Your body undergoes many transformations during pregnancy, and changes to your feet may not be at the top of your research list when you find out you’re expecting. Yet, issues with your feet will pop up during your nine-month journey and it’s helpful to know in advance what you can expect and how best to take care of them. You can well wear edema boots slippers that are specifically designed for these purposes.
Edema: Swelling because of excess fluids—known as edema—is especially common for feet and ankles during pregnancy. Around three-quarters of pregnant women experience this symptom. The swelling often shows up in between weeks 22 and 27, & come and go until you give birth.
Why does this occur? When you’re pregnant, the fluid levels and blood flow in your body increase to accommodate you and your growing baby. Sometimes these extra fluids accumulate in your tissues and lead to swelling. Because your feet and ankles are usually your body parts closest to the ground, the simple force of gravity means these body parts often experience the brunt of the swelling.
You may notice that foot and ankle edema varies throughout the day. Sometimes it’ll increase in the evening, for example, or it may even increase as a result of the weather (warmer temps can spell more swelling). The swelling usually goes down overnight.
There are several simple steps you can take to keep swelling under control:
Avoid long periods of sitting or standing. Break up these stints with a short walk, stretching, or, if you’re able, lie down and elevate your feet for a bit (more on foot elevation later in this post).
Get plenty of exercise. This helps keeps your blood flowing throughout your body. Walking and swimming are great pregnancy-friendly exercises. While walking makes sure that you wear edema boots.
Stay hydrated. More fluids to combat fluids? Actually, yes! Dehydration leads your body to retain more fluids. Plus, drinking enough water throughout the day will help flush out excess sodium and waste products, which minimizes swelling.
Avoid tight socks and footwear. You don’t want extra pressure on your feet and ankles, so don’t sport any tight-fitting socks, tights, shoes or stockings. Keep things loose. Soft star shoes are a great choice for avoiding extra pressure on your feet for their soft, flexible materials,.
Stay cool. Find ways to cool off if the weather is hot or humid.
Generally, swelling is a normal symptom in the second half of your pregnancy and isn’t anything to be concerned about. It can, however, be a sign of preeclampsia, especially if it’s excessive and is paired with elevated blood pressure, rapid weight gain, and protein in the urine. Always talk with your health care provider about your pregnancy symptoms to rule out any serious conditions.
Does Pregnancy Cause Foot Growth?
This is one of those surprising symptoms of pregnancy no one may have told you about. Yes, your feet can actually grow up to a full shoe size by the time you give birth! And, yes, the change is permanent—so depending on how many your feet grow and the types of shoes you typically wear, a shoe shopping spree may be on the horizon.
The reason many pregnant women experience foot growth has to do with a hormone called relax in that’s circulating throughout your body. Your ovaries produce relax in, which (as the name suggests) relaxes the ligaments in your pelvis and softens and widens the cervix in preparation for labor. Your feet, which are made up of dozens of bones and joints connected by a network of ligaments, can undergo changes as a side-effect of this hormone.
All those foot joints and ligaments relax right at the same time as you’re steadily gaining weight, and as a result, your feet may grow longer, possibly become wider, and your arch height may decrease. A study of pregnant women’s feet conducted at the University of Iowa found that 60 to 70 percent of women had larger feet five months post-delivery than they had during their first trimester so it is recommended to choose shoes for fat swollen feet.
