Being Pregnant
Pregnancy + Heels = Trouble
The majority of pregnant women are wearing shoes that make injuries more likely, says a BBC article yesterday. Not only do heels put women in danger of falling and back pain, but many popular alternatives, like Uggs, flats and flip flops, offer none of the support pregnant women need to handle their added weight and body changes.
So what kind of shoes should you be wearing?
The best heel for a pregnant woman is around 1 to 1.5 inches, about the same height as you’d find in most pairs of reasonably supportive sneakers. The low heel shifts body weight forward slightly, taking the pressure off joints and ligaments loosened by pregnancy hormones.
According to Podiatrist Lorraine Jones, heels are okay for occasional pregnancy wear, but best saved for times when you won’t be on your feet for too long. The same goes for flip flops.
The survey asked 1000 women about their shoe wearing habits, and found that most of them wore some combo of too-low and too-high heels. Fashion pressure was cited as a big reason why. I hear that, but I think that for pregnant women, comfort pressure looms equally large, if not larger.
Granted, I am not much of a heel girl. While I appreciate a little lift (and everything else a heel has to offer) I’m not one of those women who wouldn’t be caught dead in flats. Even when I’m not pregnant.I wore heels a grand total of three times after the first trimester, and once was only for a photograph.
But even I wonder how realistic these expectations are, for women both gestating and not. My first child was born in the summer. I would have hated to hear that I was potentially damaging my back as I shamefully slipped on my scuzzy flip flops, the only shoes I could fit on my Flintstone feet for the last month!
Go Back To Being Pregnant
4 Comments
ceridwen commented on Jun 15 10 at 9:59 amI wonder how “this season’s” low-to-medium wedge would work. Seems a reasonable compromise.
Rosie commented on Jun 16 10 at 9:33 amI’m still in my first trimester, but I wear wedges all the time. They’re quite stable and comfy for family gatherings where I need to look a little more dressed up. I have a lot of nice flats, but I’m quite short and love a little ‘lift’.
Rachel commented on Dec 12 10 at 9:29 pmI’m a stay at home mom so I wear a lot of tennis shoes, but in the snow, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Uggs!! I’m at 18 weeks… I just try to put my feet up as much as possible :)
Vanessa commented on Aug 18 11 at 12:33 pmWhen I was pregnant (and not), I’d cringe every single time I’d see a fellow pregnant mom wearing high heels. I think that there may be big business for practical and fashionable ‘maternity’ shoes!
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