Giving birth is crazy - is the postpartum period even worse? Well, not always, of course. But in the first few days, weeks and months after your pregnancy, your body really performs at its best and begins to regenerate at lightning speed. But because this doesn't always happen overnight, most women experience some pretty surprising moments with their bodies during the postpartum period. It's a lot about bodily fluids, control and unpleasant feelings. And because everything is even more crazy with the new little person in your arms, many women feel anything but comfortable with the physical challenges of the postpartum period.
We think that's OK too. But we also think it helps a lot to have heard beforehand what other women's bodies do during the postpartum period. But because hardly anyone talks about it, we asked our community for you and wrote down the TOP 15 things that can happen to bodies after giving birth.
1. Sometimes the milk comes out. Even without breastfeeding. Just like that and it feels like it comes out by the litre.
2. The stomach is soft. And empty. And really soft.
3. In the first few days (and weeks) you may not be able to control your urine (and stool) very well. Yes, you will be (slightly) incontinent. But this almost always passes quickly, I promise.
4. Your hands and arms (and sometimes your feet) hurt. The cause is not yet 100% clear from a medical perspective. But because this mainly affects breastfeeding women, the high prolactin level may have something to do with it.
5. In the first few days, large, solid pieces of blood will come out of you. These so-called clots are coagulated blood and are completely normal.
6. The water retention can disappear from one day to the next. How? By sweating and peeing like crazy.
7. You fart. Uncontrollably and all the time. Especially when you laugh, cough, get up and cry. And at other times too.
8. The belly can go away really quickly. Or it can stay for a very long time.
9. After three to four months, hair sometimes falls out. A lot of hair. All the hair that you "held" during pregnancy with all the estrogen. But you won't go bald. And it will grow back, really!
10. Your vagina may be swollen and feel very sore. Usually heals quickly, but is still uncomfortable. Recovery Spray helps.
11. Your bladder can be super full and you don't even notice it. It's better to go to the toilet more often, even if you don't feel the urge.
12. Orgasms may feel different at first or may be barely noticeable. This also improves with pelvic floor exercises.
13. The area around the C-section scar can be numb. Sometimes for a long time.
14. The linea nigra can sometimes be seen months after pregnancy.
