Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Interview with Dr. Feeny

As some of you know, Dr. Feeny recently took her maternity leave from our office. Since she is a Podiatrist I thought it would be valuable to ask her some questions about her feet during her pregnancy and what advice she would give other pregnant women to help take care of their feet.


Hey Dr. Feeny, Thank you so much for letting me be nosey and ask you questions about your feet. First off, did you do anything at the beginning of your pregnancy to prepare for the changes and stress that would be put on your feet in the later months of your pregnancy?

I made sure that I wore supportive shoes throughout my pregnancy. Even if I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (and believe me that was often) I wore Birkenstock sandals.

At what month of your pregnancy did you notice your feet start hurting?

My feet really did not hurt due to these preventative measures.

That is so great to hear! How did your feet handle having to be on them for a large part of the day?

Well, my feet and ankles would become swollen during the day starting at about month 6. I started wearing compression stockings/support hose which helped.

Did your pregnancy affect your shoe size or the shoes you decided to wear?

I had a hard time tying my shoes that last month so I had to wear slip on shoes. Many women think that their shoes size changes due to weight gain but it is actually due to a hormone. This hormone causes the ligaments to stretch to aid in the childbirth. The ligaments in the feet also stretch which is why it is so important to wear supportive shoes.

Wow! That’s really amazing! I never knew that. So what did you do to ease the pain and symptoms you where experiencing?

I had my hubby rub my feet!! :)

Have you noticed any changes in your feet since you’ve given birth?

The swelling is gone and I can cut my own toenails again.

What advice would you give other pregnant women about taking care of their feet?

Make sure to wear supportive shoes, do not ignore small problems, and do not try to remove any ingrown toenails by yourself.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. It has been really informative!

No comments: