What weird things happened to your body after having a baby?

[Deleted]

My balls got blue.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Weren't they always?

[taz157]

My stomach area isn't the same as before due to my c-section.

In heels, I need to wear a 7.5 instead of a 7 (as I can in flats).

[chen35]

Jan 13, 2014 22:06:01 GMT -5 travelnut11 said:

OMG you guys are killing me.  As a person who plans to TTC in the next few months this whole thread is disturbing. 

[tallguy]

My ex used to half-jokingly blame our son for her inability to eat anything at all spicy.

[Formerly SK]

I can't run or do jumping jacks without a panty liner.  Half the time sneezing does it too. 

[busymom]

  My feet got a little longer, AND a little wider. (Couldn't wear any of my nice shoes, and had to replace them all.)

  Running to the restroom more often, which I find really annoying.

  The extra curves are nice, since DH isn't complaining. 

[marvholly]

My feet went from an 8.5 AA to a 9M.

However, I suspect it was more of an age facto than a baby factor. I was nearly 33. I had worked in an on my feet job. Eventually all the cartiledge connecting those 200 bones in your feet does stretch out just like the bands in bras.

[Deleted]

My feet grew from a size 8 1/2 to a 9. I lost all my baby weight (I was 120lbs before pregnancy and gained over 60lbs) and I didn't end up with a big stomach, but I sure ended up with an ugly one. I stopped having menstrual cramps. I learned to warn people about the veins in my arms after I acted in an unfortunate manner when the nurse kept sticking me trying to get the IV in while I was in labor. I also learned that milk engorged DD breasts aren't so cute when they go back down to their normal B size.

[skubikky]

Jan 13, 2014 19:12:43 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

After we had a baby my body didn't change immediately, but by the time we had toddlers the sleep deprivation and stress started getting to me.  Gray hair, acne breakouts, higher blood pressure.  It sucks.

Dark.....you're such a putz! 

[Pants]

Oh, also I now get heartburn when eating 1 particular brand of pizza - Lou Malnatis. All other pizza, I'm fine. Lou's makes me breathe fire for two days. It's bizarre.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I get heartburn on a regular basis

No matter what I do I still have a baby pooch.

My boobs SHRANK

My nipples are funny shaped and point opposite directions

My body hair got darker and stayed darker (the books LIED. The books said it would get lighter again after my hormones went "back to normal").  I'm a brunette to begin with.  If my body hair gets any darker I'll look like DH.
 
Chin hairs.

Despite being 90lbs soaking wet I have cellulite on the inside of my thights and my stretch marks are still visible .

[alabamagal]

My feet got bigger too.  Went from 10 to 10 1/2.  I hate having big feet, and 10 1/2 is the WORST.  Most places don't even carry them.  It's like they think your feet are so big you can just skip the 1/2 sizes.  Size 11 is too big for me.  It Sux

With my first pregnancy I was down 10 pounds from my normal weight (and I was fairly thin), then I gained a lot.  So I ended up with 10 lbs extra per baby (3 babies) and a total of 40 lbs from my low weight.

[Martivir]

I ended up with pregnancy induced hypothyroidism. So my pre-pregnancy weight is a pipe dream. 

My nipples are huge compared to pre-kid.

I was always cursed with dark hair but now in addition to the visible upper lip hair, I also started getting chin hair. 

I jiggle, a lot. DH loves the extra padding though.

I never stopped producing milk. Kid's 4 now. 

On the upside, 

Certain bits are more sensitive

My anxiety got better( even if only for a little while)

I finally have a rear end. Jiggly rear is better than my old pancake one.

[Deleted]

Not much.  Stomach is a little poochy no matter what I do.  My feet grew 1/2 size, now a 5.5 so yaay. 

And my hair grew in curly when it was nicely straight.  Same thing happened to my sister after she had a baby.  It is a nightmare to deal with.

[Sum Dum Gai]

I have hair on my nipples.

On the plus side you can draw smiley faces on them and style the hair like a beard, pig tails, pompadour, or whatever.  Makes me smile every morning when I see mine in the mirror.  Silver lining... always look for the silver lining.

[siralynn]

Not much other than a few stray minor stretch marks and some typical post c-section problems. Drives me nuts that people act like it's just another way to deliver, and even CHOOSE to go through it. It's major freaking surgery!!! And I have the permanently numb abdomen to prove it.

TMI - One thing that I didn't expect is that my hooha seems to have changed despite the fact that I didn't give birth vaginally. My cervix seems to be lower and at a different angle than it used to be. Intercourse was never super-comfortable, but it's downright painful now (8 months pp). Fortunately, my husband is a saint.

[sheilaincali]

From reading these comments I guess I got off pretty damn easy:

- my feet grew from a size 8 1/2 to a 9

- I can't drink milk anymore. When pregnant the smell of milk made me instantly sick and now nearly 16 years after having the Boy I still can't stand the smell of milk and haven't been able to have a glass in 16 years. I used to love milk and would drink a couple of glasses of it with every meal.

- motion sickness. I used to be able to ride rollercoasters all day long. Now I can't even sit in the backseat of a car for a ride across town without getting carsick. I can't even check directions on my smart phone while DH is driving for more than a minute or so before getting carsick. It's super annoying.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Giving birth twice has done amazing things for my strength and inner fortitude.

I could lift a car/bus/plane off a kid all by myself if I had to.

I could go without food and water for days and weeks if I only had enough for them or for me.

I can go days on end with little sleep or without a moment to myself.

I could take a bullet for them and survive to kick the shooter's ass.

I can deflect all kinds of criticism/gossip/insults/bad advice and the kids will never see me crack under the assault.  

I can get sick, throw up, maybe take a moment to clean myself off, and go tend to a kiddo who is sick and throwing up without missing a beat.  

I am a mother.  A mother bear.  Don't ever mess with my cubs.  

[Spellbound454]

I became insensitive to poo and vomit......No amount of yuk phases me now. I just get on with it.

 ....and I developed the patience of a Saint.

Multi tasking skills improved ie....Developed an ability to feed little one, keep the other one on the potty (with my leg) and pour water from a jug to make him go with my free hand...and sing nursery rhymes.


Downside....Post partum hair lank, lifeless and falling out.

[Abby Normal]

My hair went straight. Lost a lot of it, but I had enough so it wasn't really noticeable.

My hips aren't in alignment (born that way) and it's always caused pain.  The pain was much less, and has stayed away, after giving birth.

[michelyn8]

Jan 14, 2014 15:23:11 GMT -5 siralynn said:

Not much other than a few stray minor stretch marks and some typical post c-section problems. Drives me nuts that people act like it's just another way to deliver, and even CHOOSE to go through it. It's major freaking surgery!!! And I have the permanently numb abdomen to prove it.

TMI - One thing that I didn't expect is that my hooha seems to have changed despite the fact that I didn't give birth vaginally. My cervix seems to be lower and at a different angle than it used to be. Intercourse was never super-comfortable, but it's downright painful now (8 months pp). Fortunately, my husband is a saint.

Ask your doctor about this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroverted_uterus

I found out mine was retroverted last year and it explained why certain sexual positions were more painful than others.  Apparently mine is not anything to worry about since my doc hasn't mentioned needing to do anything to correct it. 

As far as changes after pregnancy the biggest one was that once I lost baby weight with DS, I was 2-3 sizes smaller than before pregnancy.  Boobs stayed about the same until I had my tubes tied after DD2 (came back when I had to go on BC a couple years ago and also put on 10-15 lbs) but were flatter across the top.  Each child gave me more stretch marks than the previous but I was blessed to not really get that many.  Shoe size actually decreased from 7 to 6.5 though and periods got heavier and more painful after my tubal too but have gotten much, much better over the last 10 years.

Overall, I stayed pretty much the same.  Most of my bodily changes have come since I hit my mid-40's which I suppose is normal even though I'd like to reverse a few of them and probably could rewind them a little if I just got off my ass and exercised more.   

[dancinmama]

I developed carpel tunnel syndrome in pregnancy that became progressively worse over the years.  Just had it surgically repaired...26 years post baby.

My feet grew a size.

I developed sinus troubles and skin troubles.

I was VERY lucky; got through it without a single stretch mark.

[Deleted]

Me too! I was obsessive about putting Palmer's on day and night, but in reality I just won the genetic lottery.

[milee]

Jan 15, 2014 13:51:58 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

Me too! I was obsessive about putting Palmer's on day and night, but in reality I just won the genetic lottery.

I didn't get a single stretch mark with the first baby.

With the second baby, I gained exactly 3 pounds more (and the second baby weighed 3 pounds more) and apparently that 3 pounds was enough to make a difference.   Not many, but I did get a few.  Luckily that's one of the few advantages of being one of the pasty people - the stretch marks are almost impossible to see against my skin now that they've faded to white.  And they're low enough that they're in a place that would not get a tan to make them stand out.  I'm trying to look at the positive like Shaun recommended. 

[ohmomto2boys]

My belly will never be the same - no matter how hard I try. I suppose if I won the lottery, I would have a tummy tuck.

My feet didn't grow.  Size 9, still a size 9.

Had issues with periods after DS#2.  Very severe.  So after 7 mths of extremely painful heavy flow (20 days in a row each month) I asked my doc for a hysterectomy (we had had tried a couple other procedures that didn't work).   I was 40 and we were done having kids.  Docs were able to leave my ovaries (no hormone replacement needed).  BEST DECISION EVER!!!!   Haven't had periods for over 5 years.

 

[Lizard Queen]

Jan 13, 2014 23:01:37 GMT -5 Sunnyday said:

Last and not least, I dyed my hair in the last month of my pregnancy. I dyed it my natural color and only the roots to cover some gray. Apparently, that's a big no-no. The hormones make the dye react differently. I have a brassy band of hair that I'm still growing out!

Really?  I started having problems with my hair dye looking brassy the last 2 times I colored, and thought it was the dye or the fact I have a lot more grey after the last pregnancy.  I had no idea the hormones could do that--good to know!


I am at least 30 pounds heavier than before kids--my flat stomach could be gone forever.  At this point, I just want to lose a few pounds and get healthier with diet/exercise--not sure I'll ever get my bikini body back.  I didn't get any stretch marks at all with the 2 pregnancies.  I had 2 c-sections, but no problems from those to speak of.  In my case, they really weren't a big deal.  The 1st was emergency, so my OB planned to remove scar tissue from the 1st one when I had the 2nd.  (I had an option for vaginal childbirth for the 2nd, but it would have involved traveling 35 miles to the bigger city hospital.)  It turned out that for DS2, I went so quickly that I went through labor and started pushing before they even got to start the C-section--worst of both worlds.  OB still took care of the scar tissue though.

For those with continued problems, have you gone to physical therapy after childbirth.  I went after both kids.  I wasn't sure how necessary it all was for me, but it did correct abdominal muscle separation and some other minor issues.  If you continue to have problems, I would suggest looking into it.

ETA: I can't believe I almost forgot this, as its my biggest problem now. I now have what I believe is rosacea and dry skin. I had always had oily, acne prone skin, but this is completely different. Most soaps turn my face beet red now. I'm not sure what to do about it now. Sil got me really expensive facial cleanser for Christmas, which is better, but I still get a little redness.

[jeep108]

I never had allergies before having my daughter after having her I was allergic to everything.

[Annie7]

My eyesight started going bad after my first pregnancy. I started allergies after my second

[michelyn8]

Jan 15, 2014 14:54:41 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Jan 13, 2014 23:01:37 GMT -5 Sunnyday said:

Last and not least, I dyed my hair in the last month of my pregnancy. I dyed it my natural color and only the roots to cover some gray. Apparently, that's a big no-no. The hormones make the dye react differently. I have a brassy band of hair that I'm still growing out!

Really?  I started having problems with my hair dye looking brassy the last 2 times I colored, and thought it was the dye or the fact I have a lot more grey after the last pregnancy.  I had no idea the hormones could do that--good to know!


I am at least 30 pounds heavier than before kids--my flat stomach could be gone forever.  At this point, I just want to lose a few pounds and get healthier with diet/exercise--not sure I'll ever get my bikini body back.  I didn't get any stretch marks at all with the 2 pregnancies.  I had 2 c-sections, but no problems from those to speak of.  In my case, they really weren't a big deal.  The 1st was emergency, so my OB planned to remove scar tissue from the 1st one when I had the 2nd.  (I had an option for vaginal childbirth for the 2nd, but it would have involved traveling 35 miles to the bigger city hospital.)  It turned out that for DS2, I went so quickly that I went through labor and started pushing before they even got to start the C-section--worst of both worlds.  OB still took care of the scar tissue though.

For those with continued problems, have you gone to physical therapy after childbirth.  I went after both kids.  I wasn't sure how necessary it all was for me, but it did correct abdominal muscle separation and some other minor issues.  If you continue to have problems, I would suggest looking into it.

ETA: I can't believe I almost forgot this, as its my biggest problem now. I now have what I believe is rosacea and dry skin. I had always had oily, acne prone skin, but this is completely different. Most soaps turn my face beet red now. I'm not sure what to do about it now. Sil got me really expensive facial cleanser for Christmas, which is better, but I still get a little redness.

What was the justification to do the C-Section if you'd already started pushing?  Was there some kind of distress or did you and the doc just not want to do vaginal birth?

Just curious.  I can see the desire for a larger hospital as a precaution to issues during delivery the smaller one isn't equipped for, but by the time you're pushing, I'd think you'd be past worst of it unless something else happen.