Pregnancy Symptoms: Swelling, Pain & What to Expect

Question
am 3 months pregnant with my second child, and I have been concerned about how swollen my feet ankles and all the way up to my knees have gotten within the past 2 days its hard to walk let alone wear shoes. Is that normal? also I have been experiencing this horrible pain in my right hand mostly my thumb and the palm of my hand below my thumb, the rest of my hand feels like its asleep like a milion needles are poking me... it only happens when i wake up in the morning but it hurts really bad to the point it wakes me up and i cant go back to sleep and the longest time its taken to get the pain to stop is 45 min and that was this morning. is this due to the pregnancy?

Answer
To a certainl extent, it is common to have swelling in the hands and feet during pregnnacy. The description of your hand symptoms appears to indicate that you are starting to get carpal tunnel syndrome. This is caused by swelling in the wrist which puts pressure on the nerve, artery, and vein and causes the numbness and pins and needles that you mentioned. Try to avoid flexing or bending your wrist whileyou sleep at night. Often it can be relieved by shaking your hand when you awake, or by purchasing splints from the pharmacy and wearing them at night. The selling in the feet is normal, but should not extend above the ankle. If you believe it is abnormal, have your obstetrician check it out and check your blood pressure as well.