What are Permanent Post-Pregnancy Body Changes?

Your body will inevitably look different after pregnancy and childbirth but saying that your body changes is an understatement. While most mothers get away with temporary changes, some get the short end of the stick. These changes stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Many mothers are aware of and prepared for some permanent body changes after pregnancy, like stretch marks and body aches. But there are other bodily changes which nobody really talks about. So, in this blog we are taking you through some unexpected post-pregnancy body changes.

• Hair Falls Out—Or It Changes Color or Texture

Mothers usually get thicker and shinier hair during pregnancy due to changes in hormone levels. But these hormone levels start going back to normal right after childbirth and all hair breaks loose. You might experience alarming levels of hair loss right after.

But, by the third month, things should finally be back to normal, and your hair-fall should stop. If it doesn’t you might have to consult your doctor.

In very rare instances, mothers get grey hair after pregnancy.

• Your Breasts Shrink or Sag

This isn’t an immediate change after childbirth, but something that hits you later if you breastfeed.

If you decide to breastfeed your baby, your breasts will swell and increase in size for a while. But, once you and your baby decide to call it quits and lactation stops, your breast size can decrease a cup or two smaller than when you began and might even sag because of all that extra skin.

On a brighter note, breastfeeding can lower your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer!

• You Experience Heavier Periods

Your uterus changes during pregnancy, it grows to accommodate a baby.  These changes can lead to mothers experiencing heavier, longer and more painful periods after childbirth for a while.

With a bigger uterus, and all the accumulation of blood tissues from your nine months of pregnancy, you would have more uterine lining to shed during your monthly periods which explains the heavier periods.

But for some women who suffer from PCOS, periods become lighter and less painful after childbirth.

• Your Body Structure Changes

We all know and understand that our stomach grows bigger during pregnancy, but what might completely slip our mind is that our ribcage and hips too need to expand and shift to accommodate the baby.

For many women, their ribs and hips shift back to where they were after childbirth, but for some, it doesn’t.

Due to this reason, even if you come back to your pre-pregnancy weight, your before and after pregnancy body might look completely different.

• Dark Line Down Your Belly

You may develop a dark line that runs down your belly during pregnancy, this is caused by hormonal changes that make certain parts of your body dark. This dark line is called linea nigra and once your hormone levels go back to normal, this line should gradually fade away. But like everything else on this list, it might not fade away for everyone.

Life after pregnancy might seem completely different and adjusting to these changes will take time. Even accepting your new body with all its beautiful flaws is going to take time. So, be patient with yourself, hang in there. Accept help, ask for support from your friends and family members. Take breaks to rewind frequently.