THE MOTHERLOAD (Part 1): Pregnancy Foot Facts Revealed
Are your pre-pregnancy kicks feeling a little too snug? Do you feel that your belly isn’t the only thing that has grown since you have become pregnant? Here are 3 reasons why you just might be right!
JUST RELAX(IN) (1st Trimester)
The falling of the arches in your feet during pregnancy are often the result of rising hormone levels. During the 1st trimester, the body sees a spike in the hormone relaxin. To help prepare the body for childbirth, relaxin widens the cervix and relaxes the pelvic ligaments. But did you know that relaxin also makes the ligaments in your feet more lax? That’s right! Lax ligaments in your feet cause your arches to collapse, and your feet to become flatter, wider, and longer. On average, the feet can become a ½ - 1 size longer during pregnancy, and often times never return to their original sizes once pregnancy has ended.
WEIGHT FOR IT… (2nd-3rd Trimester)
With the average pregnancy adding 30-40 pounds, the feet are often subject to undergoing some of the most radical of changes in the body. Increased weight gain- specifically in the belly region- redistributes a woman’s center of gravity, causing more stress on the inner knees & lower back which in turn, causes more stress on the medial parts of the feet. As a result, the arches of the feet collapse, causing the feet turn inward (pronate) when walking. Flatfeet with increased weight places added stress on the feet making achy feet and heel pain- ie plantar fasciitis- far more prevalent. In extreme cases, added weight during pregnancy can add extra layers of fat to the soles of the feet, creating issues with fitting shoes.
UNDER PRESSURE (2nd-3rd Trimester)
Swollen feet are a complaint that is all too common among women approaching motherhood. This is largely due to the fact that as a woman becomes pregnant, her uterus grows larger increasing the pressure on the veins/vessels that return blood from the legs & feet. The slowed blood circulation in the legs & feet results in increased fluid retention- hence the swollen feet. If not carefully monitored, a mother-to-be can be at risk of pregnancy induced hypertension (preeclampsia)- which if detected should be treated by your doctor immediately.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Motherload, where we go inside what features expecting mothers should look for when on the hunt for the right shoe!
Putting your best FEET forward,
SH
