During pregnancy, a woman undergoes amazing changes, much of what seemed important and significant fades into the background. The expectant mother is in such an unusual state of body and soul, a comparison with which does not exist. However, this period provokes in women all kinds of deviations in health. This is not surprising - the burden to which the body of the expectant mother is exposed for several months is commensurate with those of athletes or astronauts.
Toxicosis, pressure surges, dizziness, constipation, edema - almost any pregnant woman faces similar problems. To such complications include numbness of the limbs. If you have numb hands during pregnancy, do not worry too much, but you should understand why this happens and how to deal with it. This article answers many questions that arise in similar cases with expectant mothers.
Causes of numbness
Imagine for a moment that a woman’s body is a complex mechanism. During pregnancy, the details of this “mechanism” begin to work intensively in emergency mode. This can cause malfunctioning of those sites that have a “marriage” (dormant or chronic diseases). Unfortunately, modern medicine cannot replace the “details” of a woman, but to reduce malfunctions in the body of a pregnant woman is a completely solvable task.
Tunnel syndrome
If a woman’s hands go numb during pregnancy, she tries to understand her feelings and describe them. Many complain of tingling in the fingers, some have pain, sagging, or a feeling of unpleasant burning sensation. However, in all such situations, patients use the word "numbness" in the description.
For many women, it seems that their hand just went numb, for example, after sleep. However, later, already in a free position, numbness does not go away. Often, such phenomena are observed in the second and third trimester.
Gynecologists reassure pregnant women, arguing that there is no cause for concern. The cause of such complaints is tunnel syndrome. This disease often occurs in computer scientists due to the prolonged load on certain joints and tendons of the hands. Most often this happens when working with a computer mouse for a long time.
With tunnel syndrome, a nerve is pinched in the carpal tunnel. This causes pain in the arm, numbness and weakness in the palms begins. If the future mother is right-handed, she has a numb right hand during pregnancy, and for left-handed women, respectively, her left. As you can see, it is the working limb that is susceptible to tunnel syndrome. If you start this disease, in the future, complete muscle atrophy may occur , it will be impossible to clench your hand into a fist. It should be noted that women are more prone to such phenomena than men. Do not postpone a visit to a specialist for a long time, as we see, the consequences can be more than serious.
Metabolism and numbness of the hands
Those who have diabetes mellitus, circulatory disorders, malfunctioning of metabolic processes, osteochondrosis should pay special attention to the signals that the body sends. Such mothers very often have numb hands during pregnancy. You must inform your doctor about this so that he helps you choose the right treatment. Often, a well-designed daily routine and diet help clear up all symptoms.
Osteochondrosis
If you have numb hands during the night during pregnancy, or if it occurs after a day's rest in the supine position, there may be a problem in osteochondrosis of the cervical and / or thoracic spine. Such phenomena cause a decrease in motor activity, an increase in body weight. Damage to the spine, such as a hernia of the intervertebral disc, can also provoke a situation in which the fingers become numb during pregnancy. This happens due to pinching of the nerve going to the arm from the spinal cord. Usually in this case, the ring finger is numb , as well as the little finger.
Why do my hands go numb during pregnancy?
Often with arthrosis of the vertebrae of the cervical spine or due to overstrain of the muscles located in this part, unpleasant numbness occurs. It is recommended to move more and sit less, do warm-up or neck massage more often.
A low-salt diet should be followed. To alleviate the condition, you can do yoga or special gymnastics. Be sure to go ahead and consult with your doctor or a professional instructor leading courses for pregnant women.
Swelling and numbness of the hands
Hands become swollen and numb during pregnancy quite often. In this case, you should definitely visit your doctor for a consultation. The fact is that excess fluid in the mother’s body is a danger to the baby’s health. In this situation, doctors usually prescribe a salt-free diet. It is not necessary to reduce fluid intake - it does not affect, and it is proved, the formation of edema.
Numbness of the left hand
Doctors suggest that in this case, the reason lies in the disruption of the heart. If the “engine” of the body does not work well, circulatory disorders begin, and as a result, hands become numb during pregnancy, especially the left. However, not only heart failure provokes this process. Lack of physical activity, immobility, improper nutrition also often lead to numbness of the hands. As a rule, during pregnancy, your hands go numb at night, especially in the first trimester. Later, such sensations may begin to appear throughout the day.
What to do if fingers grow numb during pregnancy?
If you have a metabolic disorder, just drink a complex of good vitamins for pregnant women. Often after this all the symptoms disappear. If numbness appears due to iron deficiency anemia, medications that make up for iron deficiency should be taken.
It is advisable to visit a good specialist at the planning stage of pregnancy, who will be able to diagnose diseases in a woman in time, and then cure them. Then, during the bearing of the child, unpleasant sensations will not occur or their manifestation will be minimized.
Low physical activity
Some pregnant women stop moving actively, fearing something to harm their unborn baby. They believe that in this way they protect their fruit more reliably. However, this is not quite true. If there is a decrease in activity, a set of calories begins, especially since pregnant women usually do not complain about appetite. Excess calories lead to rapid weight gain, poor blood circulation and congestion. At the same time, there is a shortage of minerals and vitamins, and as a result of all this, hands become numb during pregnancy.
Gymnastics for expectant mothers
If there are no visible causes of numbness in the limbs, especially if the woman had never complained about pain before, you should review your diet and increase physical activity without fail. An excellent solution would be daily morning exercises. A well-designed complex will help to relax or, conversely, develop certain muscle groups. This will help to remove the “clamp” of nerve endings.
If during pregnancy your hands go numb, the expectant mother needs to walk more, do business outdoors. This will increase blood circulation, saturate the body with oxygen, which will beneficially affect the health of both mother and baby.
Proper nutrition
There should be many different foods in the diet of a pregnant woman — everyone knows that. Those pregnant women who observe numbness in their limbs should definitely include foods rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium in the daily menu. Among these products can be called unrefined oil, kefir, milk, cottage cheese, various cheeses. Introduce pumpkin and sunflower seeds into your diet, eat more fresh herbs, vegetables. In winter, eat more legumes. Drink at least two liters of water - it will help to better assimilated trace elements necessary for the body of a pregnant woman.
Should significantly limit the starchy foods, especially if there is a feeling of acute burning sensation in the right hand or the left hand is numb. Limit or exclude fresh bread and potatoes from your menu. For numbness, soft-boiled eggs, citrus fruits, and dried fruits are recommended. Freshly squeezed juices from carrots, celery, cucumber are very useful for expectant mothers.
Be always healthy!