How Your Body Changes Post-Pregnancy

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DISCLAIMER: As always, this post is only to provide general information. Please consult with your healthcare professional regarding treatment for your specific needs.

The ways in which your body changes during pregnancy are pretty well documented and you probably already have a good idea of what will happen. However, the changes don’t always stop there and there are a range of differences that women notice in the months after having a baby. Whether you are currently pregnant or you are thinking about having a baby at any point in the future, it is worth knowing about a few of the most common changes so nothing catches you by surprise. 

Hair Loss

You may not know it, but each of us tends to lose around 100 hairs a day when we are not pregnant! During pregnancy, your body is flooded by hormones, so you lose far less than normal. After you have given birth, your body starts to compensate for this so you may find yourself losing more hair than usual during the first six months. Most likely, your hair will soon start to return to its usual growth cycle, but if you’re experiencing a prolonged delay in growth, it might be time to see a specialist: like a Trichologist.

 Breast Changes

In the first couple of days after giving birth, you may find that your breasts have become flushed, swollen or sore. This swelling will tend to go down if you choose not to breastfeed or after you have finished breastfeeding. Additionally, the skin around your breast may sag, and even if you don’t breastfeed, you may find yourself experiencing milk leakage for a few weeks after birth. 

Stomach Differences

In the days after giving birth, you can feel that your uterus is hard and round. Around six weeks or so, you should no longer feel it pressing against your abdomen. You will probably notice some stretch marks around your skin, and even the fittest new moms may have some excess skin in their midsections. To help with this, you may want to think about engaging in some exercises such as yoga or Pilates, and building these up over time. Remember not to rush into anything too quickly as your body has been through a lot during pregnancy.

 Back Pain

It will usually take some time before the abdomen muscles ( which have become stretched during pregnancy), regain their former strength. Your body reacts to this by naturally putting on weight around your back muscles. This can end up leading to some sort of back pain. These problems usually work themselves out around six months following giving birth, but you may choose to see a chiropractor if this is not the case.

 Skin Discoloration

If you have suffered from acne during pregnancy, you should notice your skin starting to clear itself up. If this is not the case or you have other underlying skin conditions that pregnancy has exacerbated, you should consider seeing a dermatologist.   

I hope this post provides all of my new and expecting mamas with additional information that you find beneficial. Again, this post is to provide general knowledge and can vary from person to person. Following up with your OB/GYN can provide you with information tailored to your specific needs.

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Do You Ever Feel Like Your Body Is Falling Apart?

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Now we’re sure some of you can admit this. If you feel like your body is falling apart, then you really aren’t alone. From a younger age than you might think, we start experiencing things like muscle and joint ache, even though we’re sure our bodies should be fighting fit and ready to take on anything, And that is just from a young adult age. As we get older, things seem to fall apart even more, and you can’t help but feel like in a few years time, you will be nothing but a bit of skin and bone that’s holding on by a thread. But are we really falling apart, or are we causing some of the issues we’re facing? Are the aches and pains we feel normal, or are they something that needs to be addressed before they turn into something more serious? This is what we want to explore today, because we really do feel like the younger you start thinking about your body and whether it’s falling apart, the easier it will be to tackle any issues you’re facing!


Are We Causing The Issues?

Probably, because as a collective we’re really not the best at being able to care for our bodies. We put it under so much stress from an early age, and the things we put into it aren’t exactly the best. This carries on into our adult life, as the habits we pick up when we’re younger just seem to linger more than anything. But we’re all for changing our ways, so we want to highlight where you might be going wrong. For a lot of you, it will be down to the things you do on a daily basis. If you do too little exercise and just sit at a desk all day for your job, and then go home to lie in bed or sit on the sofa, you will fall victim to back and neck ache that you just can’t control. You have to keep your body active, and focus on your posture as back and neck ache is the most common form of body pain. Alternatively, you can be too active and put massive strains on muscles and joints all over your body, and causing even more pain that might be hard to correct.

Is Your Body Really Falling Apart?

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and realize the pain you’re having is not normal. As we said, back and neck pain is the most common pain symptom, but arm and leg pain is also common. One thing you could talk to your doctor about getting, are Stellate Ganglion Blocks to try and stop nerve pain in the arms and legs. It can be so crippling to live with nerve pain, and only strong medications that send your mind loopy can control it.  But a more permanent option like this is something you should try and seek.

What Can We Do To Improve Our Outcome

To improve your outcome in life, you should try and get the perfect mix of a healthy and active lifestyle, with plenty of rest combined. Try not to be too much of a couch potato, but at the same time don’t push your body daily in case you cause it harm!


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