Collaborative Post¦ Pregnancy changes your body in many ways, and many of these changes are still seen after childbirth. Giving birth also brings its own unique changes that can persist for several weeks or longer, and you may find that your body doesn’t fully return to how it was before. It’s important to be aware of what can happen to your body after pregnancy and childbirth, so if you’re planning to start a family, then here are some of the main ways your body can change after having a baby.
postpartum
5 products I couldn’t have done without as a new mum
In the first few weeks postpartum, comfort and as much sleep as possible are a must! People who say “sleep when the baby sleeps” are absolutely right (although it’s difficult when you have another child!) Your body has been through an intense experience giving birth, so it needs care and rest. The newborn days are wonderful, but the fourth trimester is certainly a challenge! Having given birth twice now, these are the 5 things that I couldn’t have done without in those very early days!
The 4th trimester in a pandemic
The 4th trimester with my 10 week old son has been very different than with my 4 year old daughter, thanks to the pandemic. Of course, my pregnancy and the birth experience were effected by it too. It’s all been very strange and somewhat unexpected as I thought things would have vastly improved by a few months into my pregnancy.
A tale of tongue tie, bonding issues & a healed heart
This is a guest post from someone I know in real life. She is also a first time mum and wanted to share her story to help other mums. I’ve previously shared my stories of how Autumn fell critically ill at 2 weeks old, my subsequent anxiety and how we had to give up breastfeeding. However, a lot of mums have a tough time in one way or another.
This powerful story discusses bleeding in early pregnancy, labour with some complications, bonding issues, tongue tie and a failed tongue tie procedure once the baby was born. Please be warned that it may be triggering for some.
Postpartum body – a husband’s perspective
After having a child, I think many women have body confidence issues. Even if you fit back into your pre-pregnancy jeans soon afterwards, it’s unlikely that you’re the same body shape. I’m not convinced anyone goes back to being just the way they were. That’s okay though, we’ve delivered our babies, which is a wonderful thing. However, when we look at extra pounds and stretchmarks in the mirror, it can still make you feel rather down! Often, though, the men in our lives don’t seem to mind too much. I asked my husband to write me a letter about my postpartum body and his thoughts about it. All being well, I can read this in the future if I’m ever looking at my reflection and tearing myself to shreds again!