Lemondrop

Booze, blue-veined cheeses and sushi may already be off-limits for the pregnant woman. And now, so are your favorite sky-high Jimmy Choos.

An article in The Telegraph reports that high heels are a risk to the health of moms-to-be, not to mention increase the likelihood of falls. Ditto goes for ballet flats, Uggs and flip-flops, which have also been deemed unsuitable footwear for the expecting because they don't provide feet with the necessary support.

A recent poll of 1,000 women by The Society for Chiropodists and Podiatrists found that 66 percent of pregnant women regularly wear flip-flops, 32 percent wear high heels, 53 percent choose ballet pumps, and 30 percent slump around in Ugg boots. And seven out of 10 have suffered from foot problems including swollen ankles (37 percent), swollen feet (45 percent), and foot arch and heel pain (16 percent).

"Weight gain and hormonal changes in pregnancy have a huge impact on the body,'' Lorraine Jones, a Society member, told the paper. To say nothing of their shoe wardrobes ...


''Muscles and ligaments soften and stretch because of an increase in the ovarian hormone relaxin, which makes your feet more prone to ankle and ligament strains on a daily basis," she explains. "High heels alter your posture, shorten your calf muscles and place increased pressure on your back and knees."

The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists recommends wearing a heel height of 1.2 inches and opting for comfortable, supportive footwear, ideally with a strap, laces or Velcro (which we haven't worn since about the second grade when we rocked our Kangaroos).

Also today, in a nice juxtaposition: Mothers are up in arms about the popularity of heeled shoes for toddlers, inspired in part by Suri Cruise, who at age 3 is frequently spotted running in heels.