Pregnancy is a wonderful journey that most women often tend to live-up of. However, apart from the blessings that come with it, there’re also a few challenges associated with the same. One of the challenges is that you will have to re-think of what stays in your closet for the period of nine months. 



The thing is that as you look around for new born clothes and shoes, you’ll also be on a similar mission for your own self because your pre-exiting collection and designs will no longer fit. Finding the right shoes for pregnancy isn’t as simple as it sounds and many times you may end up trying quite a number of brands before finally settling on one. 

Fortunately, we know you should be focusing on preparing for your unborn child and we have made the whole process simpler by highlighting some tips on how to choose the best shoes for pregnancy. 

What to look for in shoes for pregnancy

• Design 
Those who have been through the pregnancy journey know how difficult it is to bend all the way down to put on shoes, leave alone tying shoe laces. To avoid going through all these troubles, the easier way out is investing in footwear that’s convenient enough and easy to manage as well. 

Today we have great designs of slip-ons that will equally offer you the needed comfort and style, because really, pregnancy shoes aren’t entirely boring. We pick on slip-ons because they’ll make your grooming life less strenuous with the ease of putting them on and taking them off too. There’re also other sandals that will come in handy, so you can invest in a collection from either of the two in order to step out differently as may suit your errands for the day. 

• Outsole 
Nothing beats the effectiveness of rubber-soled pregnancy shoes. It happens to be a great shock absorber and still remains to be one of the best materials offering better traction. With a shock absorbing outer sole, you’ll barely experience joint discomforts that come with pregnancy. 

We all know that this is probably a time when you have to tread carefully to avoid any accidents which can only be achievable with a sturdy outer sole under your feet. When it comes to better traction, no material compares to rubber. Another bonus for such soles is how flexible and durable they are. 

The flexibility makes them good for your feet muscles and nerves, so you can comfortably have them as an everyday shoe. Similarly, with them you’ll only need a few pair of shoes to push you through your pregnancy journey, saving you from incurring other expenditures on additional shoes because of wear and tear. 

• Low heel
This is never the right time to go full-blown on high-heeled shoes. Forget about all the myths about why pregnant women shouldn’t be wearing shoes with raised heels. It’s all about comfort and how risky they could be in case you stumble and fall especially when in the last trimester. 

Well, they say this is debatable based on what different pregnant women consider as comfortable. When pregnant, a lot of pressure is directed to the feet from the weight on the belly. This leaves the legs frail, making you prone to stumbles or falls. When compared to raised-heels, flat-soled shoes will enhance your stability in such cases, minimizing the chances of injuries. 

• Arch support
Have you ever noticed a change in how your arch stretches out when pregnant? Yes, it does happen and you’re not alone in this. What happens is that during pregnancy, the hormones make ligaments loose, which in turn results to fallen arches. For a flat feet, you’ll have to look for alternative arch support in a shoe, different from the ones you have in your regular collection. 

To be on the safer side, it’s better to choose pregnancy shoes with removable inserts so that as your belly grows and whatever you find comfortable changes, you can easily customize your cushioning. This is also a great idea because after delivery, you can still change back the padding to what previously worked for you.

• Breathability 
Most pregnant women struggle with keeping their feet dry inside the shoes; a problem which is closely linked to the material used on the shoes. Once your feet begins to swell, there will be frequent build-up of moisture inside the shoes, triggered by any slight movement.  If the shoes you have on aren’t well aerated, this can lead to foot or shoe odor, which really gets embarrassing. 

Therefore, when shopping choose shoes made with mesh uppers for optimal performance, but if you have a problem finding such, you can still find comfort in maternity sandals. It’s also necessary to take breaks from closed shoes, because wearing them repeatedly doesn’t give your feet the right amount of aeration. This does contribute to foot inflammation and as you take such breaks, it equally important to have someone gently massage your feet in order to help ease the pain. 

• Extra room
Pregnancy is one of the life changes that affect how perfectly shoes fit. Some months into the journey, your previous shoe collection will no longer feel comfortable because of the swelling experienced on the feet. Therefore, if you’re buying shoes that will journey with you the entire time, you should go a size bigger than your regular fit. 

The extra room will also give your toes enough room to move freely, eliminating any discomfort. Alternatively, you can also measure your feet every time you want to buy new shoes when pregnant. However for a more economic option, you can buy shoes that are stretchy, so that no matter how bigger they grow from the swelling, the shoes will still accommodate your feet.

Conclusion 
So, now that you’re equipped with handy tips on how to choose the best shoes for pregnancy, we hope that you’ll find a pair of shoes which is best for you and the unborn baby. As we have seen, pregnancy doesn’t have to take your fashion to the trash. You can still remain sassy by stepping out in some of these stylish pregnancy footwear that we recommend for you.