Bathtubs And Brushes Full Of Hair(01 of16)
Open Image ModalPhantom Kicks(02 of16)
Open Image ModalMouthfuls Of Blood(03 of16)
Open Image ModalBleeding gums and wobbly teeth are common post-birth. While breastfeeding, the baby uses so much of your calcium that you need to keep your calcium levels topped up.Reader Lyn, who hates drinking milk or yogurt, lost a tooth with each of her two children. If you don't like dairy or soya products, try leafy green veg for calcium.Glenville says: "If vitamin D levels are good, then you will absorb calcium efficiently and stop losing teeth. If you do have bleeding gums and wobbly teeth, get your vitamin levels checked." (credit:Shutterstock)
Post-Birth Bleeding(04 of16)
Open Image ModalOf course, there's all the post-birth bleeding, too, which is often forgotten amid all the excitement of preparing for labour. Some women don't realize that you bleed like a very heavy period for a week or two -- you'll want lots of big sanitary towels, not tampons.Discharge (lochia) can continue for two to four weeks post childbirth. "I would suggest that if you're still bleeding heavily and not as part of a regular bleed two to three months post-birth, you need to see a GP just to be checked," advises Glenville.If you lose a lot of blood at the birth, you can become low on Iron and feel very tired and prone to infections. An iron-rich diet can help. (credit:Shutterstock)
Automatic Lactation(05 of16)
Open Image ModalOne of the surprising things about lactation is that it can start in small amounts during pregnancy. Then, when you see your baby for the first time, you may find yourself leaking milk without even realizing.Some women can continue to have achy breasts and produce a few drops many months or even years after they have stopped breastfeeding and after their periods have returned. It's all normal. (credit:Shutterstock)
Bigger Feet(06 of16)
Open Image ModalMarilyn explains, "Changes in your hormone levels will have caused muscles and ligaments to become more relaxed ready for labour and this causes the pelvis to be unstable, creating pain and inflammation. These changes can continue after birth."This explains why, after pregnancy, your feet may never return to their previous size. For some women, hands change size too. Katie says, "My hands got bigger, despite losing all my pregnancy weight and more!" (credit:Shutterstock)
Carpal Tunnel And Sciatica(07 of16)
Open Image ModalSome women report getting achy or "restless" feet and legs in late pregnancy which continues after birth. This could be sciatica, which occurs when inflammation or compression happens as the sciatic nerve leaves the spine. Carpal tunnel syndrome -- loss of sensation in the hands caused by pressure on the median nerve in the wrist -- is also possible after birth.Nicola says: "I had carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn't feel my fingers and part of my hands for three months after giving birth -- not the best for feeling bath temperature or leaky wet diapers." (credit:Shutterstock)
Different Cycles(08 of16)
Open Image ModalIt can take some women months to get their periods back after birth, even after they have stopped breastfeeding. Periods can be heavier or lighter; longer or shorter, or more irregular than before.Glenville says, "This is very common -- it is the body getting back to having a period again after nine months or longer without one. But these changes may continue indefinitely so the periods are not the same as before childbirth."Changes in cycles, she adds, "will vary from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy as the hormones normalize." (credit:Shutterstock)
Vaginal Changes(09 of16)
Open Image ModalSex post-birth can feel different, as some women experience vaginal dryness, increased sensitivity (especially if they've had tears during the birth) and of course stretching. Marilyn explains that vaginal dryness "can happen because of the drop in estrogen after the birth, but it can continue longer if the woman is breastfeeding". (credit:Shutterstock)
Raised Fertility(10 of16)
Open Image ModalIf you're fully breastfeeding, ovulation is suppressed, so you become less fertile. But if you're not breastfeeding much or at all, watch out -- you're more fertile just after birth.Glenville says, "It is a bit like coming off the Pill. The ovaries have been dormant for nine months (or years if on the Pill) and suddenly they kick start into action after birth (or stopping the Pill) and the woman can be more fertile. Many women have got pregnant before their first period came back thinking they would be less fertile just after birth." (credit:Shutterstock)
A Different Size And Shape(11 of16)
Open Image ModalIt's not just that you gain "baby weight" -- your whole body, but especially your chest and tummy, seem to metamorphose post-childbirth. Once you've experienced maternity jeans, you never really feel comfortable in normal jeans again -- you always look for a nice elasticated or expandable waistband.You eat the same and are always on the go and exhausted, but you're a size bigger from chest to calf -- even old bras no longer do up -- and nothing seems to make any difference.Rachel agrees: "My ribcage expanded after my first pregnancy, and some of my bras and dresses are too tight across there now."Cate says: "My body looks like a sweater that's gone through on the wrong wash -- it's all misshapen with bits now in the wrong place!" (credit:Shutterstock)
Hormonally All-Over-The-Place(12 of16)
Open Image ModalThe emotional impact of having a first baby is so much bigger than most of us imagine, and this, coupled with the changes in hormones after pregnancy, can cause rocky, tearful emotions and make us feel unusually confused.Glenville says: "Post childbirth, estrogen and progesterone drop dramatically. It is thought that this sudden drop may be the cause of postpartum depression for some women who seem to be more sensitive to this sudden change in hormone levels."Cathryn recalls: "After Eva was born I sat up in bed feeding her -- except she was still asleep in her Moses basket. My husband woke to find me sat there with my arms cradling 'her.'" (credit:Shutterstock)
Night Sweats(13 of16)
Open Image ModalFor Rachel, a mother of two, the hormones resulted in post-natal night sweats. She says: "I had them both times with mine for weeks after the birth."Sara also remembers the post-baby night sweats, saying: "I used to wake up drenched -- that and the uncontrollable crying were the weirdest things. I would literally burst into tears for absolutely no reason whatsoever and couldn't stop." (credit:Shutterstock)
Involuntary Weeing(14 of16)
Open Image ModalSorry, ladies, but while the common loss of bladder control in late pregnancy normally improves after birth, there is the possibility you might never regain full bladder control.Amy says: "Even if no one else will admit to it, I think it can affect us all towards the end of pregnancy and after!" (credit:Shutterstock)
Random Changes(15 of16)
Open Image ModalIf you had acne before you fell pregnant, it may well disappear during pregnancy and never return.Some women report being able to wear contact lenses for longer without discomfort after giving birth.Your taste for certain foods can change after pregnancy as if you're still slightly haunted by what made you feel sick in the first three months.The list of strange symptoms is endless and individual, but if there's one thing that's for certain, it's that having a baby changes you. (credit:Shutterstock)
Grey Hairs(16 of16)
Open Image ModalIf ageing doesn't come naturally, it will through exhaustion in the first year... but look what we get in return for all this.It's all worth it for our beautiful babies. (credit:Shutterstock)