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There is a method you can use to remove your ring....look up ring removal and string on the Internet....you can wrap your finger and put the string under the ring and slide it down. I was unable to wear my wedding rings from about that time on....until about 12 wks postpartum. Good luck. Also, cold ice water helps. Don't pull on the ring too much or it will cause your finger to swell and you to get anxious!

Also try elevating your hands above the level of your heart....submerge them in ice cold water for a little bit to vasoconstrict the vessels in the hand...slather your hand up with oooodles of greasy lotion and try taking it off then. My fingers are like stuffed sausages now and I have not been wearing my ring for a long time. Good luck:)

Thanks both of you for the advice! I've tried ice water, elevating my hand, soap, lotion, etc. but I think I just made the swelling worse. I'll try the string trick tonight. The frustrating part is that I have plenty of room to spin the ring around but I just can't get it over my knuckles. I am excited about having this baby but, god I can't wait until this is over!!!

how long did you do the ice water soak? it usually does work. just keep them in there for a while. and once you DO get the ring off - you can always get a larger sized one (perhaps an early "push" present - that you can wear on the other hand after your fingers get back to normal size.) or if that isn't in the budget - go to the local macy's or department store (maybe with DH) and pick out a nice replica one - or similar band that you can still wear as a representation of your devotion -- the sterling siver - or gold plated ones should take you thru the 9 months of swollen fingers and not cost a lot. you can then wear your original ring on a chain around your neck - closest to your heart!!

and BTW - fingers aren't the only things that are going to swell / change. don't be upset - embrace it - it's part of motherhood - a group some truly long to be a part of, but don't get a chance to be!

It finally came off! I kept my hand propped up over my head for half an hour and then slathered it with lotion and the thing slid off with barely any effort! What a relief! Julie, thank you so much for your comments. I've just been so emotional lately (I'm normally a very happy person : ) ) that I just haven't been feeling like myself. My husband actually bought me a beautiful peridot ring (my birthstone) for our anniversary a few weeks ago and it fits great on that finger with a little room to spare so I think I will wear that for the remaining 2 1/2 months. You are sooo right - not everyone gets this opportunity to have children so I'm definitely going to think about that next time I feel like complaining. Thanks again - I feel much better now!

Maybe you should call your doctor about this. Sudden swelling in the hands during pregnancy could be a sign of pre-eclampsia (toxemia) which can be dangerous to both you and your baby. I developed pre-eclampsia during my first pregnancy, which was with twins, and ended up on bedrest for the last month of pregnancy. Everything was going well until around the 34th week, when I experienced a sudden swelling of my hands, feet, and face. It turned out that my blood pressure had risen to a dangerous level. Everything turned out fine in the end, and I delivered two healthy baby boys at 40 weeks. Do you have any other swelling, besides in your hands?

Camille, I'm glad everything turned out fine for you. What did they do for you besides bedrest with pre-eclampsia? Is there medicine you take for the high blood pressure? I was concerned about the swelling and pre-eclampsia but so far the swelling has not gotten too bad - just uncomfortable. My feet tend to swell after I've been standing for a while but then again it has been in the 90's here the last few weeks - too hot! My ankles and face have not swollen up at all. I have an OB appointment this Thursday (I get to do the glucose test then - yippie!) and I will definitely be talking to her about the swelling just to be on the safe side.

My doctors prescribed COMPLETE bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy, and my blood pressure immediately went down. They said that if it hadn't gone down with the bedrest, they would have had to deliver the babies early. There is medicine they can give you for high blood pressure during pregnancy, but they don't like to give it unless absolutely necessary (i.e., if it is too early in the pregnancy to deliver the baby safely). I didn't mean to alarm you with my story, but I was worried when you said you noticed your fingers were swollen "all of a sudden." I'm glad you are having a doctor's appointment this week. Everything's probably fine. Good luck!

Not every doc is going to use this med...but Methyldopa is usually the med women get placed on for pregnancy induced hypertension.

My blood pressure has always been pretty low. Last month it was 98/62 but from what I've read it is supposed to go up the further along I get - I'm 29 weeks today. I've really started watching how much salt I eat and I've been drinking LOTS of water which seems to be helping I think. But I just hate watching tv anymore because it seems like there are a lot of shows that have women who develop pre-eclampsia and for some reason it just really freaks me out! So now I'm really paranoid about getting it - good to know that there are things that they can do or give you to help : )

Beagle I understand your fear. I DO have borderline high blood pressure 130/80s...but it seems to have been my baseline prior to becoming pregnant. Plus the left ankle/foot is more swollen than the right one and I also have gest diabetes since 20 weeks. Pretty worried about the whole preeclampsia thing. Being 40 just adds to the risk. I also have horrible carpal tunnel, major back issues and have NO energy. My doc doesn't seem too worried yet...but since I am now 30 weeks and everything gets worse from here?? Little nervous ya might say! Oh and did I forger to mention my prothrombin mutation which means I am more predisposed to forming blood clots??? Yep...just call me nervous nellie

Wow docbytch, I can see why you'd be a little bit nervous!!! I have absolutely no energy too and thankfully none of the other problems. You're almost there - only 10 weeks to go and it will be over and hopefully you'll start feeling better. I keep hearing that it gets worse from here on out and I keep asking myself "how much worse can it actually get in the next 11 weeks?" I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Are you on bedrest or are you working?

I am an emergency room nurse who works 12 hr nightshifts. It's per diem work which means pay is greater...but I've cut down a lot in the past 6 weeks due to all these problems. Nursing is a very unforgiving profession ironically. I am working only one day a week but really ought to be working more because our family kinda needs the cash! DH wants our son to be healthy more than anything though and he is understanding about how hard a 12 hr nightshift is on a pregnant woman with all my problems. It's almost to the point where I can't work at all....now that the shortness of breath is getting worse. Exercise? Hah! Yeah right. It's taking a huge toll just to go out in public to go to the store. I feel so helpless it's creepy. Not on bedrest yet believe it or not....but I am kinda banking that things are likely to get worse. Baby is okay at least!

That's a pretty demanding job that you have - I'm sure that you're on your feet all day! I just do the advertising for my husband's business so I have a pretty easy sit-down job plus I'm working on my master's degree so I'm not really on my feet too much. I guess the good thing about your job is that if something bad happens to you or the baby at work you're already at the hospital : ) You sound like a really strong woman so I'm sure that everything will turn out just fine - just hang in there!