4 Things That Change After Giving Birth
When you have a baby, plenty of things change. Between your body and your lifestyle, you’re in for a lot of transformations that you may not have anticipated. However, you’ll find that even though things may be different than before, you’ll eventually learn to accept and even love these changes.
It helps if you know what to expect ahead of time. By preparing for the changes and equipping yourself in advance, you’ll have a much easier time accepting your new lifestyle as a parent.
If you’ve recently given birth or are going to in the near future, here are some of the changes that you can anticipate.
Extra Weight
It’s no secret that when you get pregnant, you can expect to gain anywhere from 35 pounds and up. Some women gain more than others and have a harder time losing the weight long after the baby has arrived.
If you’re one of the women who retain her weight after giving birth, you may have a hard time coming to terms with your new shape. You may consider surgery or even start dieting. Some experts recommend wearing a medical-grade girdle as well to help with losing the baby weight. It’s up to you whether you want to accept your changed shape or take measures to drop the weight that you kept as a result of the pregnancy.
Vaginal Changes
When you give birth, your vagina stretches a considerable amount in order to make way for the baby. In some cases, it may tear or even require an episiotomy.
Even women who have cesareans may find that their “undercarriage” is affected long term. This is part of the territory of having babies, and in many cases, is unavoidable. It helps to do Kegel exercises regularly. If you suffer from incontinence as a result of childbirth, then this can be especially helpful.
Breast Changes
Your breasts will go through many changes throughout the process of pregnancy and childbirth. When you begin breastfeeding, they will get even larger as they begin to create milk for your baby.
Some women find that their breasts retain the gained size as a result of pregnancy, while others find that their breasts get smaller and sag from feeding their babies.
Hair Changes
Many women experience full and luscious hair throughout the nine months of pregnancy due to all of the hormone. However, once your hormones drop again, you’ll experience hair loss. It’s not unheard of for women’s hair to lose a significant amount of volume for about a year after birth. However, fear not, despite these changes in hair volume, your hair woes will even out again. Although you may be impatient to have fuller locks again, it will take time. In the meantime, you can use volumizing hair products.