What is a healthy sodium intake for my daughter who is 35 weeks & showing some water retention & edema

Hi Anonymous and thanks for looking our for your daughter.While there is no need to restrict sodium intake during pregnancy, it is important to stick to "normal" intake recommendations which are no more than 2,400 mg a day, especially in the third trimester when too much sodium can cause excess fluid retention, or edema. The average American consumes 6,000-18,000 mg of sodium daily, and it's really easy to consume more than 2,400 mg a day if one doesn't make a conscious effort to watch sodium intake. Amounts are often higher than we might think so reading labels becomes really important. It also helps to try to avoid foods that are high in sodium such as cured meats, processed meats packaged frozen dinners, canned and many snack foods such as chips. Hope this is helpful, Pat