Pregnancy affects your whole body, but it affects some parts more noticeably than others. One area in which you might see and feel some major changes is your feet. If you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Your feet are used to carrying you around, but over the past few months you have been getting bigger and bigger. It is not uncommon for your feet to hurt and swell, but here are some tips to help you out.
If you can, find some time each day to put your feet up. Elevating feet can help to reduce the amount of fluid that has made its way down to your calves and feet. Even a few ten minute breaks with your feet up can make a difference over the course of a day. Also, avoid standing for long periods of time if you can. Cool foot soaks can feel amazing at the end of a long day. Get even more relief for tired, achy feet by doing foot stretching exercises and either soliciting a foot rub from your husband or partner or rolling your feet over a foot massage ball. Choose comfort over style when it comes to footwear, and make sure that your socks and shoes are breathable.
If your feet and ankles have been bothering you during this pregnancy, take heart. It’s not a given that they will bother you again in a subsequent pregnancy. They might, but there’s also a possibility that you could have normal sized feet and ankles the next time around. That is what happened to me – during my first pregnancy my calves, ankles, and feet swelled up and I wore flip flops or wide calf boots all the time to accommodate or cover them, depending on the day. The second time around, there was no swelling whatsoever and I was able to wear my normal shoes.
Photo by ameestauffer on morguefile.com.