There are plenty of things I didn’t know about the way my body would change post-pregnancy. One of my biggest gripes is my fat feet! My arches dropped, my mid-foot went wide, and I could swear they’re a bit longer too. It reminds me of a just-melting ice cream, the way they’ve softened and spread.
After having a baby, I started going for walks with my friend, Blaze founder Katy. I was hooked pretty quickly. Going for a walk and chatting to other parents always made me feel better and sleep better (not to mention the baby!). The only problem was that I didn’t have shoes that fit - no one warned me that I’d have postpartum fat feet!
I wasn’t an active person before I had a baby. The best I had for walking was a pair of trainers that I’d bought and worn for a few weeks one January when I decided to go to the gym. But now they felt so tight and uncomfortable when I tried to squeeze into them, there was no way I could manage a hike, let alone one where I was carrying my baby.
My first parent and baby walks were in the winter, so I wore some oversized wellies. I also continued to wear a pair of comfortable-but-ugly sporty slip-ons which I’d bought in my last trimester to house my permanently swollen feet. My feet weren’t swollen any more, they were just inexplicably fat. I kept waiting for them to return to their normal size before investing in walking boots, but months passed, then a year, and my feet were still flat and wide. By then, I was borrowing my partner’s trainers, which were two sizes bigger than mine.
I only decided to invest in a new pair of shoes when I realised how much attention we gave our child’s footwear. We knew he needed the right size and proper support, but I wasn’t applying the same logic to myself. I didn’t think about what size I was ‘supposed’ to be, or compare to my pre-baby self, I just did the measurements and went from there. I’m a full size bigger and I also need a wide fit.
Apparently all this is due to our ligaments loosening and relaxing during pregnancy, which is the body’s way of preparing the pelvis for childbirth. I knew that my pelvis and hips would change, but I didn’t expect it to extend to my feet! Of course, our feet also impact our balance, and our knee and hip joints. We rely on our feet to move around - even more crucial when we have little ones - so they’re absolutely worth taking care of.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to get proper walking shoes, given I’m most definitely a fully-fledged rambler these days. I expect it was a mixture of vanity, sleep deprivation and forgetting to focus on myself - sometimes meeting our basic needs feels like an indulgence (solo toilet trips, anyone?!). And I am always surprised by the lack of information out there about our postpartum bodies, given how many of us have them.
So here I am, spreading the word about feet. If you’ve noticed these changes or you are feeling down about them, please know you’re not alone. And remember that it’s not an indulgence to meet your needs - appropriate footwear doesn’t have to be expensive, but it is essential for safe trips outdoors. I found the perfect pair of walking shoes in Merrell’s Moab FST 2 Mid, they fit my wider feet like a glove, are waterproof, supportive and most importantly, comfortable. But like any piece of kit or clothing, it’s important to fit something that’s right for you and fits your ever changing post partum body, so take time to try before you buy and find a pair of shoes or boots that suit you.