Why do you need compression stockings for childbirth and how to choose them?

During pregnancy, a woman gains weight, the uterus grows and presses on the lower veins. Because of this, many pregnant women know firsthand what hemorrhoids and varicose veins are. Therefore, women are recommended when carrying a child, special stockings, which are called compression stockings. They distribute the load efficiently and evenly.

But even if the expectant mother for nine months of carrying the baby did not resort to wearing such medical underwear, then she will be advised to buy it before childbirth, both before physiological and before a planned cesarean section. In this material, we will tell you for what purposes medical stockings are used in childbirth, how to choose such products, and how to use them.

What it is?

Compression is compression. Compression garments are clothing that fits tightly, compresses and supports certain parts of the body. This is primarily necessary for those who have circulatory problems. Such underwear is used by people who, due to professional duties, are forced to be in an upright position for a long time, as well as professional athletes undergoing serious physical exertion.

A pregnant and giving birth woman can be compared with an Olympic athlete, because the loads that her body undergoes sometimes exceed sports. Special medical underwear for the legs (stockings) has a compressive effect, the diameter of the veins decreases, blood begins to circulate faster through the veins of the lower extremities. Compression is distributed unevenly - it is always higher at the ankles than in the thigh area. Since the veins that are closest to the surface are compressed, the blood flow is rationally distributed to the smaller blood channels, and they are also involved.

As a result, more blood rushes to the heart, the pressure rises somewhat, blood congestion in the lower extremities, which cause so much trouble to pregnant women and women in labor, are eliminated. The venous network returns to normal, the feeling of heaviness in the legs decreases.

Such stockings have another name - antiembolic or hospital. They come in different types, sizes, different degrees of compression. In each specific situation, stockings of a certain category may be required.

Why do we need it?

The general purpose of medical compression stockings can be very diverse. But a woman may have questions about the use of such underwear in childbirth. This underwear is not considered mandatory, but it is strongly recommended in the following cases:

if your legs often swell during pregnancy;
if there is an obvious vascular network, asterisks, or varicose veins have developed;
weight gain during the gestation period exceeded the permissible norms;
if the patient suffers from cramps in the calves (reduces legs);
if there is a tendency to thrombosis.

In the course of physiological natural childbirth, all vessels of the female body literally experience cosmic loads. Medical medical underwear will help equalize blood flow, stabilize blood pressure, and maintain the integrity of blood vessels. Under the influence of intra-abdominal pressure, the development of varicose veins of the lower extremities is not excluded, and this disease often develops after childbirth.

In order to prevent such a complication, it is recommended to carefully support the vessels during the labor process with the help of medical linen.

If during physiological childbirth, stockings are recommended according to indications, then the Ministry of Health strongly recommends purchasing such a product to all pregnant women before a cesarean section. During and after surgery, the woman is in a horizontal position for a long time, and the intra-abdominal pressure is just as high. Therefore, there is a fairly real and tangible risk of postoperative thromboembolism - a dangerous complication in which a blood clot breaks off and blocks the lumen of the vessel.

An alternative in this case is an elastic bandage, which is pulled over the limbs of the woman in labor before the operation, and which remains on her feet for several days after the operation. But with a bandage, it is quite difficult to manually control the degree of compression of the blood vessels. They try to bandage so that the greatest pressure is in the area of the ankles, and gradually decreases from the lower leg to the knee and from the knee to the thigh. Another disadvantage is the possibility that the bandage will unfold. The stockings are made with the correct pressure distribution, and also cannot come off or come loose. Therefore, they have a number of significant advantages over bandaging.

Types and degree of compression

Medical underwear for legs is available in three varieties: knee-highs, tights and stockings. Wearing relatively short knee-highs is allowed during pregnancy, and only when the expectant mother does not have any special problems with the condition of the veins. They are good for eliminating the feeling of fatigue in the legs, because it is very difficult to wear a big tummy in late gestation.

Tights are not suitable for women in position as they exhibit a squeezing compressive effect on the abdomen. Compression tights are also not used in childbirth or during surgical delivery. The only convenient and optimal option for protecting the legs and blood vessels is stockings. They evenly distribute the load on the vessels along the entire length of the legs - from the ankles to the groin area.

The linen also differs in the degree of compression. This is a very important indicator that must be considered when choosing medical devices. There are four degrees of compression.

Class 1 products - the level of squeezing is not higher than 23 millimeters of mercury. Such elastic products are great for use while carrying a baby if there are no particular vascular problems or they are minor and are limited to spider veins and a feeling of heaviness in the limbs. Suitable for childbirth, but only on condition that the woman does not have problems with blood vessels, and she takes the product to the maternity hospital solely for prevention.
Class 2 products - the level of compression is estimated in the range of 23-33 millimeters of mercury. Such stockings are usually used by women who have varicose veins in the very early stages of development. These are the products that are best for elective caesarean section because they are a great way to avoid deep vein thrombosis.
Class 3 products - the level of squeezing reaches 45 millimeters of mercury. They are used for moderate and severe varicose veins, for deep thrombosis, and for changes in trophic properties.
Class 4 products - the level of squeezing is higher than 50 millimeters of mercury. Stockings are used for severe thrombosis, gross congenital anomalies of the limb vessels, for serious pathologies of the lymph outflow process. Like third-class stockings, they are used in the birth process only if the woman in labor has the listed problems. As a preventive measure, in the absence of problems with veins and blood vessels, they are usually not used.

There is another type of stockings - generic, created directly for women in labor, in which the pressure is evenly distributed over the entire area of the product. In addition, they do not have a sock, and the obstetrician during labor can determine by the color of the toes whether everything is in order with the blood supply to the lower extremities.

If there are no special indications for wearing medical jersey, then you can limit yourself to just such stockings. In the absence of them, it is quite possible to apply any compression stockings that were listed above, usually 1-2.

How to choose the right size?

If the compression is chosen correctly, and the woman miscalculated with the size, then it will be problematic to achieve the desired effect from wearing medical medical underwear: large stockings will not create the desired compression effect, and small ones will excessively tighten the legs and disrupt blood circulation.

Therefore, before buying, you need to take measurements from your feet. To do this, take a soft measuring tape and fix the following dimensions:

minimum girth of the lower leg near the ankle;
the maximum girth of the lower leg at its widest point;
step back from the knee up to 25-27 centimeters, and measure the circumference of the thigh;
measure the length of your legs from heels to groin.

These parameters are enough to choose the right size product. Antiembolytic stockings have a certain size chart, which must be consulted after taking the above measurements.

How to wear after childbirth?

How long it is possible to remove antiembolic stockings after childbirth is over is an ambiguous question. Much depends on how healthy the blood vessels and veins of the woman in labor were before childbirth, as well as on how and how the birth itself took place.

If a cesarean section was performed and the woman is healthy, then it should be borne in mind that some drugs used by anesthesiologists to relieve pain have the ability to dilate blood vessels. Therefore, in the first days, medical jersey is worn constantly, they sleep in it, they walk. After a week, a woman can start taking off her stockings, but only at night. The total time it is recommended to wear compression garments is about two weeks.

After physiological childbirth, in the absence of problems with the blood vessels, in particular, and blood circulation in general, it is allowed to take off the stockings after 4-6 days.

But these terms apply only to healthy women who wore medical underwear exclusively to prevent unwanted complications.

If the newly-made mother previously had problems with veins and blood vessels, then the timing of wearing underwear is individually determined by the attending physician or phlebologist.

Top manufacturers: overview and cost

Today, numerous manufacturers offer women a variety of models of medical linen. It should be noted that not everything that is called compression is in fact. There are a lot of fakes in this segment of goods. Therefore, when choosing, it is better to give preference to proven firms that produce anti-varicose stockings. Here are just a few of the names that doctors and patients say you can trust.

Relaxsan

A company from Italy that manufactures its products using the double braid mesh weave method. There are three compression classes in the line. Russian women are well aware of this brand of products; the manufacturer has been present on the medical knitwear market for a long time. The prices are very reasonable and attractive - you can buy stockings for childbirth for only 1400-1600 rubles. But, according to reviews, stockings do not differ in wear resistance and durability, they are not worn for more than two months.

An excellent option for childbirth, but during pregnancy, it is better to choose a product that is more durable so as not to overpay.

VENOTEKS

These products are manufactured in the USA. The uniqueness lies in the fact that this is perhaps one of the few manufacturers that takes into account the peculiarities of the physique of women with wide hips. In the line of models there are stockings especially for ladies with wide hips. Materials are used only natural and hypoallergenic, quite a lot of models are presented. Prices start from 1,700 to 4,500 rubles per pair. According to reviews, the stockings wear pretty well for a long time, do not stretch, and silicone rubber bands do not weaken.

Mediven medi

The line of these products is manufactured in Germany. These are very durable and reliable stockings with anti-varicose action. They have practically no drawbacks, except that the price is rather big. Such products cost in the range of 3000-6500 rubles. But it will be possible to wear them not only during pregnancy and childbirth, but also later, as needed, because there can be a lot of situations in which the vessels of the legs suffer in life. After long-term use, stockings do not lose their shape or appearance.

SIGVARIS

Swiss quality and Swiss precision - these two concepts can be rather capaciously characterizing such medical devices. Different colors, different fabric base for silicone elastic: satin, cotton. There are also rubber models that are needed for a woman with serious vascular problems. The cost is high, the starting price for low compression stockings is from 2,500 rubles, the most expensive high compression stockings cost about 10 thousand rubles.

Ergoforma

This Italian manufacturer has a long history and a worldwide name, the company has been operating in the anti varicose linen market since 1936. These stockings are very popular among women, since their cost starts at only 850 rubles. However, the stockings do not differ in particular wear resistance. But it is quite possible to take them to the hospital.

Whichever brand of products you choose, remember about compression and size range. Some items have their own dimensional table. Therefore, be sure to check it out on the manufacturer's website.