Allbirds question @@@@

[Jalapeñomel]

I’m about to bite the bullet and get some, because my feet are swelling and hurt by the end of the day. The Allbirds wool loafers come highly recommended, but I can’t figure out if I should size up or not. I some necessarily want to buy a $100 pair of shoes I can only wear for another month, but I also know that what I’m currently wearing sucks ass (and I’m tempted just to wear my fucking Vionic flip flops and dare anyone to ask me to change my footwear 😜).

I normally wear a 7, my size did not change after my son. I don’t know if that’ll happen again or not, as we all know every pregnancy is different.

Or are there other shoes you’d recommend for someone who is on their feet all days and in the third tri?

[nsl]

I lived in Sketchers during both of my pregnancies, though the last one was over a decade ago and I have to wonder if they'd be sufficient support-wise now that I'm in my 40's.

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 12, 2021 15:26:08 GMT -5 nsl said:

I lived in Sketchers during both of my pregnancies, though the last one was over a decade ago and I have to wonder if they'd be sufficient support-wise now that I'm in my 40's.

This is my fear…I can’t wear just any shoe anymore. 😩😩

[VillainV]

Allbirds are kind of like Skechers in that they’re squishy and soft but not particularly supportive. Anything supportive will probably be about as expensive as Allbirds (Clarks, Vionic, Dansko, etc).

Do you need something appropriate for work? If you’re okay with super-casual, maybe Crocs?

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 12, 2021 16:30:18 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Allbirds are kind of like Skechers in that they’re squishy and soft but not particularly supportive. Anything supportive will probably be about as expensive as Allbirds (Clarks, Vionic, Dansko, etc).

Do you need something appropriate for work? If you’re okay with super-casual, maybe Crocs?

Good to know they aren’t supportive, so I’ll pass on them.

I have a pair of Mary Jane crocs that I’ve been wearing, but they hurt. Maybe it’s just the regular beginning-of-school hurt, and I just need to work through it.

[nsl]

Sept 12, 2021 17:00:55 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Sept 12, 2021 16:30:18 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Allbirds are kind of like Skechers in that they’re squishy and soft but not particularly supportive. Anything supportive will probably be about as expensive as Allbirds (Clarks, Vionic, Dansko, etc).

Do you need something appropriate for work? If you’re okay with super-casual, maybe Crocs?

Good to know they aren’t supportive, so I’ll pass on them.

I have a pair of Mary Jane crocs that I’ve been wearing, but they hurt. Maybe it’s just the regular beginning-of-school hurt, and I just need to work through it.

The beginning of school foot pain is no joke, and I felt like this year was especially rough going back to "normal" again.

Vionic sneakers are my current favorites, but I'm not sure if they have the wider widths that it sounds like you might need now. They are super supportive, though.

[Susie]

I have Allbird Mizzles, in my usual size, and they are comfortable in the squishy way but not especially supportive.  

At the end of my pregnancy with DD (she was due in Nov), I was enormous, visibly uncomfortable, and went the "I dare you" route.  I wore Birkenstocks to work.  I had sandals and the Boston clogs when it got colder.  Nobody ever dared, which was best for everyone lol.

[DotAndBuzz]

The only shoe I could wear when I was PG and on my feet for 12 hours shifts were danskos. Not cheap, but that and compression socks were a godsend.

But they have MUCH better styles now than what I had to wear 13 years ago (white professional clogs...so so ugly)

ETA - I bought these for a Paris trip where we logged about 7 miles a day. Not pregnant then, but they were SUPER supportive and have held up great. They're now my go-to shoe for most of fall/winter.
www.dansko.com/becki-black-waterproof-tumbled

[al dente]

I recently got some compression socks and they've been a big help. They're so ugly I only wear them around the house though lol. I don't do a ton of walking so I'm no help with shoes, but just going around the block was making me swell so much.

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 12, 2021 19:29:09 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

The only shoe I could wear when I was PG and on my feet for 12 hours shifts were danskos. Not cheap, but that and compression socks were a godsend.

But they have MUCH better styles now than what I had to wear 13 years ago (white professional clogs...so so ugly)

ETA - I bought these for a Paris trip where we logged about 7 miles a day. Not pregnant then, but they were SUPER supportive and have held up great. They're now my go-to shoe for most of fall/winter.
www.dansko.com/becki-black-waterproof-tumbled

I tried to put my clogs on today, but they’re too narrow. I may have to look at some of their wider stuff. Looking at my feet right now, they don’t seem that swollen, but clearly, I’m in denial! Lol

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 12, 2021 20:03:48 GMT -5 al dente said:

I recently got some compression socks and they've been a big help. They're so ugly I only wear them around the house though lol. I don't do a ton of walking so I'm no help with shoes, but just going around the block was making me swell so much.

Are you hot? My classroom gets so damn hot, just thinking about socks makes me sweat. Lol

[Jalapeñomel]

Sept 12, 2021 19:21:38 GMT -5 Susie said:

I have Allbird Mizzles, in my usual size, and they are comfortable in the squishy way but not especially supportive.  

At the end of my pregnancy with DD (she was due in Nov), I was enormous, visibly uncomfortable, and went the "I dare you" route.  I wore Birkenstocks to work.  I had sandals and the Boston clogs when it got colder.  Nobody ever dared, which was best for everyone lol.

I’m due in November, so I’m in the same boat. I found an old pair of birks I bought years ago that were slightly too big, and they seem to fit right now. I’m totally wearing them tomorrow. 🤣

[al dente]

Sept 12, 2021 20:12:21 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Sept 12, 2021 20:03:48 GMT -5 al dente said:

I recently got some compression socks and they've been a big help. They're so ugly I only wear them around the house though lol. I don't do a ton of walking so I'm no help with shoes, but just going around the block was making me swell so much.

Are you hot? My classroom gets so damn hot, just thinking about socks makes me sweat. Lol

I mean it's not cool lol. But I wear them with shorts just around the house and sit in front of fan as much as I can. I'm also just perpetually a million degrees so having on the socks doesn't make a huge difference.
My feet were hurting from swelling and I had no arch or ankle from it getting so bad lol so its kind of just having to choose which uncomfortable you want.

[loira]

I have no advice but... 3rd trimester already??? Hurray!!! 😃

[mrsukyankee]

I'd look at Clarks wide shoes. A lot of them are really supportive, not super expensive and look okay for work.

[stemmie]

I have the wool runners. I am generally a 7 1/2 but ordered an 8 which works. My feet are not quite a wide but sometimes for dress shoes I have to buy a wide. They work for me.

In terms of support. The arch support is kind of meh- I have plantar fasciitis and heel bone spurs. The arch support isn't quite what I'd get from Danskos, New Balance or Birks, but I will say they are comfy for standing/walking on a concrete slab. They are my go-to for taking my mom to Costco when she wants to see and touch all of the things. The foot support is what you would expect from a lace up shoe; this is something I sometimes need because of some arthritis issues in my feet. The wool is quite breathable- I've been wearing them all summer.

One thing I noticed is that when washed, they do shrink a bit which might work to your advantage if you find your feet shrink after delivery.

[wildrice]

I am surprised people don't find Allbirds supportive! I have the wool runners and they are the most comfortable sneakers I've had in forever. I wore them all over Italy last year (before COVID lol) and walked like 20k steps a day without much foot pain at all. I wear them as my primary walking shoes at this point, and even wore them on a 5 mile hike in the Smokey Mountains last week and didn't have any foot pain at all. I do not have a lot of foot issues, but I have had arch pain doing a bunch of walking in other sneakers and none at all with the Allbirds. I honestly love them and will probably stick with them forever at this rate.