Pregnancy for some is amazing, beautiful and the best experience of their lives, for others however, it can be quite the opposite! I was pretty lucky in that mine was uneventful and comfortable for the most part, I didn't really have any problems with morning sickness or being overly tired! But there were two things that did affect me, they were Sciatica and swollen feet, if you look back at my post when I was 25 weeks pregnant, I mentioned both of those, and then on almost every week until Abbie was born, the Sciatica realy was rough, as my job at the time was as a Receptionist, I had to stand up and the busyness too meant I was rarely able to sit down, there were numerous times where my legs would just give way from underneath me and i wouldn't be able to move for the next few minutes, it was pretty scary at first but I ended up feeling when it was coming on so I could take a break, which worked well thank goodness!
However with the swollen feet side of things, it was a little harder to soothe, like I said, I was on my feet all day, usually 8-10 hours at a time on uneven floor as well, it was the one thing I didn't really think about until it hit me. I've always had rather slim feet I guess you could say, so it was when my work shoes started feeling tight that I realised what was happening, by the end of the day I was so excited to take my shoes off it became the highlight of my day (pregnant mom problems!!). Throughout my pregnancy it got worse and worse, I ended up with feet so swollen that I struggled being on my feet for more than an hour, thank goodness the Olympics were on or i'd have nothing else to do! Haha.
Dr Pixie McKenna was asked by Simply Feet what her top tips for tip top feet were during pregnancy, here are some golden pieces that stood out the most for me..
ONE Pregnancy is the time to sack the stilettos and favour a flatter shoe when it comes to footwear. High heels put extra pressure on joints already pressurised by pregnancy, so avoid them or if you must indulge, limit their use to special occasions.I've never been a stiletto or high heel wearer, I'm tall enough at 5ft 8" not to need them, plus every time I ever tried I ended up walking like Bambi on ice! I would always see celebrities wearing heels during their pregnancy and I always wondered how on earth they managed it, I'd be far too scared, plus squeezing swollen feet into anything other than slippers ended up being a challenge for me!TWO- Pregnancy is definitely the time to put your feet up, don't stand for long periods of time and avoid sitting cross legged as this contributes to swelling. Ideally rest for one hour a day with your feet perched at a level higher than your heart. It may seem indulgent but it is imperative if you want to minimise water retention. While you may feel like a beached whale, getting up and walking around can also help to reduce swelling.
As I mentioned above, I stood up for most of the day whilst I was working, I was always on my feet walking around, I went as far as I could without needing a chair but ended up asking for one to help the Sciatica, it was such a god send, if you do work in a job like mine then I'd recommend getting a chair with back support, being able to relax completely will really make everything easier!
THREEWhen you have swollen feet or ankles try using an ice pack on the area, wrapped in a towel. This will help reduce swelling and keep you cool.YES! I did this almost every single day, especially since I was heavily pregnant in the Summer months, the heat would just make it so much worse! On a few occasions I actually filled up a foot spa with really cold water and just sunk my feet into it whilst sat in the garden, it was amaaaazzingg! :)
- Start with stretching out and flexing each foot.
- Rotate your fun in a circle eight times clockwise and eight times anti-clockwise. Then repeat with the other foot."
Click here to find out more about the range of supportive pregnancy from Simply Feet!
