Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What happens to my body after pregnancy?”
While sitting at a red light the other day I caught a glance of something alarming. A white, long HAIR seemed to be growing on my face! Let’s just state, the only person who should have a beard at 33 is Santa Clause, not me. I am a lady! Oh but wait, I’m also a Mom who has been through two pregnancies.
Having children is a blessing in so many ways, but hormones do crazy things to a woman’s mind and body. My cheek hair inspired me to write a blog post about all the ways you change after pregnancy. In case you haven’t experienced this stage of life yet, here is a preview of what to expect after you have kids with six crazy things that happened to my body after pregnancy.
Pregnancy Makes Hair Grow Where It Doesn’t Belong
One morning after my shower I discovered a coarse black hair growing out of a part of my body that shouldn’t be hairy. After tearing it out, I noticed another hair on the other… ahem, breast. These long black hairs seem to grow overnight now and even though they’re easy to remove, they’re an ugly sight to see. Pregnancy makes hair grow where it doesn’t belong – your nipples, your butt, your cheeks, and so on. I’ll spare you photo evidence.
Read more posts about weird pregnancy symptoms here.
Pregnancy Can Change Your Skin
Changing hormones levels can affect your skin in so many ways. I never had issues with acne or skin rashes during my youth, not even at the height of puberty. However, since having two children I now experience a combination of pimples and dry skin patches along my hair line. The wrinkles are expected with age, but the breakouts and rashes are new territory. Now I see a Dermatologist regularly and have a dedicated skin care routine to combat combination skin.
Read more Postpartum Blog posts here.
Pregnancy/Postpartum Can Mess With Your Hair
I never asked for a perm but pregnancy and postpartum hormones permanently changed my hair. For almost my entire life I have had very curly hair (except a few years when it turned straight after my Mom chopped it to my ears). It took me a long time to appreciate my hair, and then pregnancy hormones happened.
When you are pregnant, those high hormone levels cause you to grow more hair and you feel like a Shampoo Model with long luscious, shiny locks. THEN, when hormone levels drop after birth, your hair falls out. Don’t worry, it’s normal to lose up to one third of your hair starting at 12 weeks postpartum. You’ll find it everywhere and worry by your baby’s first birthday you will be bald. But it grows back again, slowly…thinner, fuzzier, and at weird lengths.
Two and a half years after having Ailey, I appreciate my hair on most days. I miss my natural tendrils that I now create using a curling wand…and there is a weird flat spot on the crown of my head that often appears hairless, but it’s okay. I’ve learned to love what I have.
Say Goodbye to Your Goodies
Every woman is going to notice something HUGE happens after pregnancy… and I’m not referring to the size your breasts become overnight. All of those womanly parts that God gives a woman to make her a woman will change significantly in shape, size, color, etc. For me, most of those parts kind of went back to normal, but they are forever changed. I had varicose veins in places I didn’t know were possible that left me with a bleb (google it) thankfully no one, but me, can see. I do love my body because it carried two children, but sometimes I wish I thanked it a little more before children too.
Mood Swings Never End
Pregnancy and Postpartum hormones send your emotions on a rollercoaster for such a long time. When all those hormones fade, you have new ones surging through your body that will rock your world. Before kids I never cried seeing an old lady hug a baby but now, hand over the tissues. I cry at the most obscene times and often for no reason. PMS symptoms worsen after pregnancy and the first few periods you have might be brutal. I’m two and a half years out still experiencing strange periods with horrible PMS symptoms. Make sure you’re seeing an OB-GYN regularly if you feel your period and PMS symptoms are out of control.
Mom Brain is REAL
I never had an issue with remembering things until I had kids but now, forget it. My memory is TERRIBLE. Pregnancy actually affects the neurotransmitters in your brain and scientists have proven a woman’s brain actually shrinks during pregnancy. (Source) Thankfully those gray areas beef back up postpartum, but I truly believe some things inside my head have definitely been altered. Tips for Moms who feel like they’re losing it – make lists, lots of them, and stick reminder notes all over the house!
For all the crazy things that happened to my body after pregnancy, there is also the AMAZING that comes with Motherhood. Pregnancy itself is a miracle of life and that child, he/she will teach you the meaning of unconditional love. Becoming a Mother is the BEST thing that has ever happened to me, irregardless of the insane amount of hormones that wreak havoc on our bodies.
The hair loss is real! For my first daughter I legitimately thought something was wrong with me. And the hair growing randomly? Yeah, I had that too. Thanks for sharing this! I am sure first time moms are relieved to hear they aren’t alone!