The Top 10 Tips Pregnant Women Need to Know

I had horrible swelling toward the end of my pregnancies. My cankles had cankles. I was so swollen that I couldn’t fit into any dress shoes, so I simply wore tennis shoes or clogs with everything.
Also, socks with elastic at the top left deep, painful impressions in my calves. Instead, I wore soft fuzzy socks that didn’t have any elastic on top. And just forget the panty hose. That’s crazy!
These days, I see pregnant women wearing tighter clothing than they used to. I think it’s great that women are proud of their baby bumps and not hiding their pregnancies under tents! But fashion isn’t more important than comfort.
During my pregnancies, I lived in sweats and stretch pants when I was at home. And at work I wore scrubs, which are great because they have expanding drawstring waistbands.
—Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, a mom of three sons, family physician, and coauthor of The Mommy MD Guide to Pregnancy and Birth