Serial measurements of the volume, length, and width of the feet of
seventeen pregnant women were made at, or close to, the thirteenth and
thirty-fifth weeks of pregnancy and eight weeks postpartum. The same
measurements were made twice on a control group of sixteen nulliparous
women at intervals that ranged from sixteen to twenty weeks. There was no
change in the length or width of the feet in either group. The mean volume
of the feet increased 57.2 milliliters between early and late pregnancy (p
less than 0.001) and decreased by only 8.42 milliliters between late
pregnancy and eight weeks postpartum. These changes were attributed to
retention of fluid or to an increase in soft tissue and not to stretching
or relaxation of the ligaments.