shoe talk

There are many, many things that change during and after a pregnancy. I wish someone would've sat me down and really told me about all these things. Sure, you hear women talk but you think, "Oh, that's silly, that won't happen to me." Also, there are things that change that I've never heard talk about. For example, I knew about stretch marks but I certainly didn't know how easily they could appear in places other than the stomach (uh, hello, I didn't need any help in the "let's make my thighs uglier" dept....now I get to add some lovely stretch marks to the list, right along with cellulite). One of the things that changed for me is the type of shoes I can wear. I used to strap on high-heeled beauties like these with no second thoughts:

But sadly, no more...sniff, sniff. I was lucky and did not go up a shoe size after being pregnant, but I did develop another problem. In one of my calves I noticed this weird feeling that kinda hurt sometimes, but not really. Fearing the worst (a blood clot), I went and had an ultrasound done on my leg. They followed the main artery of my leg from my groin to my big toe (Thank God I shaved that day! I had no idea they'd do all that!) Thankfully, everything looked good, especially blood flow and the blood clot idea was ruled out. When I inquired about the problem area, I was told I had a dilated vein but blood flow looked good and normal. It's been three years and even though I plan to have this checked out again, I've learned that I just have to make some changes and it feels better. The first and foremost thing was a change in my footwear. I notice that when I wear lower heels or even flats the weird feeling is much less. So now I'm on a mission to build a shoe collection that is post-baby friendly, yet somewhat fashionable.

Here are some flats I just got from Payless during their BOGO sale:

Here are some lower-heeled shoes I could wear for a shorter amount of time such as a dinner or a gathering where I know I won't be on my feet too long. I love the buckles on these, they look like "grown-up" shoes to me. These are from Nine West.

Also from Nine West...I LOVE the color! I also think these wouldn't hurt too much with the lower, wider heel.

Last but not least, I love these heels, again from Nine West, but I'd have to try them on in person to see how they'd feel.

So, to all my old high heeled lovely shoes...I'll miss you!