• Lifestyle

Shopping for the Right Nursing Bra

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  • Lifestyle

As your bump grows bigger, your body is changing. You might have noticed that your sense of balance is a little off. For one, your pregnant body has released relaxin, a hormone, that softens the ligaments in your pelvis to create space for the growing fetus. And then, even if you feel the same, by your second trimester, your center of gravity is shifting forward. This causes a lot of stumbles. You can also expect swelling.

With all these changes, it’s no surprise that doctors advise against wearing high heels during pregnancy. While some women feel comfortable to continue wearing them, there are dangers that come with that fashion choice.

Should you risk the following problems?

• Cramped Calves. Wearing heels for a long time leads to cramps in the calf muscles, because they put your calves in contracted position. This is even more aggravated during pregnancy.

• Back Pain. Pregnancy gives you added amount of weight in front. Meanwhile, your high heels force your body posture to shift, bending your pelvic muscles are forward, giving a rounder shape to your back—all this will cause pain. Wearing heels also puts excess pressure on your pelvic and back joints, which adds strain and pain in your lower back and pelvic area that have loosened during pregnancy and are not getting any support.

• Imbalance. Pregnant women find it hard to balance well because the extra weight weakens the ankles and the hormonal changes is affecting the body. Adding high heels to the mix increases the chances of losing balance and tripping over—this can cause real injury to you and your unborn child.

• Stretched Muscles: Pregnancy hormones have also caused loosening in the ligaments in the ankles and calf.  When you wear high heels in this condition, it stretches the muscles in your feet. In fact, what feels comfortable on your feet will be a big change from your pre-pregnancy options.

• Edema. This is a medical condition where in the legs, ankles, and feet are swollen—which is quite common in pregnancy. One way to alleviate the problem is to relieve the feet of pressure, which is what high heels does to any feet. Especially in late pregnancy, high heels can really aggravate the swelling as more fluid is accumulated in the lower part of the body. It can feel painful.

• Miscarriage. Because of the risk of falling or twisting, a pregnant woman in high heels risks miscarriage. At a time when you should be playing it safe, high heels challenges your body’s changing form, strength, and needs.

SOURCES: 

https://www.fitpregnancy.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/5-ways-pregnancy-affects-your-balance 

https://www.momjunction.com/articles/risks-wearing-heels-pregnancy_0075253/#gref