Are high heels really that bad during pregnancy?
I think I echo the sentiments of most women when I say that one of the worst things about pregnancy is the point where your belly becomes too big for you to comfortably wear your beautiful collection of high heels, or when your feet swell so much you can’t. Don’t put on those shoes anyway, even if you tried!
However, no matter how uncomfortable they may be, sometimes heels are the only way to make an outfit work. When you’ve found the perfect dress for a night out with the girls, your hair is sparkling and your makeup looks amazing, you can hear those sexy strappy sandals calling your name from the back of your closet.
But hey, if you wear heels once a week, can it really be that bad for you? Probably not!
Well, let me tell you the facts and you decide for yourself…
First of all, you need to understand what heels do to the body. When you put on a pair of heels, you lean your weight forward so that your center of gravity shifts. This means that you have to adjust your posture or alignment so that you don’t fall flat on your face.
To allow you to keep your balance, your pelvis has to tilt forward, which increases the arch in your lower back. This, in turn, compresses the discs in the lower spine and crushes the nerves coming out of the spinal cord. Your abs stretch giving you a protruding tummy and your hip flexors shorten.
In the upper half, your shoulders will round forward to balance your lower body and your head will migrate forward putting enormous pressure on your neck.
Now consider this. All the above postural problems are also prevalent in pregnancy. The weight of your belly and your breasts will cause the exact same things to happen. Not only that, but because you’re pregnant, you’ll also be producing a lot of the hormones relaxin and estrogen that cause ligaments and muscles to relax and joints to become extremely unstable.
So when you add heels to a pregnant pose, you’re increasing the damage to your back, shoulders, and neck to the point of overload. And this is when your body tells you enough is enough and gives up. Thus, you end up with severe back pain and possibly serious long-term damage.
So even if you think that wearing heels on a night out doesn’t hurt too much, remember that your body is already stretched to the limit with your baby.
Is it really worth a night out?