Your body has been through a lot, bringing a new life to this world is never easy. Once your baby is born, your body is sure to look and behave differently, especially for the first few weeks after delivery. Well, if you are winding what you should expect from your postpartum body, you have come to the right place. Here, you will come to know the changes and challenges that you may need to face after delivery.

Things to expect from your postpartum body

Check out this list about your after pregnancy body.

Tired and achy body

Labor needs a lot of punching and contractions, and it's completely natural to feel tired and achy. Though this discomfort generally lasts only for a few days and it can be treated with normal medications.

Enlarged breasts

Your breasts can become swollen and flushed. especially for the first couple of days after giving birth. Due to the stretched skin, your breast may begin to sag, and you can experience some milk leakage (even for several weeks) even if you are not breastfeeding.

Excess flab

As compared to other body parts, your belly goes through various changes throughout the pregnancy. Excess flab or a "pooch" is common after delivery. It becomes more important to keep your core muscles as it can help your abdominals to recover faster.

Vaginal discharge

Also known as lochia, vaginal discharge is not pretty, it is benign leftover blood tissues, and mucus from your uterus. Regardless of you delivered the baby, the flow can be as heavy as periods.

Also read: Things that make postpartum life more and more exciting!

Urinary incontinence

Your pelvic floor muscles take a strain due to your baby's weight. These muscles can get weaker and can cause you to leak a bit of urine, especially when you sneeze, cough, or lift heavy.

Stretch marks

You get about 30 pounds during the 9 months of pregnancy. When your body grows faster than your skin can keep up with, the elastic fibers under the skin start to break, and this leads to stretch marks. Using the right ointment as directed by your doctor can help diminish stretch marks. 

Back pain

We already had a discussion about everything you need to know about back pain during pregnancy, but back pain can last even after childbirth. Your muscles are recovering after pregnancy, and another reason for back pain can be bad posture during pregnancy. It is advisable to see a chiropractor if the problems don't clear up within the first six weeks after delivery.

Tearing of the perineum

More common in women who had a vaginal delivery, tear in the perineum (the area between the vaginal opening) is common. This can take at least six weeks to heal.

Weak and tired arms

Most moms-to-be don't focus on upper body workout during pregnancy and this leads to weakness and flabbiness. This is the reason why new moms can experience tired arms, aching shoulders, and sore wrists, they all are the part of the postpartum body package.

Thighs and legs may get thicker

During pregnancy, the activity and nutrition level of a woman can go down, and this, in turn, leads to weight gain. This stored fat gets distributed where women most often put on weight- thighs, hips, and backside. Experts recommend a mix of exercise and well-balanced diet low calories and high fiber foods.

To be continued.

It's not that easy, yes, giving birth. We’ll be bringing more about things new moms can expect from their postpartum body, so stay tuned!