Pregnancy and giving birth take an emotional and physical toll on a woman. For some reason, we've never really talked about this — until now.
Moms and postpartum experts are shedding a light on some little-discussed realities of giving birth through their social media posts.
During pregnancy, many women report having thicker hair because hormones temporarily stop normal, daily shedding.
While this cycle is totally normal, many women feel self-conscious during their process as their hair thins.
For some women, the processes of pregnancy and childbirth can trigger a thyroid issue leading to sudden and extreme weight loss.
The condition can cause a number of physical and emotional changes in a woman's body, so it's important to see your doctor if you're experiencing these symptoms.
While breastfeeding, most moms notice that their breasts are large and swollen.
In many cases though, a woman's breasts tend to become smaller than they were pre-pregnancy once breastfeeding stops.
Some suspect that strain on the breasts during and after pregnancy causes the tissue to lose elasticity and shrink.
Following the birth of their babies, most new moms continue to rock a little baby belly for months or well, forever. Many are embracing their belly "pooches" on Instagram through body-positive hashtags.
It's comforting to know there are other moms out there going through the same experiences and that many choose to feel empowered by their new bodies.
If you've ever been pregnant and thought that having the baby would help get your body temperature back under control, that's not always the case.
Apparently, sweating helps your body get rid of those extra fluids it was carrying around to nourish the baby during pregnancy.
Weight gain might seem like the most obvious physical transformation since every pregnant woman will gain some weight during a healthy and normal pregnancy.
Even if a woman doesn't gain weight, she may find she needs new clothes due to wider hips or other physical changes brought on by pregnancy.
Stretch marks during and after pregnancy are common. As the baby grows, the skin across the abdomen needs to quickly stretch to accommodate this growth.
They can also appear on other parts of the body and aren't confined to baby bumps.
Varicose veins are common in pregnancy due to an increase in weight and an increased volume of blood in a woman's body.
Varicose veins aren't restricted to legs. Many pregnant and postpartum moms also report having them in their vulva, which can be quite uncomfortable.
All pregnant women experience some stretching to their abdominal fascia (the connective tissue between muscles).
This stretching can cause a separation of the abdominal muscles, which can be repaired in the postpartum period with exercise and physiotherapy.
Your core strength affects a number of areas in your body and can lead to issues such as back pain if it is not properly addressed.
Postpartum depression is extremely common in new moms, but is still somewhat of a taboo topic for people to discuss.
Women with postpartum depression report not feeling connected to their babies and being overwhelmed by negative thoughts.
Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen have also come forward with their experiences of postpartum depression and are helping to remove the stigma.
While swollen feet are another common condition during pregnancy, not many people realize that it can stick around after the baby is born.
As well, some moms notice they permanently go up a shoe size or two after giving birth. Crazy!
Pregnancy and giving birth impact women on a physical and emotional level. By talking about these issues, it can help moms feel like they aren't going through these changes alone.
