*Collaborative Post

Being pregnant can feel like a blessing, but it often comes with challenges that make life a little more difficult for the person carrying it. Besides bloating, discomfort, and heaviness, some pregnant women also experience foot pain due to increased mechanical pressure and hormonal changes.

From conditions like Plantar Fasciitis to over-pronation to numbness caused by edema compressing a nerve, there’s a lot that can make your feet feel achy. But you don’t have to endure this sensation for the duration of your pregnancy.

There are things you can do in the comfort of your home to relieve some of the foot pain. To give you a helping hand, we put together a list of things you or your partner can do to give those tired feet some well-deserved rest.

Simple Home Strategies for Relief

Before we start talking about what you can do at home, it’s important to know that you should talk to a doctor about your problems. Your family doctor or OBGYN should be able to ensure nothing else is going on in the background and recommend a good podiatrist who can provide specialized treatments and options.

Until then, here are a few universal solutions for some of the most common foot problems during pregnancy:

For Swelling (Edema)

The extra weight and hormones going haywire usually cause your feet to swell (especially if you’re on your feet or sitting all day). Here’s what you can do to relieve this at home:

• Put your legs up: Gravity is your best friend here. Lie on the floor (or your bed) and prop your legs up on a wall or a stack of pillows. Your feet must be higher than your heart for this to drain fluid effectively. Do this for 15–20 minutes in the evening.
• Cool water soaks: Cool water constricts blood vessels, forcing fluid out of the feet.
• Compression socks: Put them on before you get out of bed in the morning. Once you stand up and gravity pulls fluid down, it is too late for the socks to be fully effective.

For Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)

This is the sharp pain you might feel in your heel, especially during those first few steps in the morning. This happens because the extra weight, combined with the flattening arch, puts immense tension on the plantar fascia (the thick band of tissue connecting your heel to your toes). It’s like pulling a rubber band too tight until it creates micro-tears at the heel bone.

To alleviate this, try these tricks:

• The frozen water bottle roll: Take a standard plastic water bottle, freeze it, and place it on the floor. Sit in a chair and roll your bare foot back and forth over the bottle for 10 minutes. This eases the inflammation and massages the tight fascia band.
• The towel scrunches: Place a small hand towel on the floor and sit in a chair close enough so you can reach the towel with your feet. Use your toes to scrunch the towel toward you, then release. Repeat 10 times per foot. This strengthens the small intrinsic muscles of the foot that help support your arch.

Extra tip: Consider ordering orthotic insoles customized for your feet. With products like custom orthotics from Bilt Labs, there’s no need to visit a clinic. They mail a foot mold kit to your home, you make the impression, send it back, and they craft insoles tailored specifically to your needs. This also works for overpronation or any other issues.

For Arch Pain and Cramps

To stay healthy during pregnancy, you’ll have to improve your nutrition, but you may also have to take some supplements to compensate for your body’s rapid changes.

The good news is that your body has a way of telling you what it needs. For instance, if you start getting calf and foot cramps, this may be a sign of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is safe to take during pregnancy (ask your doctor first), but for faster results, apply a topical magnesium spray or lotion directly to your calves and feet before bed.

You can also do the good-old calf stretch to release tension, especially in the arch area. Stand facing a wall, place your hands on the wall, and step one foot back, keeping the back heel flat on the ground. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the calf. Hold for 30 seconds.

In Summary

Your feet will stay by your side through the pregnancy, and later assist you while you try to figure out how to keep a fussy baby happy. So, if they hurt or act out from time to time, give them the attention they deserve. A quick break and a few stretches or a gentle massage will go a long way.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.