] were also more conducive to staying active in Regency times. After all, the high waisted dresses were not constricting AND pregnancy might not have even shown for a while longer.
The Victorian stays and whalebone would have complicated the poor lady's life a great deal.
In Dickens' Little Dorrit, Fanny Dorrit Sparkler is disconsolate because she cannot go into society at one point. It is not stated, but is obvious that the reason is pregnancy.