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The Most Comfortable Shoes for Pregnant Women

by Dana Patterson » on Mar 23, 2011 11



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Being pregnant, as I currently am, I’m always on the lookout for products and techniques that will make me more comfortable.  From body pillows to back massages, whatever little things I can find and do to ease the awkward discomfort, the better.  Although pregnancy symptoms vary from woman to woman, swollen ankles and sore feet seem to be near universal.  So, as a Vibram FiveFingers wearer, I’ve put them to the test over the past 9 months to see if they are indeed the best shoes for us preggos to reduce the nagging foot pains.

Vibram FiveFingers Pregnancy Shoes

For some background, this is my second pregnancy and I’m due in just 8 days.  I’ve worn FiveFingers for over a year now, but I hadn’t yet discovered them during my first pregnancy. I’ve also begrudgingly included a not-so-flattering picture of myself at 39 weeks pregnant so that you can see I’m still going strong with VFFs.

Throughout this pregnancy, I’ve noted a significant number of positives from wearing VFFs while just one negative that I’ll get to below.

The Positives of Wearing VFFs While Pregant

Comfort is key while being pregnant. I’ve been fortunate that my feet don’t really swell when I’m pregnant, therefore these are still the most comfortable shoes for me to wear. It feels like I’m walking barefoot but with protection. My job does require me to be on my feet a lot and involves a lot of walking. I cannot find anything that makes it any easier.

My shoes also take the random stranger conversations away from my belly and in a new direction. I just don’t really like being pregnant, and the women that “just love it” drive me nuts. And, as if pregnant women don’t get enough attention with their huge bellies and other parts of their bodies getting bigger, my shoes tend to get a unique type of attention. Everyone looks at my shoes and says “oh you have a pair of those things”, or “what are those?”, or “are they comfortable?”. It gets real tiring hearing “when are you due?”, “do you know what you’re having?”, or “have you picked out a name yet?”. I’d much rather talk about something that people are actually really interested in instead of talking about something they really don’t care about and are just trying to create conversation. I love talking about them because I think they are becoming a new fad that people really are intrigued by.

They are also, in fact, stylish. My Bikila’s are a bright pink and orange that can match with many of my workout clothes (which I tend to wear a TON of while pregnant even if I’m not working out a lot). Being pregnant makes you feel fat and ugly. I’m not sure why people say “you’re glowing”. While feeling fat, I still like to look good. My bright shoes make me feel better!

These are the Pink and Orange Bikila's that I wear

The One Negative of Rocking FiveFingers While Pregnant

The only negative about VFFs during pregnancy is getting around the baby-belly to put them on. It’s hard enough bending over to pick something up off the floor, let alone put shoes on that require a bit more work than just tying laces. My advice to for the newly pregnant women out there is to get in the habit during your first trimester of putting them on regularly and practice doing it without your hands over and over. This way, during the earlier months of pregnancy, your toes are trained to fit into their assigned ‘fingers’. If your toes are trained, it’s no harder to put these on than regular sneakers (it might even be a little easier because there is nothing to tie and the velcro stays attached all day). Bonus tip: Instead of even bothering to put them on yourself, just make your husband do it – you deserve to be catered to a little!

Get Comfy

When you’re pregnant, nothing is more appealing than the thought of pure comfort.  While that dream may never come to fruition, you can at least get your feet super comfortable with FiveFingers.  I love my Bikilas – they are so comfortable. I also love that there is something else to strike up conversation besides my baby and how big I’ve gotten. Once you get used to wearing these, pregnant or not, you won’t want to wear anything else.

Never Heard of FiveFingers and Want to Learn More?

If you’ve never heard of FiveFingers, you are probably thinking that they look pretty weird and you aren’t sure if they’d be good for you.  Here are a few articles that you should read to help you answer the question “Why FiveFingers?”:


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Submitted Comments

  1. David Duffer says:

    Dana – glad to hear that the shoes work for you, adding to your comfort, especially during your pregnancy. Nine days ago I bought a pair of Komodo Sports & Trek Sports. Both styles are great, but the Komodos beat the Trek Sports hands down… they are SOOO comfortable. As if the style of these shoes alone aren’t great conversation starters, I had to go and get yellow (which I love), so they stand out even more ! :) Being completely sold on these shoes, I do not see myself ever buying traditional running shoes again; in fact, I find that I wear them all the time, even indoors sitting at my computer. :)

  2. Amanda says:

    Love this article!

    I am trying for my 3rd child right now (testing tomorrow) and I have a pair of VFF on order at our local outfitter! I am SO eager on both counts, this article completely soothed me and made me eager again. Understandable with the no-hands idea (I had thought of my husband doing it first, but what if he is at work?!?).

    I tried “mine” on yesterday and didn’t want to take them off! I like the Sprint style, as it is mary-jane-ish and my super high arches can fit into them! I tried the KSO style but my arches gave me troubles. I wonder if I should have ordered a bright color? I ordered black so they would match everything, but you may have a point with random strangers touching bellies…

    Thank you!! Have a sweet day!

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