What shoes to wear during pregnancy?

If you are among those women who love elegant style and can’t imagine life without stilettos – I have bad news, but also some solutions. During pregnancy, your posture changes, your body weight gradually increases, and in order to maintain balance you gently push out your belly and shift your weight forward. Stilettos increase the risk of losing balance and thus falling – which is extremely dangerous during pregnancy. In addition, abnormal posture aggravates, and the abdomen extends even further forward, making the spine, especially the lower part, vulnerable to discomfort. The solution will be shoes with a lower (maximum 5 cm) block heel. A heel that covers most of the heel will also help maintain a stable figure.

Another idea is shoes on heels, which will give the foot more support and stability. However, it is not worth exaggerating in the other direction – shoes with completely flat soles, such as ballerinas, will make you contract your toes, thus disturbing the posture already disturbed during pregnancy, which can result in back pain, knee pain and swelling of the feet.

During pregnancy, athletic shoes will work great. Lightweight shoes on a stable, gently elevated, contoured sole that will help you stay stable will be ideal. I especially recommend shoes made of airy material like Primeknit – there is a whole range of models and colors available on the market. When choosing sneakers, it is advisable to get those with a wider upper, so your feet will not be squeezed, which will increase walking comfort. Also very important is the insole, preferably if it is contoured and soft – even swollen feet will be able to rest thanks to it. However, if the chosen sports shoes do not have a suitable insole, you can purchase one, at any shoe store. The best will be leather or gel, which will shape to fit the foot. Before childbirth, when it is very difficult to bend over – choose slip-on sneakers. This will save future mothers time and trouble.

For the summer months, sandals or flip-flops with a raised sole and adjustable straps are best, so that even with swollen feet, you can adjust the pressure accordingly. Give up all kinds of shoes with thin straps, including flip-flops, which, with swollen feet, can severely pinch and bruise. In winter, it is best to bet on extremely comfortable and very warm EMUs or UGGs. The shoes have a slightly raised sole, are soft, quite wide and very easy to put on.

During pregnancy, your feet enlarge and swell, so you should choose shoes a size larger. The ideal time to shop would be in the evening, when your feet are swollen after a long day. The choice of material is also very important – it is best to get shoes made of natural material, which will give you the confidence that you have hit the size perfectly. In leather shoes, your foot will sweat less and you will feel more comfortable. An alternative is a breathable material like goretex, or the aforementioned Primeknit.

Taking care of the right shoes during pregnancy is extremely important, it will avoid unnecessary pain, ensure your comfort and safety. The ideal shoes for a mom-to-be are those with a stable sole, contoured insole, wide upper and made of breathable or natural material.

Martyna Zastawna: butoholic, businesswoman, owner of WoshWosh, journalist by training. She has been in love with shoes forever, and has also been dealing with them professionally for almost two years, so she knows her way around them like no one else. I write about shoes, shoe trends and shoe stories on my blog – Mrs. Shoes(https://web.facebook.com/paniodbutow/)