Things I forgot to ask midwife

[Thirdtimelucky]

Is it safe to wear trimsole boots whilst pregnant? And is it safe to use the wii fit whilst pregnant? Anyone!

[michelle21]

I was told to take it easy as you can strain muscles much easier during pregnancy than usual.

Yoga and Pilates are highly recommended and can help during birth too.

I would be very carful with some games on the wii such as boxing as any un-natural twisting and sharp movements could cause back pain although im sure some of the balancing features could really benefit people with big bumps as it can help strengthen core muscles and reduce the 'woddle' in later pregnance

I got these tips from the NHS website;

As a general rule, you should be able to hold a conversation as you exercise when pregnant. If you become breathless as you talk, then you're probably exercising too strenuously.

Always warm up before exercising, and cool down afterwards.

Try to keep active on a daily basis: half an hour of walking each day can be enough, but if you can't manage that, any amount is better than nothing.

Avoid any strenuous exercise in hot weather.

Drink plenty of water and other fluids.

If you go to exercise classes, make sure your teacher is properly qualified, and knows that you’re pregnant and how many weeks pregnant you are.

You might like to try swimming because the water will support your increased weight. Some local swimming pools provide aquanatal classes with qualified instructors

Don't lie flat on your back, particularly after 16 weeks, because the weight of your bump presses on the big blood vessels and can make you feel faint.

Don't take part in contact sports where there's a risk of being hit, such as kickboxing, judo or squash.

Don't take part in horse-riding, downhill skiing, ice hockey, gymnastics and cycling, because there's a risk of falling.

Don't go scuba-diving, because the baby has no protection against decompression sickness and gas embolism (gas bubbles in the bloodstream).

Don't exercise at heights over 2,500m above sea level until you have acclimatised: this is because you and your baby are at risk of altitude sickness (a decrease in oxygen).

[Thirdtimelucky]

Thankyou for your advice, I was going to do wii boxing but i,ll have a re think now. Managed to strain a tummy muscle by sneezing lol.

[Thirdtimelucky]

If anyone has asked their midwife about, wether it is safe to wear "Trim Sole" shoes or boots. Please please please send me the awnser. As the weather is getting colder and I can't live in Birkenstock sandals all year. I would phone my midwife but she's on holiday, and I don't want to disturb her as I haven't even met her yet, and it might sound like a rather trivial question.

[kipper]

I'd never come across TrimSoles before your question so I've now looked them up. The website says to 'consult a doctor' so it's not a trivial question. However, reading the website, it looks like it would just be a matter of building up the leg muscles to properly balance yourself. If I'd already worn in a pair, I'd probably put them on again without a second thought (my Clarks Unstructured shoes probably give similar balance issues without the leg-toning effect). But I'd be really interested in other answers as they sound great and a very fair price.

Surely, it's the same idea as any shoe - so long as you are comfortable and your legs are managing the balance, it's probably fine, isn't it? Although I probably wouldn't go out and buy a pair of high heels at the moment!

[rmh2012]

Honestly, I'd think twice before spending money on any shoes which make such claims. Panorama and a team at Oxford University did extensive research into claims regarding sports products (including shoes) and found absolutely no evidence for any of the claims for shoes.

Link to BBC article: bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293 and the Panorama episode was fab if you can track it down.

Obviously it's important to pick shoes which are safe while pregnant from balance and non-slip sole perspective. But the conclusion of all the research was to just buy shoes which are comfortable.

R x

[kipper]

Hi. I was actually more interested in the boots because a. they look nice enough on the website and would be suitable to wear to work with skirts, b. the afforable price and c. most importantly they are expected to be worn while walking so shouldn't fall apart after a couple of days (I walk about 4 miles a day altogether with as much speed as I can muster and very few shoes and boots are up to that kind of wear).

I had a look at netmums to see if there were any similar questions there. Answers were varied - from wonderful reviews (better posture and reduced ligament strain) to terrible (including someone who is in physio months after the birth because of, among other things, wearing similar shoes).

I am still tempted though - although I agree with one of the comments on newmums - I might try them and, once I feel I've adjusted to the balance bit, if they are causing any discomfort at all, I'll put them away until next winter.

[rmh2012 in reply to kipper]

As long as they're comfy and cute and reasonably priced ... go for it. That's a lot of walking. I split my last pregnancy between hiking shoes for the first bit (I do loads of walking too), but eventually found the thicker sole didn't help my balance, so switched to flat soft leather boots for the last bit. Did the trick for me. R x

[rmh2012 in reply to kipper]

Lace ups!! If you can't loosen the laces, you mightn't be able to get them on by the end

I bought flats (sooo comfy) with a strap over top of foot which did up with velcro. Great for earlier in pregnancy, but the weather got too cold to wear them much toward the end. I figured they'd be perfect for the hospital, and they looked fine when I put them on ... but within minutes it looked like my feet were oozing out of the top of the shoes, and no amount of loosening the strap over the top stopped my feet from looking like they were being cut in half! And I honestly didn't think the swelling had been that bad - shoe choice makes all the difference!

R x

[kipper in reply to rmh2012]

Thanks very much. My friend has just given me a lovely bag of maternity clothes including several skirts - I probably have more maternity options now than I do of normal clothes but my legs are getting cold so will have to get some boots if I'm going to wear the skirts. Will bear it all in mind!