Katy Perry is experiencing the strangest side effect of pregnancy

It would be an understatement to say that pregnancy puts women through a lot. Aside from the obvious (hormonal surges! Cravings! Weight gain! etc), there are a few bodily changes that are super common yet rarely talked about. Enter Katy Perry.

The singer (who, btw, is currently nearing the end of her third trimester), recently appeared on the Kyle & Jackie O show to share how she’s faring with motherhood so far. And specifically, the one symptom that’s giving her grief.

“Everything is swollen. My hands are swollen, my feet are starting to swell,” she said, adding that she’s succumbed to wearing sandals everywhere.

“I’m really grateful for my body, and I have so much respect for other women going through this process,” she continued. “You get a whole new viewpoint being pregnant.”

For the interview, Katy wore a long-sleeved white crop top with the phrase Smile (the name of her latest album) written in rainbow letters across her chest. Although the 35-year-old admitted she’d had second thoughts about her outfit…

@katyperry

“I wanted to wear this piece of merch that I had made for my new record,” she explained, showing off her baby bump on camera. “But I was looking at it and I was like, ‘It’s a crop top. Can I wear that? I’m going to be a mum. But then I was like, ‘f**k it! I can still be young and fun and wear a crop top!’”

For the record, it’s totally normal for mums-to-be to experience some mild swelling in the legs and feet.

“Swelling is caused by your body holding more water than usual when you’re pregnant,” the NSH website states. “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 pressure of your growing womb can also affect the blood flow in your legs. This can cause fluid to build up in your legs, ankles and feet.”

If it happens suddenly or is painful, however, it could be an indicator of high blood pressure or deep vein thrombosis (which warrants an immediate trip to the doctor).

In the meantime any mums, like Katy, suffering from swelling should try these tips (as per the Mayo Clinic):

• Stay off your feet. Avoid standing for long periods. When you can, sit with your feet up and occasionally rotate your feet at the ankles and gently flex your feet to stretch your calf muscles. Better yet, lie down with your legs elevated.
• Sleep on your left side. This takes pressure off the large vein that returns blood from the lower half of your body to your heart (inferior vena cava). It also might help if you elevate your legs slightly with pillows.
• Wear compression stockings. Your health care provider might recommend wearing supportive tights or stockings during the day.
• Be physically active every day. Take walks, ride a stationary bike or swim laps in a pool.
• Stand or walk in the pool. Although there’s little research on the use of water pressure for foot and ankle swelling, standing or walking in a pool seems to help compress tissues in the legs and might provide temporary relief from swelling during pregnancy.
• Wear loose clothing. Tight clothing can restrict blood flow. Don’t wear socks or stockings with tight bands on the ankles or calves.

Main image: Getty

What was the weirdest pregnancy symptom you experienced?