Heels for the Expecting Mom?
posted by: Shomore in Celebrity Shoe Style, Shoe Advice on August 23rd, 2009
My husband and I are expecting our first child – we are 29 weeks along, super happy, excited, and nervous all at the same time! Now since this is a shoe blog but motherhood is foremost on my mind these days, I thought I’d combine the two and talk about yummy mommies wearing high heels.
I was surprised to learn from my ob/gyn and online articles that it’s fine to wear heels while you are pregnant as long as you are careful (your center of gravity changes so much with the growing belly that you risk falling) and feel comfortable wearing the heels (i.e. no back pain, etc). In fact, I’ve observed several expecting celebrity moms do it. Of course this is to special events and not every day wear, but I still am in awe and also disbelieve at how they do it.
Here’s Nicole Richie in 4 1/2 inch Givenchy cutout heel,
Heidi Klum in 5 inch Guiseppi Zanotti platforms,
and Sarah Michelle Gellar in nude peep-toe Louboutins.
Now, I for one, wore heels throughout my first trimester. My belly wasn’t even showing and I didn’t feel any pain. But near the second trimester, I didn’t trust my sense of balance anymore – my belly seemed to pop out overnight. Towards month 6, I even started to waddle a bit like a penguin! Yet I still wasn’t willing to sacrifice height, especially when it came time to attend my cousin’s wedding. My solution? I wore these nude Stuart Weitzman wedges ($128 at 6pm but mine didn’t have the doggy print) which gave me the vertical lift I desired but were still relatively stable. Of course, they weren’t exactly as comfortable as they were before I was pregnant, but I spent most of the reception and wedding sitting down so the shoes were fine given the occasion.
Now that I’m in my third trimester, all my heels have been relegated to the back of the closet. It hurts to walk in most shoes, much less heels, for extended periods of time. Yet, I haven’t gone from one extreme – heels – to the opposite end – flats – like Gwen or Halle.
Instead, I still wear wedges (more on that and other maternity shoe topics in subsequent posts). But that’s mainly because I need the arch support and the wedges I wear are now only 1.5 inch tall or less.
It’ll be interesting to see how my feet and body continue to evolve over the remaining weeks. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my choice of footwear.
So what about you? Did you or will you wear heels during your pregnancy? And what will or were your shoes of choice?
11 Comments
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August 31, 2009 at 2:02 am, Juicy Couture and Kelsi Rosabella Ankle Boots | Prada Gucci Dolce Gabbana said:
[...] are two ankle boots that I’ve been eyeballing for fall – nevermind that I can’t wear heels right now since I’m pregnant and naturally tip forward without heels because of my gigantic [...]
August 30, 2009 at 4:40 pm, Juicy Couture and Kelsi Rosabella Ankle Boots | ShoeBlog said:
[...] are two ankle boots that I’ve been eyeballing for fall – nevermind that I can’t wear heels right now since I’m pregnant and naturally tip forward without heels because of my gigantic [...]
August 30, 2009 at 4:40 pm, Juicy Couture and Kelsi Rosabella Ankle Boots | ShoeBlog said:
[...] are two ankle boots that I’ve been eyeballing for fall – nevermind that I can’t wear heels right now since I’m pregnant and naturally tip forward without heels because of my gigantic [...]
August 26, 2009 at 12:57 am, Retro Jordans said:
We are expecting the end of september. My wife insists on being comfy at all costs so no heals for her the last 8 months…flip flops are the norm
August 25, 2009 at 6:29 am, DesignerWomensShoes said:
Jenn, congrats on your pregnancy. May your new bundle of joy be healthy and strong!
As for the heels, Nicole is killing those Givenchy's.
August 24, 2009 at 3:23 pm, Shomore said:
r5bales,
That sounds like my type of gal. For me the hair side effects have been wonderful. After I did the wedding chop, I really wished that I still had long hair again. These days, my hair grows likes weeds and it comes in nice and thick too. I hear it falls out after giving birth though. Ah well, it was good while it lasted.
August 24, 2009 at 3:21 pm, Shomore said:
Meream, thanks!!!
Jennifer, congrats on your pregnancy! The prenatal exercise class that I go to includes group discussions where we share maternity tips and tricks. NONE of the women raised their hands when asked if they still wore heels. It was hilarious to see how wistful we all looked while recalling the good old days when we could still wear them. I wished you were in our class – you could have shown us a thing or two.
August 24, 2009 at 10:31 am, Jennifer said:
oops, meant favorite
August 24, 2009 at 10:31 am, Jennifer said:
I am in my 29th week and continue to wear chunky heels. I am not a fan of wedges, but a sturdy chunky heel makes me happy. My faborite pregnancy shoes have been a pair of Chie Mihara 3 1/2 inch strappy sandals (I think it is called the Vilma, and I bought them a year ago) and Diane Von Furstenberg Marlen platforms with 4 inch heels and 1 inch platform. Super comfy and sexy. of course, my Pilates routine helps with the balance.
August 24, 2009 at 9:22 am, r5bales said:
Pregnant women are the best. As one woman put it, "The body is gone, the skin is worse, the hair won't cooperate, so by damn, I am going to wear pretty shoes!" She wore platforms into the delivery room. Too cute.
August 24, 2009 at 6:08 am, All Women Stalker said:
What wonderful news! Congrats!
-meream