Is wearing high heels during pregnancy a smart choice? The answer is no, because it has many potential risks for both mother and child.
Although doctors always recommend that pregnant women should not wear high heels during pregnancy, many women still do this. In fact, in addition to being uncomfortable, wearing high heels during pregnancy poses other serious risks.
The harm if wearing high heels during pregnancy
1. Shrink the calf muscles
When wearing high heels for a long time, your muscles are always in tension and easily lead to cramps . This cramping is often more severe during pregnancy.
2. Back pain
High heels change your standing position. Pelvic muscles are pushed forward, lumbar arches more, this position puts a lot of pressure on the pelvic area and posterior joint, thus causing pain in the hip joint. In addition, during pregnancy, especially the last few months of pregnancy, the ligaments in the back are loosened to hold the baby, while wearing high heels will stretch them and cause pain.
Please see more article Did you know how to cure back pain during pregnancy?
3. Unbalance
During pregnancy, your leg strength becomes weaker due to increased weight and hormonal changes. In addition, the center of gravity of the body has also changed, so wearing high heels will burden the feet more. Therefore, you will easily lose your balance and fall, causing danger.
4. Muscle stretching
Just like the abdomen and back, the ligaments in the calves gradually loosen as the fetus develops. Therefore, when wearing high heels, the calf muscles relax. The shoes will suddenly become tighter, causing pain and discomfort.
5. Swelling of the feet
During pregnancy, edema, swelling of the legs often occurs. Wearing high heels will make this condition worse, especially in the late months of pregnancy.
6. Miscarriage

Wearing high heels has a very high risk of miscarriage since you are more likely to trip. So, please wear flats to ensure the safety of mother and baby.
What if you still need to wear high heels during pregnancy?
Wearing high heels during pregnancy is not good for both mother and baby. However, in some cases of force majeure, you should pay attention when wearing high heels:
During the first 3 months of pregnancy, you can wear tall shoes that are a bit lower than normal. After that, your muscles will weaken and loosen, at which point you should avoid wearing too high shoes.
Buy comfortable, cramped, and comfortable shoes.
Do not wear high heels, low spikes and platform shoes. The sharper the heel, the more difficult it is to balance.
You shouldn't wear heels all day, give your feet a break. Take off shoes, relax feet and put on shoes. Adding padding is not a good idea as it will change the center of the body, affecting walking. In addition, an overly stressed ligament also leads to muscle tension and instability.
Avoid walking or standing too long in heels. If you must wear heels, take time to sit, not stand or walk.
Replace high heels with soles for everyday activities.
If you feel discomfort from wearing high heels, massage your feet and exercise your muscles.
Many people suspect that wearing high heels during pregnancy is the cause of varicose veins. However, there is no specific research evidence on this issue. The cause of varicose veins can be hereditary, a history of blood clots ... Wearing high shoes during pregnancy can cause risks for mother and baby. So, you need to be cautious in this case.