conception... pregnancy... breastfeeding?
if you've got the questions,
Barbara Dehn, RN MS NP has the answers.
nothing's off limits here!
I suddenly have varicose veins in my thighs and calves. Will these go away after I give birth?
Just when you’re getting used to other body changes, along come varicose veins. Seeing them can be quite shocking. The good news is that most of the time they get smaller during the first few weeks or months after delivery.
It’s difficult to predict whose veins will disappear and whose will stay. To be on the safe side, you can do a few simple things to decrease the likelihood that you’ll develop more veins, or to make sure that the ones you already have will not get worse.
If you need to sit for long periods, try to avoid bending your legs at the hip and the knee. The bend creates a bit of an obstacle for the blood returning to your heart and can make the veins more prominent. Try to put your feet up, if possible, and lean back to provide more room between your tummy and your lap.
How can I prevent stretch marks? Will scratching my skin cause stretch marks during pregnancy?
I wish I had a tried and true treatment to prevent stretch marks or to deal with them after pregnancy. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to have different genes - in other words, family history (which is completely out of your control) plays a huge role in how much elastin your skin has. Elastin helps determine how our skin stretches and if we will develop stretch marks or not.
Scratching does not cause stretch marks, yet sometimes stretch marks itch. Try using a cream to keep the skin moisturized. There was one study that found that pregnant women who wore bike short type underwear had fewer stretch marks - presumably because the fabric helped hold up the weight of the growing tummy and provided some support. It’s worth a try. Good Luck
About The AuthorBarbara Dehn is a practicing Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, award winning author, and a nationally recognized health expert. Barbara wrote and publishes a series of innovative and award-winning women's health guides on Fertility, Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding. Her Blue Orchid Guides have been used by millions of women across the country and were designed to “Empower Women with Information.”
Barbara practices with Women Physicians in the heart of Silicon Valley. She has over 20 years experience listening to and caring for women. She’s helped countless women and couples navigate their way through pregnancy and the transitions of parenthood.
