Parenting

"Swollen Feet" Jodie Lynn www.ParentToParent.com "Swollen Feet" -- If you are pregnant, you can relate to these moms! But, if you are a stay at home mom, you may be better off. I looked straight into the shoe clerk's face and wanted to cry. Well, why not? My once-medium-sized foot had now swollen to yet another size larger. While I used to wear a size seven, I now take a nine. A nine! We're talking about small boats here. Why, I'm only 5' 3" -- and shrinking fast! "How can this be?" The saleswoman looked at me, and I saw her trying to form an acceptable excuse as to why she didn't have the shoes I now needed, at least not in CANOE size. "Honey," she said, "don't even think about it." What, she was being nice? "I did the same thing when I was pregnant; just try to lay off of the salt." She then gave me a reassuring pat on the boat, er, foot. I did feel a little better as I squeezed into my old pair of sneakers and waddled out the door. Think you're the only one with big fat swollen feet? Well, read on moms-to-be and see what other mother ducks have done. Pam in Indiana - I wear comfortable shoes and get plenty of exercise by walking as much as possible. If my feet began to swell, I prop them up at night by placing a pillow under them while sleeping. During the day, I try to take mini-breaks and elevate my feet as a part of a pick-me-up regimen. This seems to help a lot. As an extra precaution, I take an additional pair of really "cushy" shoes everywhere I go to change into if needed. S. in TN - I tried to cut out salty snacks with each pregnancy. It was hard because this is what I personally craved. After changing shoe sizes twice in two pregnancies, a friend of mine who was a nurse gave me a great tip to help me with my salt craving. Buy saltless pretzels, get them wet by sprinkling a few drops of water over the top, and add "salt sense" very lightly (and evenly). Place in an oven for 6 minutes on 350 degrees and you've created a yummy snack. They have the salty taste but with a salt substitute. While this is not the perfect solution, it really did help. From Jodie : With being so short, I pretty much looked like a pregnant elf! I tried to watch my salt intake, but it was hard because we lived down in Cajun country where there's no such thing as a dish made with a "light" anything. I started taking snacks along with me everywhere I went so the temptation of fries and Cajun seafood wouldn't be too great. (This lasted all of a good two weeks.) I was in an outside sales position at the time and walked what seemed like a zillion miles every day. This was good and bad. Food, food and more food was everywhere I went. My doctor said to prop up my feet as often as possible. How is this done if you work outside the home, I wondered. I finally decided to spend the lunch hour in my car. I'd eat fruit and rice cakes while propping my feet up and reading. I read for one glorious hour. (Yeah, it sounds a little corny, but don't knock it until you've tried it.) It actually made a difference. Three months before the baby was due, I said good-bye to outside sales. When I found myself at home, it was easier to maintain my weight, baby and household duties and still get a little work done in my freelance writing endeavor. This is one of several advantages to working and/or being a stay-at-home mom. You can manage you and your baby's health and activities easier. Of course, I was not always perfect. There were a couple of time, (all right - three or four times) where I couldn#146;t resist crawfish boils and Cajun hot chips and I literally blew up like the Goodyear blimp. For these delightful naughty - I mean - rare slip-ups, the one thing I did that seemed to help, was to lie on my back with my rear and legs up against a wall. Don't forget to use a small pillow in the bend of your back. Well, it worked for me... now, if I could just get all of that salt to stop coming out of my ears... Jodie Lynn is an internationally syndicated parenting/family columnist. Her latest paperback book is Mommy-CEO, revised edition, Martin-Ola Press . (It's not just for moms!) -- check out her new e-book, "Syndication Secrets" at ParentToParent.com for more details. We now have new Mommy, CEO merchandise and logo! copy;2004 Jodie Lynn. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.