health

9 Facts About Body Changes After Childbirth

Are you ready for the changes?

Published January 4, 2020

Obviously, having a baby itself is already a life-changing experience for all of us. But this time, we want to focus on the visible changes that childbirth can do to mothers. We all know it’s adapting to become a caregiver to the child, but what else is there to know?

Find out more as Greenlemon lays out 9 interesting facts about body changes in mothers after childbirth.

Bigger shoes.

Out of the 49 people observed during their 6th-month pregnancy and post-labor, researchers found out that their foot length increased by 2-10 millimeters. This happens to more than 70% of women based on these statistics, but only your first child can do this to you. It’s hormone relaxin that causes your joints to basically relax.

Big baby, big chest.

Yes, if you observe mothers, they tend to have the biggest chests by the time they are pregnant and it tends to stay so even after the child has grown up. Women say it can go wider to as big as one size difference.

Wider hips.

It’s relaxin again, the hormone that makes your tendon, including the pelvis bones part, relaxes, making your hips look wider. It’s meant to ensure that your labor will be easier on you and your baby can pass through.

Is the baby still kicking?

Yes, mothers can sometimes feel phantom kicks which are actually muscle spasms and gas as the uterus continues to contract. Don’t be afraid – it’s normal to happen up to a few months after labor! Some women even said they can feel it years after.

Changing eye and hair color.

Californian pregnancy expert claims that eye and hair color also changes from pregnancy due to the lack of melanin from hormonal imbalance. This can be temporary or permanent.

Your palate changes.

Women can experience a change in taste preferences, such as liking spicy foods more or having a sweet tooth all of a sudden. It’s the hormonal imbalance and can affect the woman’s behavior.

You sweat more.

Women will sweat more after they have a baby and this happens often at night. It’s due to the drop in estrogen levels in the blood, which is natural. But this should not be confused with thyroid problems which require women to visit a doctor for consultation.

New baby, new allergy.

There are also studies that show mothers develop new allergies and reasons are still unclear. The theory is that the immune system is suppressed during pregnancy to make it easier for the woman to house growing life cells that are not hers (completely, anyway). After that, the body just stops this and starts to react to foreign objects, possibly the ones they never reacted to before.