After you give birth there are a lot of things you might expect to see change in your body – stretch marks for instance. But for a lot of us, there have been very unusual changes. Things we never considered as a “side effect” of having a baby.
I can say for certain I didn’t know my feet would grow, or that my hair would begin to grey quite so early. If you’ve not already had a little one, here are some fun things that might be in your future.
(Besides of course an incredible little person.)
7 Unusual Ways Your Body Changes After Baby
1. Taste buds. I’ve spent my whole life never having real chocolate and sweets cravings. Those were things I never really ate much. After my first pregnancy though, I developed and have since maintained, a total sweet tooth. No brownies are safe around me anymore.
2. Body shape (not weight). I’m not talking about your body weight, I mean the shape. I lost all of my pregnancy wait within the year but none of it went back to where it belonged originally. Some women in our Facebook community say their shoulders broadened and their feet grew. My feet actually grew a whole half a size.
3. Hair texture. Straight to wavy. Curly to straight. A lot of women say their hair texture changed significantly after baby. Mine did not, but I do now have to actively fight all the greys.
4. Gotta go! For woman with vaginal births, you may now forever pee your pants when you laugh, run or sneeze.
5. A need for deodorant. Wearing deodorant was not a must for me prior to pregnancy. I rarely sweat and if I did, there was little to no odor. Now? If I’m not wearing it, you will know. Thank you to several ladies from our Facebook community who fessed up to this and made me feel a little less stinky.
6. Sleep position. I always fell asleep on my back prior to children and was very uncomfortable laying on my stomach. Now I sleep on my stomach and never my back. Many women mention they don’t sleep comfortably in the same position they once did.
7. Food allergies. I haven’t had this issue, but one women in our Facebook community became lactose intolerant, another became gluten sensitive, and one more developed an egg allergy. However, a couple of people said their food allergies went away!
Tell me, what body changes took you by surprise after baby?
Check out these super cute baby gender reveal ideas.
My change was positive. I had terrible adult acne until I got pregnant. Since my son was born eight years ago, I have rarely had a random bump. I’m not complaining at all!
Sleep was the big one for me. I never used to sleep on my back. At about 5-6 months pregnant (right when they were telling me “whatever you do, don’t sleep on your back”), the only way I could get comfortable was on my back. Now I still sleep that way.
I started to shed my hair like crazy! I always had beautiful long, thick hair, but at about 3 months post baby, my hair would come out in clumps in the shower. I was convinced that I was going bald. It would be all over my hair ties and my hair would knot and tangle to the point that my husband had to cut a chunk of it out! Before anyone gets all snarky, yes, I brushed my hair on a regular basis. Lol. Needless to say, I have since chopped it. Hopefully no more long tumble weeds of hair on my carpet or between my little’s toes.
Skin allergies became worse!
I had the expected hair loss on my head, but i didnt expect to lose hair down *there*! I lost so much, which I guess isn’t the worse thing ever.
Otherwise, I became lactose intolerant ( but couldn’t get enough of it while pregnant), and I went from hating chocolate to never having enough.
My only child is now 6. Some changes were immediate while others are gradual. Feet SHRUNK an entire size. Doctors are still baffled by this. Boobs also are two band and one cup size smaller post nursing then pre pregnancy. Curly hair is more wavy and going gray at 30. Seasonal allergies completely disappeared during pregnancy but came back with a vengeance after, but all sinusitis issues reduced by at least half. While my butt/thighs are slightly smaller, my waist to hip ratio is much larger. Needless to say, I dread pants shopping. Needed hernia surgery to knit all my abdominal muscles back together two years after giving birth. And don’t get me started on the sneezing/peeling thing.
Feet grew 1/2 a size. I have a sweet tooth and also now like cold shrimp….never did before baby #1. Had 2 c-sections and still pee myself when I sneeze/cough/lift. My boobs went from a D cup to a DDD cup and never went back. My hair developed a wave it never had before. I have 2 darker patches on my cheeks…like I used brown blush.
My teeth shifted!
Swelling. 19 months later and I’ll still get a little swelling around my ankles and legs at the end of the day.
I lost 2 cm from my height, got thyroid disease and started to be really sensitive to perfumes and other smells.