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This is a grab bag of comfy flats that might be ideal for the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, and also handy to have around during post-partum recovery. There are all kinds of options: crazy and wild patterns, sensible choices for office work, and plenty of pairs inspired by slippers because everyone likes warm and fuzzy toes, right? You can click a photo to find out more about the shoe — budget-friendliness was on my mind, and most of these hover between $30 and $40 with free shipping.
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Silk wrap skirts, for when you can’t be bothered by maternity jeans
So there I was, lamenting the sad state of maternity pants in the world when one of the good mamas from the Twitter universe chimed... Read more
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I gave birth two months early, so I can’t speak as an authority as to whether or not these shoes could be rocked for 40 weeks — what were your favorite shoes to wear throughout your pregnancy and after your baby was born?
I waited tables up until 2 weeks before I delivered – I wore pretty much exclusively Clarks. I had a maryjane style similar to these, and a pair of flat boots like these.
I am super newly pregnant and wondering- why wouldn’t these shoes be good for third trimester?
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY FEET? 🙂
HAHAHHA! It is just my PERSONAL opinion that some of these might not be very sturdy as you progress in your pregnancy. The last time I mentioned wearing flats throughout pregnancy, I remember someone telling me that they wouldn’t be supportive enough. I actually wore similar shoes to these the whole time I was pregnant, but I delivered 2 months early… so I can’t really speak on what your feet might feel like at 40 weeks.
Wait, what do you wear in the third trimester if not flats?
I wore like, ballet flats — they were super flat, but not supportive, which is how most of these shoes seem to me. Is this what everyone wears? I am seriously asking: I always feel funny talking about any kind of pregnancy wear after 31 weeks because I HAVE NO IDEA.
I was also barefoot like… a lot. Sometimes in public places. I am sometimes a hippie. 😉
I lived in ballet flats for the first 26 weeks of pregnancy, then barefoot while on bed rest. But, like you, I delivered early so my experience with pregnancy footwear ends before the third trimester.
OH, and Converse:
That was at 30 weeks. I can’t find a photo of the ballet flats, but they were like.. tan and thin, thin, thin on the bottom.
Yay you! What a sweet picture.
I gave birth five months ago. I’ve had to replace my entire collection of shoes because my feet grew from a size 9 to a size 11 during my pregnancy. Oddly enough, my feet are no wider than they used to be. So I just have these long,thin feet now.
I was a size 9 up until my third trimester. That would be my guess as to why shoes purchased at the beginning of a pregnancy might not make it to the end.
It’s so luck of the draw. My feet got a little swollen at the end but never really changed size.
I have a pair of adorable Dr Scholls flats that I lived in the last 3 months (and still wear a lot now). I agree that normal flats aren’t supportive enough when you’ve got an extra 30 lbs on you.
I like “barefoot” shoes, so I wore these flats throughout 40 weeks of pregnancy: here and here.
They’ve proven indispensable, mostly because I can put them on without bending over–which is just as important now when baby’s already situated in the carrier and I’m headed out the door.
I walk everywhere, for groceries and for fun, usually several miles a day, and never felt like I needed more support–but I already had strong foot muscles going into pregnancy 🙂
I gave birth in January (last year) in the Northeastern US and wore black riding boots (similar to these: http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Simpson-Womens-JS-Beatricy-Riding/dp/B008XA1YAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357321990&sr=8-1&keywords=black+flat+boots) all the time during the last trimester. Mostly with my maternity leggings (which were the best) and dresses. I liked the boots because they have a low heel, kept my legs warm and looked good with dresses which was all I wanted to wear during my pregnancy. And actually now I still wear those boots most days in the winter.
OMG, THREE CHEERS FOR MATERNITY LEGGINGS.
I was preggo during the summer in Florida, my feet swelled to ungodly size. And you wouldn’t believe the amount of time a librarian spends on her feet but staying seated was not an option. I ended up living in Kai-Kai flip flops. Roomy, but with arch support.
It wasn’t so much that I needed comfy shoes, but it was the swelling! My feet swelled so much I couldn’t get any of my old shoes on. My TOMS got so stretched out that I couldn’t wear them postpartum because they were so loose!
Sometimes if you wash Toms, they will spring back to their original size 😀
I didn’t really have any foot swelling in my pregnancy, so I just wore my normal (flat) shoes the whole pregnancy. Though mostly I wear flip flops, so swelling wouldn’t have been much of an issue either way. By the time more supportive shoes would have been needed, I was at a point where I couldn’t really stand for very long without getting tired (like the last few weeks) so it became a moot issue.
I wore Crocs, the maryjane style, for the last few months of my pregnancy. They were cushy, roomy, and supportive enough.
I shocked myself and apparently many folks by wearing the exact same shoes I always wear, heels and all. The secret? Many pairs of my shoes are Aerosoles, which are built to be super comfy yet many styles are super cute! I got compliments ALL the time. Granted, I was very lucky to not have any swelling in my feet and overall a very pleasant pregnancy overall. So I just stayed with my comfy cute heels (nothing over 3 inches) for the duration 🙂
During both my pregnancies I wore Toms original canavas shoes and some cheapy strappy sandals I picked up at target for next to nothing. My pregnancies started in the spring and ended in the late fall/early winter. I’m a teacher, and I was fortunate enough to wear the same shoes for both pregnancies and I found that both shoes were supportive while I was on my feet teaching science all day long. I also wore a few pairs of ballet flats (also from Target) when I needed to look more professional than my Toms looked for things like P/T conferences and back-to-school night.
I had some Converse-style shoes (i.e. another shop’s own brand version of the same thing) that were also – crucially – laceless. Just pulled on and off. This was the major thing for me because although my feet didn’t swell, my bump was huge and low, and I’m plus size anyway, so even counting the fact I delivered at 36 weeks I could barely reach my feet. The comfiness of “Converse” with none of the lace-tying! Win!
I worked in a super busy coffee shop as a supervisor right up until the day I was due, so I was on my feet nonstop. Despite gaining 65+ lbs while I was pregnant, my feet only grew about a half size. However, since my feet were taking a beating, good shoes were a must for me. I had chacos and merrels for work, and some cute keens for everywhere else. I still wear those keens non-stop! I distinctly remember wandering all day at the Ren Fest at nine months pregnant (with nary a “wench” reference- not sure how that happened) and my feet felt great! I love me some ballet flats and flip-flops, but I am now sold on good shoes…I plan on using these feet a long time, so I like to pamper them 🙂
Best shoes ever are Dansko. They might not be the cutest ever…but they stopped my plantar fasciitis. I found out the hard way that flats with flat feet and pregnancy is not a good thing.
When I was about 6 months pregnant I got my first pair of Vibram Five Fingers. As summer was approaching I found that flip flops were unreliable when you can’t see your feet and tying your shoes just isn’t worth it after awhile. I FREAKING LOVE my five fingers and wore them everyday from the day that I bought them, through the hottest summer ever, in the delivery room and until it got too cold in November here in Chicago for them. Mine are the Jaya’s so they are easy to get on and off and super stretchy. Highly recommend!!
I just wore my usual shoes, Sperry boat shoes, ballet flats, heels, etc through to 40 weeks. The only thing that changes was I did a sort of side bend to buckle my sandles after 8 mos.
BIRKENSTOCKS!
i simply cant praise these shoes enough. i had wide enough feet before i fell pregnant, and now in the last trimester (& in the heat of summer), i’m loving them more than before
i work through long (27 – 30h overnight) shifts, have to run left and right, driving myself to and from different sites…. my birki’s are my favourites – even my ballet flats have taken a back seat simply because they dont offer enough support for the long days i run into at times
birki’s come with a moulded insole (to mimic the sensation of walking on sand – i kid you not!), can be washed (important, cos my shoes sometimes get wet/need to be strubbed clean), are laceless & slip-on, look professional (i have the profi birki’s in black) and go with anything.
the best part is i’ve had the same pair for over the last three years and think of them as an investment (although, truth be told they’re far from the most expensive shoes out there) – but they have more than earned their keep. something i can’t necessarily say about my puma/adidas/ballet flats
http://www.amazon.com/Birkis-Profi-Birki-Clog/dp/B000XEA0W6
I wore my basic black zebra print vans from 6months on. Luckily my feet never swelled too much (I was too down with hyperemesis) Sometimes I even wore heels and wedges.
almost forgot! wedges/heels were easier when my husband wasnt around to tie my vans
I lived in my slip on Vans knock offs I bought from the men’s section at Walmart for $13. Still do really. Since I wasn’t working they were something we could afford, and after about 5 months trying my tennis shoes was WAY too much work.
Walking Cradles. Super comfortable. http://www.walkingcradles.com This one in particular: http://www.walkingcradles.com/search=cassie/ Also look at 6pm.com to get good shoes less expensive (6pm.com is Zappos closeout site) – when they’re down to only a few sizes in something, I’ve seen them sell $100+ shoes for 14 or 15 dollars.
My feet went from 7 to 7-1/2 permanently, just enough to make all my pre-pregnancy shoes too tight to be comfortable. Mostly I didn’t have any problems during pregnancy right up til the end, so I thought I’d dodged it. But then during the last month, the swelling got horrible. I envy you folks who say you didn’t have that. I made the mistake of going to the zoo when I was over 8 months pregnant with the completely insane idea that I’d be just fine walking around all day in 100+ degree heat (there was a heat wave). Not my most brilliant move. By the end of the day, my feet were so swollen I could barely walk, and after that I had issues the rest of my pregnancy. It was AWFUL. I could deal with the morning sickness better than that swelling.
I own the Crocs mary-jane flats pictured, and I wear them for waitressing. I can attest to their comfortableness. They do get a bit sweaty in warm weather tho.
I alternated between Toms and old navy $2 flip flops. Seriously. My eldest was born in August and youngest late May. I wore one of those nearly every second, even on long walks with babe in the Ergo! Probably wasn’t great for me to wear such unsupportive shoes but I was comfy and at that point it was all I cared about!
Shooooooes! Shoes are one of my favorite things to talk about.
I was so sure I’d continue wearing my (comfy) heels all through my pregnancy…but changed my mind almost right at the get-go. I was still determined to look fly, though. I stalked Zappos and eBay and finally decided on two pairs that I wore throughout my pregnancy: Doc Martens 1B99s in a dark blue, and Earth Solar maryjanes in a patent red. Both really helped me feel stable when my center of gravity was all over the place; the Earths in particular were great for my achy lower back; and the Docs made me feel edgy and stylish (and the Earths, polished and put-together) even on days when I felt anything but–which was, silly or not, important to me. (One day when I was like eight months along, a woman came up to me and exclaimed over my boots before even noticing my belly–which to me felt so, SO validating, like, I’M STILL ME!)
I still wear them both, especially the Docs, on the regular.