'Barefoot and Pregnant' really isn't good for you...

Especially in the last three months of your pregnancy, "barefoot and pregnant" is not a good combination.

During the final trimester of pregnancy your ligaments, which are the elastic bands holding your bones together, start to soften. This happens because your body is putting out a hormone into your blood to soften the elastic that holds your pelvic bones together so that the right things will stretch to make the birth easier. The elastic tissues of your body will soften for up to eight weeks after the birth.

During the last trimester and for two months beyond, it is important to protect the arches of your feet by wearing good support whenever you are stand or walk on hard surfaces. The 24 bones in each foot are held together with these elastic ligaments, just like your pelvis, and they also soften in the third trimester.

I have actually been told by women in my practice that their feet grew an entire shoe size while they were pregnant! What actually happened was that their arches flattened, making the foot seem longer and resulting in permanent damage to the foot.

With inexpensive custom arch supports sold at most pharmacy stores, anyone can protect their feet from costly and painful damage. I have found that good arch supports like these leave me with more energy at the end of the day, and they make a cheap or old pair of shoes as good as new.