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Your Post Pregnancy Body

What You (Don't) Want to Know!

More New Mom Tips

"Bleeding..., stretch marks..., baby fat that just won't go away... Will I ever get my regular body back..?"

Sounds familiar?

Having a new baby is great, right? Having a post pregnancy body is not that great!

For example, if it hadn't hurt so much, you'd wonder if you really did give birth since you still look pregnant!

And how do you feel about those wet circles on you t-shirt since you forgot to put nursing pads in your bra?

Not to mention the bleeding that goes on and on..

Sounds great, huh? Well, it passes!

The most common advice I read for new moms worried about the appearance of their post pregnancy body is to be proud, since it delivered a baby. To me that's about as helpful as telling an exhausted new mom to sleep when her baby sleeps. Not very helpful at all!

The first time I gave birth, I was a bit shocked over about how much my body had changed and how it looked. I didn't know what to expect and what was normal.

I think knowing is always better...

And remember, with a bit of effort and with the help of time, your body will return to a more normal state, probably within a year.

Don't despair!

Your belly

I had heard so many mothers say that your belly looks awful after giving birth. But I still didn't realise that it would look this bad!

Our oldest son kept asking if he could squeeze my very soft belly...

Trust me, for a few weeks or so, you will continue to look pregnant.

It is very normal!

Your uterus contracts slowly during six weeks and your stomach muscles are so stretched they aren't really there.

Things improve and a bit faster if you breastfeed, since this helps the uterus to contract faster. But even if you don't, after six weeks or so, your uterus will be its original before pregnancy size.

But your belly will not get back to normal without some exercise. The muscles are simply too stretched.

Crunches, my friends or if you want to get serious, get yourself a really good exercise program for a flatter stomach!!! Unfortunately, exercising those muscles is really the only way to get this part of your post pregnancy body to look like before. (Believe me, I'v tried cheating; it doesn't work!

But wait until you have stopped bleeding, your body has to heal before you start exercising.

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Stretch Marks

Did you get stretch marks during your pregnancy? Most women do. They can appear on your belly, your breasts or thighs and buttocks. If your mother got them, chances are you will too.

The good news is they fade over time. The bad news is they don't go away completely. There are stretch marks creams available that you can try or if you are desperate, you can get rid of them with plastic surgery.

But wait at least for a year or so before considering any drastic solutions (surgery) to see how much of the stretch marks that disappear naturally. This may save you some of your money.

ads from Shopzilla,Inc

If you don't feel like just sitting around waiting for improvement, you can give time a little bit of help. Don't expect miracles, but I know one stretch mark cream that can actually make a difference. It is called TriLASTIN-SR. (Shown on the picture to the left.)

You can buy TriLASTIN-SR from EC Research Corp., which also has a 60 days money back guarantee.

If you recognise the name it might be because it was featured at the Tyra Banks show some time ago, because it is actually a stretch mark cream that works for most of the users. It is also affordable compared to some other famous brands.

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Linea Negra

What about the linea negra - the brown line some pregnant women get on their belly during pregnancy?

Well, here is the good news - it will disappear completely!

The bad news? Nope, no bad news here!

Did you know the old wives tale - a short linea negra, only to the navel means a girl and a long means a boy. Was it like that for you?

Mine stopped at the navel regardless of if I was carrying a girl or a boy.

Anyway, the linea negra will disappear from your post pregnancy body within a few months. If you breastfeed, it may take just a little bit longer.

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Your breasts

One of the biggest changes you might notice with your post pregnancy body is your breasts.

Your breasts change during pregnancy and from breastfeeding. Most expecting mothers get bigger breasts while pregnant and then even bigger breasts while breastfeeding.

But then...

Your breasts will not be bigger, but longer... and flatter...

They might get some of their original shape back after a while, but not all.

Actually, for many women this is the worst part of having a post pregnancy body, because the change is so big.

What to do about it?

Where a good bra and do push ups to strengthen the muscles.

And - hmm - get used to it! At least it should motivate that you buy really beautiful, expensive bras, right?

Or, of course, plastic surgery is an option if the shape makes you very miserable. But don't do anything until well after you have stopped breastfeeding and you are completely sure that you will not want to have any more children. At least not for long.

If you breastfeed, your boobs may also be sore for a while and may leak. Not nice, but at least it should stop hurting within a few weeks. If it continues to hurt or if your nipples start bleeding, consult a lactation expert quickly. Your baby might be suckling in the wrong way.

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Your vagina

vagina after pregnancy
Before giving birth the first time a very dear and very honest friend asked me:

"Has anyone told you that you will resemble a baboon "down there" after giving birth?"

No, no one had informed me of this not-so-nice fact about my post pregnancy body.

To be honest, I didn't check.

But it sure felt like she was right!

No matter how many stitches, if any, you had giving birth, you will be sore!

But if you don't get any infections, the soreness should fade away within a week or so. Actually if you had wounds that were too small to be stitched, you can be sore for a longer period, while they heal.

And then there's the other issue...

A baby's head actually came out that way. This means that the muscles and tissue were really stretched as much as possible. To get the muscle tonus back, these muscles need to be exercised just as any muscles.

Not only for your own (and your spouse's) pleasure, but also to prevent urine leakage. Actually, this is a very common problem for women post pregnancy, but few talk about it.

It should go away gradually as your body heals, but if you continue to have such problems, don't hesitate to talk to a doctor. Quite simple surgery can help you get rid of this condition.

Squeeze as often as you can!

I heard somewhere that 3 orgasms per day will do the job for you. It must have been an impatient man who came up with that idea! Even if it would work (please tell me if you try it) who would feel like it and have the energy to try it just after giving birth???

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Post partum bleeding

If you haven't noticed it already, I can tell you that you will continue to bleed after giving birth for at least one month, probably more. The bleeding may stop faster the second time you give birth, but don't count on it. 8 weeks of bleeding is normal. But of course, quite fast, the bleeding should not be red any more, rather brownish and not very abundant.

It doesn't matter if you gave birth or had a caesarean, you will bleed anyway. The blood comes from the wound where your placenta was attached to the uterus.

If you're at all worried, talk to a health care provider.

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Your skin

Many women have a very healthy complexion during pregnancy. Bad news - your skin will go back to normal after giving birth. Also, if you breastfeed, your skin and hair might become very dry for a while.

For some skin care tips, click here.

Good news, if you suffered from skin pigmentation changes during pregnancy, (sometimes called ""the mask of pregnancy" or chloasma or melasma), these changes will often fade away after giving birth.

And if they don't disappear to your satisfaction or fast enough, there are creams that help. One cream that consistently get great reviews is Meladerm by Civant Skincare. This product can actually give nice results even in just a few weeks, which is good, especially since the company has a 30 day repayment guarantee.

If you have a very sensitive skin, talk to a dermatologist before using any skin lightening products. Also remember that you should not use such products while breastfeeding.

But when you don't breastfeed anymore, Meladerm is scientfically proven to help.

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Weight loss

Your post pregnancy body is likely to be bigger than before.

The body stores fat during pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding.

If you do breastfeed, you might loose some of that weight quite easily. Some women even become very skinny during breastfeeding.

As your baby grows, you actually need some 500 - 800 calories extra per day to produce the milk.

The problem is that you will be so increadibly hungry! If you had difficulties eating in the last part of your pregnancy, these problems will gone now! You will be starving!

So, if you do want to loose some weight, you really have to think through what you eat. It is very easy to stuff your poor post pregnancy body with lots of unhealthy snacks when you have so little time and are so hungry!

Of course, if you don't breastfeed, you'll have work a bit harder. But on the other hand, you won't be so hugnry!

If you want to kick start your weight loss and your way back to you pre-pregnancy body (or something even more fit...), here's a program especially designed for new moms.

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Arms

The one part of your post pregnancy body that really should improve naturally is your arms. Or at least your left arm if you are right handed...

You will carry your baby a lot, and will get stronger and stronger. With nice biceps developing.

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Sex

Was sex the first thing you thought of after giving birth? Or after studying you post pregnancy body in the mirror? I guess not!

For many it even seems a bit scary to have sex the first time after giving birth, considering how sore you are, that you might have a lot of stitches, that you are bleeding and so on. Not to mention being exhausted and having a new baby in your arms around the clock.

But, if you do want to give it a try, remember to use a condom if you are still bleeding to prevent infections (and new babies...). Breastfeeding is not a good contraceptive if you ever thought so!

Also use lubricants! Lots of it. Your mucous membranes are fragile, maybe a bit torn and are often very dry due to hormones.

Without lubricants I can almost guarantee you that your first try will be a really bad experience. So unnecessary!

For more information about sex and breastfeeding, click here.

And if you are curious on when other moms started to have sex after childbirth, check out this poll.

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Well, this was the truth about your post pregnancy body. Some things change, some stay the same. Almost everything can be fixed with some effort and with the help of time.

If you're still wondering about something regarding your postnatal body, don't hesitate to use our Baby Help Line.

And if you don't like what you see, you can always try for a sibling, jumping right from a post pregnancy body to a pregnant one again, if you liked that version better. ;-D

Are you still pregnant adn simply taking a sneak peek into life after childbirth? Prepare for giving birth by learning some useful acupressure techniques. Excellent for labor pain relief - as well as for inducing labor naturally when you start thinking that the waiting is just toooo long.

Also click here for lots of tips on getting pregnant, being pregnant, fertility , early pregnancy signs, the trimesters of pregnancy and more.