’s safe to wear compression socks while pregnant, and it is actually very safe and highly recommended to wear them. While it may not prevent varicose veins 100% of the time, it does do a good job of decreasing those chances especially if worn sooner than later.

Another reason you should wear compression socks is that it can help reduce swelling that’s common closer to the end of the third trimester. The swelling can be so uncomfortable, but you can rest assured that the compression stockings will keep that under control, while also making sure to promote that blood flow from your legs to your heart, which in turn promotes blood flow throughout your entire body.

What Types Should I Buy?

You will find stockings that are almost like pants, where it goes up to your belly and you will find stockings that are just to your knees. You will find it best to wear one that goes up to your knees only to provide that optimal compression. They have absolutely cute designs as well, so it’s a win-win.

There are several different levels of compression socks as well. There’s 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, and even higher. The most common type you’d likely purchase is the 20-30mmHg. These provide the gradual compression you need to help reduce and prevent swelling in your legs while also helping ease those varicose veins from forming. The type of compression is labeled as millimeters of mercury or (mmHg), this is how you know how tight your stockings are that you are buying. All can be purchased, but anything higher than 40 needs to be prescribed.

Compression Sock Designs

There are so many different types and designs that you can buy. There are ones that are spotted, some that have pieces of artwork imprints, and some with fancy designs on them. The design helps wearing compression socks to be more fun and easy to wear. You can find any stocking to match your style and your personality. You can wear them with dresses as well. Compression socks can literally be your next fashion accessory, along with that cute new diaper bag.

What Should I Look For?

When searching for compression socks you will want to make sure that you are picking ones that are comfortable to you. Comfort is number one. Second, you will want to check for what the specific type will do for you. You will want to find the right socks to target varicose veins and swelling. You’ll also want to ensure that you are buying 20-30mmHg stockings. Aside from comfort and the right fit, definitely find ones that you find cute and with a design you love. Finding things you love is important when you’re already not feeling 100% comfortable. The design also helps you feel more like you’re just wearing socks than wearing a type of sock to help with your swelling.

Being pregnant can be uncomfortable at times, especially when the swelling starts. Take charge of that uncomfortableness and let compression stockings help ease some of that burden and make compression socks a part of your day to day life.

This page last updated January 7, 2022