3 Ways Being Pregnant Affects Your Feet

Pregnancy is an exciting time. As you wait for your new arrival, your body will go through many changes. Some of them will affect your feet. At Goldsmith Podiatry, we want to give you a heads up about what to expect with regards to your podiatric health and how to best take care of your feet and ankles during pregnancy.

1.       Weight Gain—let’s start with the most obvious change. Gaining weight is healthy during pregnancy, but for your feet it can be stressful. Arch pain is common as the additional pounds can cause your arch to flatten. Flat feet can create heel pain as well. In addition, many chronic foot conditions are exacerbated by extra weight. If you find your feet are in pain as our pregnancy progresses, it’s important that you make an appointment at our Upper West Side office (212-877-1002) so that our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith or Dr. Rosanna Troia can examine your feet. The foot doctor will track down the cause of your discomfort and suggest ways to minimize the pain. In some cases, a custom orthotic device for your shoes may help correct fallen arch issues.

2.       Hormone Havoc—you’ve probably already noticed hormonal changes in your body since you’ve become pregnant. As you progress into the last trimester, your body will begin releasing hormones that relax your ligaments. This is meant to help ease the baby’s exit from your body, but it also affects the ligaments in your feet. It may see that your feet are spreading and that your shoes are feeling tight. It’s not your imagination! It may be necessary to buy larger shoes to accommodate your feet at the end of your pregnancy. Don’t be quick to discard them, however, as some women’s feet remain a larger size even after delivery.

3.       Swell Moves—another common problem pregnant women experience is painful swelling of the ankles and feet. The fluids in your body increase significantly during pregnancy and lots of time on your feet can cause some of that extra fluid to head to your feet and ankles. The best way to combat this is by putting your feet up several times a day. And, even though it seems counter intuitive, drink lots of water. It will actually help your body rid itself of excess fluid.

Don’t assume foot and ankle pain are “normal” during pregnancy. Contact us if you have questions or to schedule an appointment.