Numbness

Numbness or tingling in your hands, fingers or toes is a normal reaction caused by your body’s swelling tissues pressing on the nerves. In severe cases, you may develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of a nerve within the carpal tunnel, a passageway of bones and ligaments in the wrist. These symptoms usually go away after you give birth and the tissues return to normal. However, if you have these symptoms, don’t hesitate to mention them to your health care provider at the next prenatal care visit. Splints and resting the affected hand are typically used to treat these symptoms during pregnancy.

You may experience numbness or tingling in other areas as a result of nerves getting compressed from the increasing abdominal girth. Sometimes a “burning” sensation can be felt on certain areas of the skin, most commonly on the right or left upper quadrant of your abdomen or on the front or inner thighs. These sensations will go away after delivery, but there is very little you can do to remedy them during pregnancy.