4 Changes in the body after pregnancy and childbirth

During pregnancy, many changes occur in your body, as well as after you give birth. Not surprisingly, many mothers complain about changes in their bodies after pregnancy and having children, and it is difficult for them to return to their pre-pregnancy body shape.

But, actually maintaining a healthy diet, doing regular exercise, and getting enough sleep can help mothers get back into shape again. Then, what are the changes in the body after pregnancy that can occur?

Changes to hair after childbirth

While pregnant, your hair may change. Likewise, when you have given birth, your hair may change again. This can happen to some new mothers in the first few months after giving birth.

Your hair, which became thicker during pregnancy, can start to fall out slowly after you give birth. This is influenced by changes in the hormone estrogen which begins to decline after childbirth. The hormone estrogen that is high during pregnancy can keep your hair from falling out.

Hair loss after pregnancy will not last long and will not cause you to go bald. So, you don't have to worry. Over time, your hair growth and loss rates will return to normal.

Changes to the skin after childbirth

Hormonal changes also affect changes in your skin. Just like hair changes, if you had clearer skin during pregnancy, you may have acne after pregnancy. Conversely, if you had a lot of acne during pregnancy, your pimples may disappear after you give birth and your skin will be clearer. If your skin changes color during pregnancy, this discoloration may also go away after you give birth.

The brown streak on your belly that appears during pregnancy will slowly disappear on its own. While stretch marks and sagging skin on the stomach may be reduced but not completely removed. Your skin can lose its elasticity after childbirth and as you age.

Changes to the breasts after childbirth

Changes in the body after pregnancy are changes in the breasts. During pregnancy, your breasts will get bigger as they start producing milk for your baby. After delivery, your breast enlargement may decrease, in about three to four days or until you stop breastfeeding. This makes your breasts then sag and appear smaller. At this time, you may need to replace your bra with a new one according to your bust size.

Usually, the more children you have, the more likely your breasts to sag. However, don't think this is because of breastfeeding. A 2008 study shows that breastfeeding is not associated with sagging breasts. Sagging breasts are more likely to be due to enlarged breasts during pregnancy, because you were larger during pregnancy, the number of pregnancies you had, the size of your breasts before becoming pregnant, a history of smoking, and older age.

Changes to the abdomen after childbirth

The changes in the body after pregnancy that perhaps the most frequent mothers complain about are changes in their stomachs. Your stomach may not return to normal immediately after giving birth. During pregnancy, your stomach muscles expand and after delivery your stomach will shrink.

Even though you have given birth to the baby, the placenta, and discharge in the uterus after giving birth, your belly will be bigger than before you were pregnant. You need extra efforts to return it to like before pregnancy. Try to do Kegel exercises and abdominal exercises (such as sit-ups) to restore abdominal strength and tighten your abdominal muscles again.

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