Do your feet get back to "normal"?

[Anonymous]

I have a little under a month to go, and now that I've pulled out my fall shoes, boy are they uncomfortable.

I don't have a lot of swelling generally, but I think my feet have just gotten a little bigger -- 1/2 size to maybe even a full size.

Should I go buy a new pair of shoes now, assuming they aren't going to shrink down to their normal size postpartum? Or is there a good chance they'll revert back to the 7s they once were??

TIA.

[Anonymous]

I was 8.5 before pregnant with my son, and now only wear a size 9. It is possible they may not shrink back to their original size.

[Anonymous]

I may not have a choice...as I sit here, I can feel these shoes cutting off my circulation...

[Anonymous]

I didn't even recognize my feet when I was pregnant. "Who's feet are THOSE???" They eventually looked like my feet again, but a half size larger forever more.

[Anonymous]

7.5 before my son was born, size 8 now. Sigh... unfortunately that's the only thing that a size 8 since his birth!

[Anonymous]

no.

[Anonymous]

I also stayed a half size bigger after having my 2 kids. Since you won't know, I'd buy one pair of comfortable shoes that will do you for the next few months and then see what happens. Incidentally, I've been trying to squeeze into my pre-pregnancy shoes lately and just realized that I've lost the feeling in half of one of my big toes for the last month or so! Apparently that's quite common & some people never get it back - so don't squeeze for too long!

[Anonymous]

Like all things pregnancy and parenting, your experience will vary.

My feet grew 1 size during my pregnancy, so I bought 2 pairs of shoes to wear because it was not possible to fit my feet into my old shoes.

Eventually, (by the time maternity leave ended), my feet returned back to their original size.

[Anonymous]

10 years since the last child. Half size larger. It's permanent alright.

[Anonymous]

Me too -- half size bigger -- and from 9.5 to 10 - like it wasn't bad enough already!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

During the end of pg#1, I couldn't fit into my regular shoes and bought a comfy pair to wear to work everyday. They eventually returned to normal and I wore the same size as before. With my current pg (#2) I am starting to outgrow my shoes again, but hope they will go back to normal after this baby is born.

My understanding is that some people gain a 1/2 to 1 size larger foot because the relaxin in your body meant to relax your pelvic area, rib cage, etc to accomodate a growing baby and birth also affects your feet which may "relax" the arches and "stretch" your feet. They sometimes don't return back to their normal size - just like my hips didn't!

[Anonymous]

I went up from a 6.5 to a 7.5 during pregnancy, and am now back down to a 6.5 or 7 depending on the shoe. Some of my pre-preg shoes fit, some don't.

Do yourself a favor and buy a new pair of basic shoes for the final month. It's so important to be comfortable in the home stretch. I went to Off Broadway Shoes and bought some of those frumpy comfort sole black shoes. Not pretty, but they felt GREAT.

Good luck. And by the way, the day you look down at your post-preg feet and recognize them again is the BEST. Almost as joyous as gazing at your new baby.

[Anonymous]

It is pretty normal to go up a size after being pregnant. I was 7.5 and now I wear an 8. I did not go up with the second. In case that helps.

[Anonymous]

the last month i had shrek feet. i bought a couple of cheap target shoes to hold me over. about 3 weeks after delivery the swelling subsided and i could fit into most of my shoes. my feet didn't grow longer, but they did get a little wider, so now the big toe joint pinches.

[Anonymous]

super...can't wait for my size 11's to go up.....good times.