It happened very quickly. I woke up one morning and my hands felt slightly stiff. As I curled my fingers and tried to make a fist I realized they felt… fat. I managed to turn on the light, only to see what looked like someone else’s hand, with fingers that could only be described as marshmallows. Ah, pregnancy induced edema: it’s not just “cankles” you have to worry about.
The part that bothered me the most was the fact that my wedding ring no longer fit. I don’t wear a lot of rings, but my wedding ring is very special to me and I’m sure many of you readers can understand. I also didn’t like looking single. I felt like I would walk out into the world with my large pregnant belly and immediately be judged. So, I found a new home for my wedding ring and a new ring for my swollen finger.
I didn’t want to leave my wedding ring in a box for the next several months, so I dug out a white gold chain and removed the pendant. I slid the ring onto the chain and wore it as a necklace on most days. One of my friends was selling Lia Sophia jewelry at the time and I booked a party hoping to snag some free jewelry. I found the perfect wedding ring stand-in: a silver ring with tiny crystals and mother-of-pearl set in the wide band. It was completely different from my wedding ring and yet totally glamorous. Even better, it gave my swollen fingers room to breath and room to grow. I don’t care if it doesn’t fit me now, I’m holding onto it for the next time I get pregnant!
Did your hands swell up when you were pregnant? What did you do with your favorite rings? Did you move them to a different finger? Slide them onto a chain and wear them as a necklace? Or did you store them away until you could wear them again?