Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson, who's expecting her first child in November, hasn't had an easy pregnancy by any means. Because of an autoimmune condition, she's categorised as 'high risk' and has more frequent scans as a result. Recently, she revealed she was rushed to hospital in a scary incident after coughing up blood and she's spoken candidly with followers about struggling with hair loss, nose bleeds and feeling unwell.
And now she's sharing another symptom she's experiencing in her third trimester. While it's not frightening like some of the other challenges she's faced of late, it's definitely an uncomfortable issue that pregnant women have to deal with.
Louise took to Instagram to share a lovely snap of herself enjoying a walk in a pretty garden, and she brought her followers' attention to her footwear.
"My love affair with floaty dresses and flip flops continues. These sausage toes aren’t sneaking their way into anything else," Louise wrote.
Louise's followers took to the comments in agreement. "Flip flops are life when pregnant, you look amazing," one said, while another added: "The beauty of the baby being born and within a few weeks your old shoes fit again!"
Of course, swollen feet are an incredibly common side effect of pregnancy, and one that doesn't normally cause a huge amount of problems.
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According to the NHS, swelling is caused by your body holding more water than usual when you're pregnant and the pressure of your growing womb can also affect the blood flow in your legs, causing fluid to build up in your legs, ankles and feet.
Throughout the day the extra water tends to gather in the lowest parts of the body, especially if the weather is hot or you have been standing a lot.
The healthcare provider says that swelling that comes on gradually is not usually harmful to you or your baby, although it can be uncomfortable. But a sudden increase in swelling can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, a condition that needs to be monitored as soon as possible.
Louise continues to be candid about the ups and downs of her pregnancy. In an interview with MailOnline, she opened up about being fearful of not delivering a healthy baby after experiencing a miscarriage earlier this year, and feeling "guilty" about how hard she's finding pregnancy.
"Everyone's experience is different, some people find it a doddle and they feel guilty for saying how easy they found it but I almost feel guilty saying how hard I find it because there are people that can't get pregnant in the first place," she said.
Thankfully, she's feeling more positive now she's into the third trimester of her pregnancy.
"The good news is I am about six and a half months now. I shouldn't even think about this but I am someone that knows all the stats, babies can be delivered prematurely so, I feel like I'm in a really comfortable place now," she said.
