Tell me about maternity support hose/socks

[CharmedOne]

I had terrible swelling with my first pregnancy. Looking back, I should have worn some kind of support hose. But being a SoCal resident, I usually don't wear any kind of pantyhose or socks unless it's very cold. DS1 was a summer baby!

Anyway, I noticed I'm starting to get some swelling again. My midwife mentioned early on in my pregnancy that I can just pick up a pair at Nordstroms if I needed some. I don't know anything about compression hose let alone maternity support. What should I look for? I prefer a trouser style or knee high if they exist. I normally wear knit pants and jeans. I can't remember the last time I actually wore pantyhose!

Also I been receiving a lot of e-mail advertisements for MommySox (www.mommysox.com). Do you think they are worth it?

Caroline

http://lilypie.com/pic/070603/vb1E.jpg http://b3.lilypie.com/2Vyrm7/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif 29 months

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev024pr___.png

[MamaMolly]

I bought my hose at the maternity store and I loved them. I hardly ever wear full hose, but these were sooo wonderful and I wore them in DC in August/September (hot, hot, hot and muggy). It really helped with my very bad swelling, and kept my legs from feeling so tired.

I have a weird thing about knee highs, I always feel like they are cutting my legs at the tops, no matter how loose or tight they are. I couldn't imagine how creepy it would feel to wear knee high compression hose.

I'd get a pair of each and see what you like. Oh, and remember to baby them. I wore one pair to death and got a hole in the inner thigh and was too cheap/stubborn to throw them away. So one a day we were doing a looooong walking tour of the National Zoo. I ended up with nasty bloody blisters on the inside of my thigh. Lovely to explain at the OB!

HTH,
Molly

[CharmedOne]

I'm glad to hear you liked the pair from the maternity store. I heard they can be terrible quality.

Caroline

http://lilypie.com/pic/070603/vb1E.jpg http://b3.lilypie.com/2Vyrm7/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif 29 months

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev024pr___.png

[s7714]

If you just need light support I say try one of the cheapo pairs from Motherhood, etc. first. If you need something more supportive, try www.ameswalker.com . They often have sales and have full lines from light compression to medical grade compression hose.

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Limit Tester 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org

[teddy]

I was fitted for my hose at a medical supply store. My doc recommended the full length hose but the fitter said since my vericose veins were only around my ankles, I could get away with the knee highs. Plus I only had veins on one leg so there was no need to wear them on the other leg.

They were basically tubes of tightly woven, thickish, flesh colored nylon that I had to wear just so my toes stuck through, all the way up to my knees. The tops and bottoms were not tight though, just the nylon tube part. As ugly as the hose was, it was great to wear. My leg did not throb or ache with it on. And I wore the hose in the dead of hot, humid Chicago summers - twice. I didn't wear shorts those summers but even when I wore skirts, no one seemed to notice that my skin tone on my legs looked different.

Anyway I can't remember how "tight" the grade of hose was but they do definitely come in different "tightnesses (is that even a word?)." If you feel a lot of pain, you might want to get to a medical supply store for your hose. I did need a prescription from my ob to get them. You can also submit the hose purchase to your insurance company to see if it's covered.