9 Ways Body Changes After Pregnancy

By Ajanta Sen

Saturday, February 13, 2016, 11:39 [IST]

Are you pregnant? Or have you just delivered your baby? Well, in both cases, you must be aware of the fact that there are going to be different ways your body will change post the pregnancy phase.

During the nine months of your pregnancy, you go through the various physical as well as emotional changes. Some women may even face postnatal or postpartum depression.

Women may also face mental issues like mood swings, stress, anxiety, etc, during their postpartum period.

The physical changes that a lady may face may also cause additional worry to a new mother, hence following the right diet with the right form of exercise can help treat many of these issues.

During the delivery, you go through the labour pain; and wait, the story has still not come to an end! The day when that tiny bundle of joy arrives, be rest assured that your body is going to experience a myriad of changes.

A majority of post-delivery changes in your body are temporary and do get back to their normalcy after sometime.

So, this article emphasises on the 9 ways that your body changes after pregnancy. Read on to know more:

Discoloured Skin Will Start Improving

During your pregnancy, the skin surrounding your eyes can get tanned; however, this discoloration starts to fade slowly after your pregnancy.

If you were suffering from acne during your pregnancy, it will also start to settle down. This is one of the 9 ways that your body changes after pregnancy.

Constipation

Constipation can also be one of the 9 ways that your body changes after pregnancy. Sometimes, you may suffer from constipation after pregnancy, especially if have gone through an episiotomy during your delivery.

In such cases, eat a fibre-rich diet and drink loads of juices, water and milk to relieve the pain and prevent constipation.

An Increased Energy Level

Some women may experience a sudden increase in their energy levels after their pregnancy. This is also one of the different ways that your body changes after pregnancy.

Back Pain

During your entire pregnancy, your increased weight can stretch your abdominal muscles. Thus, after your delivery, these muscles need to strengthen again.

In this process, your body puts extra weight on your back muscles. This results in a back pain often. Sometimes, a poor posture at the time of pregnancy can also lead to back pain after pregnancy.

Hair Loss

Hair loss is a remarkable change that you can experience after your pregnancy. Normally, an individual loses up to 100 strands per day; however, during pregnancy, the hair fall gets reduced because of those powerful hormones.

In order to compensate for this, your body starts to lose hair at an alarming rate for the initial 6 months after delivery.

Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are inevitable after pregnancy. These marks are usually red in colour right after the delivery, but they gradually become silver-coloured and eventually blend with your skin.

Breast Changes

This is also one among the 9 ways that your body changes after pregnancy. Within 1-2 days after the delivery of your baby, your breasts become sore, swollen and inflated with milk.

The more you breastfeed your baby, the faster your breasts will come back to their natural shape. Milk leakage can also continue for several weeks, even if you do not breastfeed.

Pain In Vagina And Discharge

After delivery, your vagina becomes very sore and stretched, especially if you have gone through an episiotomy. Cold packs, immediately after the delivery, can be helpful in relieving the vaginal pain.

Vaginal discharge will soon start after the delivery and can continue for quite a few weeks. This discharge mainly contains blood that is left from the uterine lining from pregnancy.

Stomach Changes

Every woman goes through a sagging belly after delivery. Once you are back to your normal routine, you can start doing sit-ups and other stomach exercises to regain your flat tummy. Doing them on a regular basis will certainly help you to get a flat belly again over a period of time.