6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of
When I got pregnant the first time, I immediately took to the Internet to learn all about what the next nine months had in store for me.
I learned about breastfeeding, bottle feeding, sleep training and co-sleeping.
I even learned that I needed to stimulate those really neat( and wholly lifesaving) postpartum pads. What I didnt learn, however, was how my entire body would be completelydifferent after having babies.
I knew the normal stuff — I would probably get stretch marks and gain some weight — but what actually happened after pushing out these two beautifulbabies still has me a bit confused.
I feel the need to nation here that I dont, in fact, dislike my body.
Im wholly aware of how beautiful and powerful childbirth is. Im also in no way body-shaming myself or others.
Im simply talking about all the changes to my physical body that no one — including my ever trusted Pinterest bloggers — bothered to mention.
I also feel the need to tell you if you went home from the hospital in your pre-pregnancy jeans and have never experienced any of the things Im about to talk about, Im going to need you to exit this post without leaving a comment.
Go eat a pizza alone in silence. I dont wished to know unicorns like you exist.
However, here are six realistic postpartum changesyou will face, as per my experience 😛 TAGEND
1. My belly button will literally never — without surgical intervention — be the same.
I used to have the cutestbelly button.
It was so open, tight and non-deformed that I would have never in my wildest dreams expected current realities that is now my new belly button.
The best style to describe whats going on down there currently is to say it looks like a permanent frown face.
My stomach has been stretched to its limits and deflated two times in the last two years, but this malfunction didnt happen until after my second pregnancy.
When Graham was two weeks old and I was brave enough to peek in the mirror for the first time, I was able to convince myself that once I lost some of the pregnancy weight, my belly button would open itself back up.
Not the case.
Im almost a year out of my last pregnancy and 40 pounds lighter. But still, my belly button frowns.
2. My belly legitimately feels — and seems — like cottage cheese.
Now, one could argue I could work out more.
One could also argue I could win the Miss America swimsuit competition. Both are about as likely to happen.
Seriously though, I do eat fairly well and work up more than I have in my life. The consistency of my belly has( much like my belly button) remained unchanged, despite significant weight loss and toning.
I can feelmuscles underneath the cheese.
3. The texture of my hair has changed.
I used to be able to go through an entire body pump class sweating and pumping for over an hour, dry off and take my hair out of my ponytail, merely to have it autumn perfectly back into place. No need to brush or otherwise fuss with it.
This was patently astonishing. But I will never experience it again.
Not merely did I lose my fabulously thick and shiny pre-pregnancy hair, it’s now growing in with a coarse texture Ive never experienced before.
Im learning things I never wanted to know, like frizz-eliminating blowout techniques and leave-in conditioner.
4. Boobs? I dont even know where to start.
Yet another part of my body that wont be fixed without surgical intervention.
Not merely are they permanently two sizes bigger than before, theyre two sizes saggier. I have that much more surface area for stretch marks to cover.
Granted, my stretch mark situation could be so much worse. But there they are, my little tiger stripes reminding me of the utterly terrible experience that is breastfeeding.
Side note: I know Im not supposed to say this, but man. Do I love formula.
5. I am the proud owner of two brand new love handles.
Would you believe I was once wholly baffled by love handles?
I actually said out loud that I didnt is how they even existed. How could one even get gasps on and buttoned, merely to have those unsightly accessories hanging over?
Then, God chuckled to the angels.
Hahaha! Oh, nave, never-been-pregnant-girl. You will know one day.”
Seriously, if I had to buy gasps big enough to not highlight my extra baggage, I would never wear gasps again.
Love handles be darned. Im wearing my jeans( with the loosest peasant blouse I can find ).
6. Everything is bigger, including my feet.
I do believe person or persons warned me about this one, but I didnt believe her. I spent over 20 years curating the perfect size-7 shoe collection.
Within nine months, all that time and investment became as useless as my size-2 6 jeans( which are still in my closet for the working day I lose the final 30 pounds Ive put on sinceI was1 6 ).
Unlike the rest of my body, Im not holding out false hope that my feet will magically shrink. I have given away basically every pair of shoes I have owned before two years ago.
Here’s a piece of advice: Save all themoney youre dumping into your shoe closet now for sashes and Spanx later.
If youre reading this and youre already knocked up, theres no going back now.
Fear not. Theres truly nothing on Earth — not even bigger feet and love handles — that will compare to the love you will have for your children and the love they will have for you.
Except when theyre old enough to play with said love handles like flapjacks.
6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of
6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of
6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of
6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of
6 Postpartum Body Changes No Woman Should Be Ashamed Of