100 Women on the Wildest Ways Their Bodies Inverse After Pregnancy

NEW MOM explores the brilliant, terrible, wonderful, confusing realities of first-fourth dimension motherhood. It's for anybody who wants to exist a new mom, is a new mom, was a new mom, or wants really good reasons to never be a new mom.

What exactly does having a baby practice to your body? Who knows! Postpartum intendance in particular tends to be focused on the new baby rather than the new mother, which means (amid other things), that many of the changes that happen to a woman's body during and after pregnancy may go unreported.

We practice know from inquiry that diastasis recti — a separation of the abdominal muscles — may bear on up to 60 percentage of postpartum women six weeks afterwards giving birth, and as Angela Garbes reports in her new book, Similar A Mother, pelvic pain and pelvic floor problems are also common. Just across that, there just isn't a lot of rigorous inquiry tracking the changes that happen to the bodies of new moms and momshoped-for.

But you know who does know what happens to postpartum bodies? The owners of those bodies. We asked women to tell usa the wildest thing that happened to their bodies during pregnancy or after giving nascency. Hither's what they told united states of america.

1 Woman Whose Boobs Are Different Sizes Now

1 thing that nobody told me about was that very oft, babies volition refuse one chest when y'all're breastfeeding. My son is 7 months one-time and he has nursed exclusively from my right breast for v months. Every fourth dimension I tried to have him nurse on the left side, he'd just push button away and cry.

Another thing I didn't know until I was a breastfeeding mom: Your breasts can have very dissimilar milk capacities. Like, when I pump, I can go four ounces out of my right breast in a session, which is equally much as a baby needs in a feeding. But from my left, I but ever become ane ounce — that's the max I ever become. So for my son at a certain point, he was similar, "Why am I gonna attempt to get this milk out if I'm only going to go a snack?"

It'due south amazing that my body has figured out how to have one boob be enough to sustain him, but it also means that my right puppet is 2 cup sizes bigger than my left boob. I take this annoying problem where fifty-fifty though my baby won't eat from the left breast, it however produces, and information technology leaks all the time. Then once more, because information technology'due south leaking, I take to vesture a nursing pad, so that kind of evens out how big they look. I'm hopeful that they'll become back to normal when I stop breastfeeding, simply they might be totally different for the rest of my life.

1 Woman Who Got the Boobs She Always Wanted

Pregnancy and birth took me for a fucking whirlwind, simply I got my son and the thing I had been waiting for since I turned 11 — boobs. I finally got boobs!

After breastfeeding, my nipples were torn, cut upwards, bruised, just entirely destroyed, merely my boobs were still full! I fabricated sure to take plenty of pictures in case I e'er decided to end shopping and use the money for augmentation. Nine months into official maternity and my full boobs are still hanging in. My whirlwind of a pregnancy rewarded me with a beautiful boy and a pretty dainty rack.

1 Woman Who No Longer Recognizes Her Boobs

I'k almost halfway through my pregnancy, and at this point the most noticeable change has been the color of my areola. They went from a pale pink to a pretty nighttime brown. I know this is pretty normal, but it's so weird to wait in the mirror and basically run across someone else'south boobs.

ane Adult female Whose Boobs Grew Vi Cup Sizes

Your breasts usually increase about ii cups in size. Mine went from a 32D to a 34J. Half dozen Loving cup SIZES. I'1000 5'4" with a (typically) 27" waist. Information technology just looked BONKERS.

iv Women Whose Rib Cages Expanded

I've never been certain that this had actually happened — I didn't measure it. But my husband asked me one day if I'd e'er broken any ribs. And I said, "No, I haven't really had whatsoever bad injuries." And he said, "Well, it's but that — your ribs really stick out on your left side." And I don't remember really pondering it before that, but as soon as he said that, I realized, huh. I hateful, I had had a very big baby.

My 2d babe was born at ix pounds, ii ounces — 2 pounds more than my beginning baby — while I was 5'2" and weighed about 118. So I started to think, "Well, this is plausible!" I would remember in that location probably was some actress pressure on my ribs. I'm not a medical person or anything, only I call back it'due south well causeless that the pelvis becomes more flexible during pregnancy — so, perhaps all your basic become flexible? I don't take to wear larger shirt sizes or anything, merely if you see my blank midriff, it's noticeable that my ribcage is very lopsided.

My rib cage expanded and although I expect and feel more often than not how I did before pregnancy and birth, my ribs are all the same wider (and so are my hips, but I expected that more).

My first pregnancy, 25 years agone, widened my rib muzzle. My bra size went up in inches, down in loving cup size.

My rib cage expanded and never went back! I'm still mad about it. All of my push button-downward shirts stopped fitting, and it's not considering my bra size went up. (It did go upwardly … but then it went down. And at present it'southward smaller than it was pre-kids.)

1 Woman Who Could Orgasm in Her Sleep

When you're pregnant, you accept virtually twice equally much claret in your body, including your genitals. When I got to around seven months pregnant, I would wake up to an orgasm about once or twice a week, just from the friction of moving effectually in my slumber. It's pretty exciting to get off with literally no conscious effort. Sadly it did not terminal afterward the birth, but it was one of the few perks of the terminal trimester.

3 Women Whose Abs Separated

Then information technology's called diastasis recti, and hither's what I've learned about it: The muscles of your abdomen that are vertical — they're called transverse muscles — those get separated during pregnancy. It makes sense to me, that when your abdomen is growing in that manner, that the muscles just separate: Everything is growing, yous're making room for the babe. Then there'south this separate. I can feel it when I prevarication down; I can put my fist in my belly and measure it. I know I accept a three-finger diastasis.

There are exercises that yous tin do to repair it; a lot of them involve regularly pulling your umbilicus up toward your spine. After my get-go infant, I went to a place in the city and saw a woman who specializes in helping women with this. She would say, "Don't ever permit your tummy hang loose, ever. Proceed your stomach taut and pulled in, in everything you practise." I do recollect it helped, simply you have to be pretty religious nigh it. After this baby, I don't find myself being so vigilant that information technology'south repairing.

So my stomach still juts out a niggling bit, almost like I'm in my first trimester. People think I'm still pregnant. Prior to having children I had a regular stomach that was flat — I mean, I didn't have a six pack or anything, but it was just a flat belly, and now it juts out mayhap 6 inches or so.

Information technology bothers me sometimes. But I try to remind myself that I have three beautiful boys out of it. Anyhow, I retrieve it's gotten better. Or information technology'south ameliorate than it was.

The beginning fourth dimension I stood up, I felt similar my intestines were falling out. They kind of were — I had muscle separations in iii areas. After a lot of healing, I was left with a three-finger diastasis recti and healing separations along my obliques.

I had heard of information technology earlier I had my first baby, but only one time I was pregnant. The more fourth dimension you spend with pregnant women and mothers though, the more than oftentimes it comes up. That said, I remember a lot of people don't talk near it, either because they honestly don't know they have it or they are embarrassed by the changes in their bodies. Let'south be clear though: I self-diagnosed, because the OB/GYN (who delivered both my babies and is peachy) didn't tell me that I had it. I kept looking at my body though and feeling like something wasn't right. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I dug up a memory of a mom friend telling me about her D.R., and I did a self-exam and, yes, that's what I take.

It's pretty easy to self-diagnose. It's a separation of your abdominal wall, and it causes that "mommy gut" or "pooch" that is and then unflattering. It doesn't matter how many crunches you lot practice — it doesn't go away, because y'all need to do deep repair work to the muscles commencement. It's non so much painful in its own correct as painful long term; information technology tin can cause low back hurting, strain, pressure level on your pelvis, all kinds of things. The lack of cadre strength can also atomic number 82 to prolapse issues subsequently.

Having kids is the best matter you tin ever do, and that'due south coming from someone (me) who didn't know I wanted kids. But there are so many surprises that totally suck.

two Women Whose Teeth Shifted Place

And so I have to wear a mouthguard, because I grind my teeth. But I stopped when I was pregnant; it was bugging me as well much. So I had the babe, and I tried to habiliment information technology again — and I could non put information technology in my mouth. Information technology was like it was made for someone else.

I think it's because of the lactin that's in your trunk — it makes things more stretchy, and helps your hips aggrandize. But it doesn't just go to the parts of your body that needs to be stretched and relaxed — it goes everywhere, even in your oral cavity. I learned this partially from googling, partially from my dentist. I went in for a checkup a few months after having my babe, and asked him for advice, and he was like, "Well, just shove your mouthguard in at that place, and endeavor working up to a few minutes a twenty-four hours — your teeth might smush back to their sometime place." Simply I tin can't. Information technology just hurts so much.

The funny thing is I've ever had this bizarre pride in my teeth — I never needed braces or anything. I don't think it's even noticeable to outsiders, merely information technology's noticeable to me. Yous know when you run your tongue over your teeth? Information technology just feels different at present. I don't know if this is in my head, but I swear at one point I could even wiggle my teeth a little fleck. I tin't anymore — they're not loose or wiggly anymore, and I'yard only learning to live with it.

I swear my olfactory organ and jaw got bigger. Toward the end of both of my pregnancies, I felt my bite had changed so I know my teeth or my jaw must have shifted.

ii Women Whose Hands Twitch or Go Numb

While I was pregnant, my right hand but started to actually hurt and sort of tingle at the fingertips, especially at the middle finger. I have a little online jotter shop, and for it I used to cutting envelopes by hand. They were actually cute, and surprisingly pop. I was doing a 100-envelope order, and I couldn't finish it on my ain — it hurt also much. I had to get my husband involved. After that, I switched over to selling custom stamps; no more cutting out envelopes.

And information technology notwithstanding happens — I'll literally wake up in the middle of the night and my hand will be numb. Information technology's always my right manus. I'll hang it off the bed, shake information technology around. I don't know if it really helps, only psychologically it does.

I had a C-section, and they insert an IV in y'all and pump fluids into your arm. I call up it might've exacerbated the problem — I remember a burning feeling. Information technology's like edema, almost, which I recall is a presence of actress fluid in your feet and your hands. I've always thought that'southward what it was, anyway, but my medico doesn't really know. My doctor thinks it's a variation of carpal tunnel, maybe, but doesn't actually know what else to call information technology. I went to a neurologist, too, but they didn't know what it was, either.

While I was in my second and third trimesters, I kept dropping my keys — like, my fingers would twitch, and I would drop them, randomly and oft.

2 Women Who Got A Horrible Rash

In the last few weeks of my pregnancy (with twins!) I got PUPPP, which is a god-atrocious rash that is basically untreatable. It started on my belly in my stretch marks and spread everywhere except for my back and my face. My arms and my thighs were the worst. I would wake in the night scratching myself. Once, I fifty-fifty went to bed wearing socks on my easily to keep from scratching at myself, but woke up to discover one socked hand holding the other sock, and my free mitt excavation into the rash on my thighs.

Cypher helped the rash because it was not a histamine response (so regular lotions, histamine sprays do nothing). The only thing that brought relief was oatmeal baths and cold showers with Grandpa'south Pine Tar Lather (which smelled like you bathed in someone's campfire smoke). Relief would last nigh 20 minutes. It was atrocious. Just as shortly as I gave birth to my twins, the itching stopped. And within days the redness of the rash faded. It was crazy.

I adult a facial rash in my outset pregnancy that causes skin to flake. Keeping up with vitamins, healthy diet, and practice has helped, but it's yet a struggle — it still hasn't gone away.

1 Adult female Who Is Very Sweaty Now

Before I got pregnant, I never would sweat. I never got hot easily, either. Now I sweat for anything.

15 Moms Whose Skin Got Good (… or Bad)

My skin has been astonishing since the baby was born. I mean, I don't expect like a supermodel or anything, only I've had very clear peel, no breakouts.

I never really had bad skin, exactly, but I definitely had some adult acne hither and there, especially in my T zone. But later on I had the baby — I hateful, I didn't find information technology right away, but after a while information technology occurred to me, "Oh, I haven't had to do a little spot treatment for a really long fourth dimension." My skin is so even at present, then clear — it nearly feels slightly dry out, but not in a bad way; there's only very petty oil to it, so I've been using a lot of moisturizer without having to avoid the T-zone. With everything else going on, it's nice to not feel like you're having to treat acne.

I developed rosacea for the start time in my life. I looked like a doll with perfectly round bright red spots on both cheeks. But not in a practiced manner, in a WTF is wrong with your face fashion. I waited until three months postpartum to finally get to the dermatologist; I was just hoping it would resolve itself on it'south own. She gave me a prescription and it cleared up a few days afterward. Hasn't been back.

Every fourth dimension I'm pregnant, my pare becomes incredibly dry. If I don't utilize a crazy strong moisturizer everyday — and even twice a twenty-four hour period — I get eczema rashes everywhere. Fortunately, it goes away after the pregnancy.

My peel got better — it was perfect ("glowing," I recall they say) during pregnancy, and afterwards the hormonal acne I'd had since age 18 seemed to mostly disappear. But I can no longer wear earrings (of any metal!) because they make my earlobes itchy and flaky. During pregnancy, the hair on my legs barely grew. Information technology's growing once again normally now.

I got the aforementioned acne on my arms as I did as a preteen. Information technology comes in waves: During pregnancy, postal service-birth, as breastfeeding macerated, and finally now, as she's weaning.

Post-pregnancy, the pare on my stomach feels like butter. It's so soft and smooth that I find myself rubbing information technology when I demand a little comfort. When my son and I lie peel to pare, I can't tell where his little bum and my little tum brainstorm and end. Mama'southward a walking soap ad. My mind has me convinced I'grand Salma Hayek from the waist up, when I might really look like the witch in The Sword in the Stone.

I was very shocked when I grew a new mole on my back during pregnancy! My doctor said information technology was typical because everything is growing and then fast. I felt like an accidental superhero.

While I was significant, my skin was SO slow to heal. If I had a cut or a trample, it was there for twice as long as information technology ordinarily would have been. I judge my body was using all of its healing powers to grow my baby.

With each of my two pregnancies, I acquired one or two new "spots" on my face up. I'm not sure if I'd phone call them age spots or big freckles — they were both smaller than a pencil eraser — but they never went away! I've tried having them burned off by a dermatologist but it didn't work. I might attempt information technology over again.

I had pretty much gotten my acne nether control, and now information technology'due south back.

I developed hyper-pigmentation in my armpits. Information technology was a temporary event, give thanks God!

I got weird eczema, but but on the sides of my thumbs! It's still here, eight months after.

Skin tags, so many skin tags. They did slowly fade, but then I got pregnant once more, and they were back with a rage. Some of my quondam moles grew bigger, and some of those moles grew pilus. Also, new moles sprouted. These exercise non fade.

I got bright-red discoloration around my nose.

My peel is terrible! My leg hair grows weird now and I have constant ingrowns. My pare is bumpy and never shine.

ane Woman Whose Scar Tissue Inverse

Before getting meaning, I'd had my gallbladder removed through laparoscopic surgery. I had scar tissue in my abdomen where the organ had been removed, and that would sometimes feel tight if I stretched the wrong style. After my pregnancy with the twins, my pare had stretched so much and all my organs moved effectually and then much, that that inner scar tissue must have also stretched. I no longer feel it at all. It's a nice change!

i Woman Who Got Lots of Boogers

I started having and then many boogers. No one tells you almost how pregnancy fills your nose with mucus and the constant need to pick your nose!

one Woman Who Developed Anemia

I was anemic the only time in my life during my second pregnancy. My girl just gave nascency, and she's now having iron bug, too.

1 Woman Whose Hips Crepitate

I accept sore, creaky hips at present whenever I walk besides far in a twenty-four hours. I've had it all checked out with X-ray and ultrasound, but it just seems to be a quirk of my new, wider hips.

i Woman Who Became Lactose Intolerant

I realized there was a problem when I could no longer savor a bowl of the Lucky Charms cereal, an (unhealthy, I know!) staple in my life. Afterward eating it, I would immediately accept pains (and the rest yous can simply imagine). I asked my doctor most information technology, because it was my first pregnancy, and I had no idea what to expect. She said that the opposite of what I was experiencing was more the norm — some women who are lactose intolerant grow tolerant of dairy.

I easily made the switch to almond milk, and I've cut out dairy for the most part, only I nevertheless indulge in some water ice cream, regardless of the consequences. It'south just so succulent. I thought information technology would be temporary, merely here I am, seven years after giving birth, and I'thousand still lactose intolerant.

2 Women Whose Lactose Intolerance Went Away

I've e'er been lactose intolerant. Yet, with my outset pregnancy, my lactose intolerance completely went away. My torso (or my babe) craved ice cream and chocolate milk every single day. (And, yes, I indulged every day.) Information technology was astonishing. He's at present 6 years former and still loves his milk — only to my great thwarting, my lactose intolerance returned after birth, and held fast with my second pregnancy.

I'1000 lactose intolerant, simply information technology went abroad while I was significant with my commencement baby daughter! I enjoyed lots and lots of water ice cream. Sadly, my lactose intolerance came back after she was born.

3 Women Whose Butts Shrank

So I'd been doing Crossfit for a really long time, and, you know, you're squatting, you're picking up heavy things — you go a really nice ass! Also, I live in Brooklyn and was commuting into Manhattan, and I'd walk the escalators. Then my ass was actually looking really good throughout the entire pregnancy.

And, obviously, I'thou not thinking about this after my son is born. Among the insanity of having a newborn, the whirlwind of not sleeping and breastfeeding, you kind of forget near your torso when you're immediately postpartum. But at 1 point, I remember around two weeks after he was born, I remember I took a minute to finally look at myself in the mirror, and I looked at my barrel, and I was like, "Oh my god! Where did information technology become? Where did it get?!" Information technology was just completely gone.

So I was reading near this stuff, and apparently what happens when you are breastfeeding — your body's going to be taking from your fat reserves to produce milk on height of the calories yous're maintaining. So things simply kind of get weird. Just I think once things got regulated, once my milk regulated and my hormones regulated, my ass did come dorsum, thankfully. But that was definitely something that I wasn't expecting or prepared for — nobody told me this could happen.

I've ever had a very large, toned, curvy behind, and later on nativity it just flattened out. Weirdest thing ever.

All my round bits (boobs and butt) are at present flat equally pancakes.

1 Woman Whose Olfactory organ Has A Mysterious Dent

After I my older daughter was born, I noticed that on the end of my nose, there was, like, a dent. It looked like a dimple, right on the end of my nose. I mean, it was definitely at that place! Merely then I'd ask my husband and my friends, and they'd squint and say, "I guess I run into it?" And so I chalked information technology upwards to me being over critical of myself, or hypersensitive to the changes to my body.

And then my second girl was born in Nov, and toward the finish of my pregnancy, I noticed that the dent had in fact returned — which made me realize that I actually had had this dent in my olfactory organ, and then it went away! And at this indicate I had confirmation from third parties; my husband was similar, "Yes, yous're correct, that's definitely a thing."

Now I'k six months postpartum. I'm looking in the mirror right now. It'due south definitely at that place.

It's on the soft office of my nose, like where the os ends. It really looks like a dimple on the end of my nose. I know women'south noses tin can become bigger when they're pregnant, and so I wonder if the shape of it has changed a little chip, and mayhap this little dent just catches the light? Or mayhap the cartilage on my olfactory organ has grown a little flake, and something most that just made this trivial dent. I don't technically know what happened, but anecdotally, I definitely have friends whose noses or entire faces take spread out or gotten bigger. And so my theory is, maybe the cartilage has grown or expanded. Or possibly at that place's a change in collagen? I guess I don't know if at that place'southward collagen in my nose. I clearly have not done whatever enquiry near this.

2 Women Who Experienced Perineal Violent

My vagina is much more sensitive to penetration due to internal scar tissue from balmy tearing. I'thousand 9 months post from birthing my second babe, and it should slowly improve over fourth dimension (information technology did the first time). My pelvic flooring is also much weaker from carrying the weight of pregnancy and birthing ii kids.

I ripped past my anus, and afterward had post-commitment uncontrollable bowel movements in the most inconvenient venues (including the grocery store aisle and resort hotel bed).

ane Adult female Whose Tattoo Looks Pretty Different

My tattoo is on my lower right hip, similar the front, on the hipbone. Information technology is — it was — a really simplified skull; it was small, and the lines were thin, and there was a butterfly coming out of its middle socket. A friend and I got information technology together — we got matching tattoos considering we were both in the armed services, in the air force. We were welders and machinists for the airplanes; it was a very dirty job. And information technology's a very male-dominated job, then we were the only women. She's a lot more picky than I am, and so I let her pick the tattoo. She chose a butterfly, and I just added the skull because collywobbles don't actually fit my personality that much. And so she managed to have two babies and nothing happened to hers. But mine got really messed up.

Information technology looks similar — actually, I couldn't even tell you what information technology looks like now. Y'all definitely tin can't tell there'due south a butterfly. It was pocket-sized, and had these sparse lines, and now it's really distorted, from the stretch marks. It's simply a blob of ink the size of a lawn tennis ball. It looks kind of like spilled ink. I have fantasies about getting it covered upward, but I don't fifty-fifty know how I would do that. It would accept to be something pretty solid.

ane Adult female Whose Belly Push Piercing Is Dissimilar

Pregnancy stretched my skin below my former abdomen-push piercing and above my belly button. Information technology's to all funny and wrinkly now, and sort of similar a raisin.

1 Woman Who Can't Eat Gluten Anymore

I became gluten intolerant. The stress of pregnancy can activate autoimmune disorders, and I got Celiac disease. I had digestion issues for three years earlier I figured out what it was! Information technology's a permanent status, of course, simply I do feel amend now that I eat a gluten-free diet.

three Women Whose Hearing Got Worse

I lost my hearing, I would say, the terminal three weeks of my pregnancy. Equally shortly every bit my daughter was born, I could hear again. Crazy!

During pregnancy, my hearing went down (a documented side effect of pregnancy, I found out).

I was already deaf but my three pregnancies tanked my hearing even more. I concluded up getting a cochlear implant!

1 Adult female Whose Vision Got Worse

My vision worsened during pregnancy, and it continued until I stopped breastfeeding. This has happened with all three of my children. The outset time it happened, information technology was so gradual that I didn't notice at kickoff; I would notice myself taking off my glasses and squinting or leaning more forward to read my calculator or look at the TV. This always happened in the first trimester. I do vesture glasses, though it is as much to correct a strabismus every bit for vision (my vision is decent without the spectacles). My optometrist advised me not to get a new prescription until after I stopped nursing. This was with my first pregnancy. She said that vision usually goes back after nursing, and that was the case for me.

Mostly, I take merely dealt with the worsened vision, taking off my glasses to run into when necessary. Information technology has caused additional headaches, peculiarly later a long day of staring at the computer (which my job requires). My vision improved after I stopped nursing my first 2 children, but right now I am still nursing my 3rd, so I even so can't come across well!

I also don't remember there was a moment when I realized my vision had improved. It's only in retrospect that I realize, oh, my vision improved! I don't really understand the scientific discipline of why this happens to me, just from what my doctor told me, information technology's related to pregnancy hormones.

ane Woman Whose Tailbone Hurts

My sit bones shifted somehow and sometimes sitting too long is hard on my tailbone. But overall, my whole body feels stronger and softer at the same time.

ane Woman Whose Pelvis Is Tilted Now

I'g convinced that my pelvis is in a permanent posterior tilt. Fifty-fifty though I no longer take seven pounds of baby under my skin, I occasionally catch myself standing similar Kim Kardashian West on that Paper encompass that "broke the internet."

1 Woman Whose Tongue Changed

My tongue became what you lot could call "geographic": Information technology'southward covered with a variable pattern of smooth red patches that resemble islands or bodies of water viewed from above.

The status began during the third trimester of my starting time pregnancy, and even now, 12 weeks out from birthing my second child, my tongue has non yet reverted to its old normal. The "mural" changes oft, also, in response to affliction or what I've eaten. I experienced many changes during pregnancy, but this 1 is by far the strangest — and thus far, it's permanent.

6 Women Whose Shoe Size Changed

My human foot size changed! By my final trimester, none of my shoes fit and I could merely wear Birks. They are slowly shrinking and some of my shoes fit me now, only not all. I reeeaaaaaaallly hope they go back to the normal size!

I've had 3 kids, and my feet grew with each kid. I used to wear seven.v to 8 — at present I'grand 8.5 to 9.

My feet grew an entire size. This is in addition to the normal stretch marks, mom belly, saggy boobs, etc. Motherhood!

My feet accept oddly … shrunk? I suppose from working out less? Honestly about of my trunk shrunk!

My left foot — and just my left human foot — went up half a size.

My shoe and ring size went downward, which was annoying and expensive to remedy. Not only did I need to purchase nursing-friendly wearable, I as well needed to get all new shoes, and another ring to hold my wedding band on my finger. I too had to wear flats because I was often carrying my infant (which felt profoundly unflattering for a petite woman wearing oversize tops). Not being able to get dressed in a way that felt attractive, fashionable or like "me" was very disorienting and frustrating during a huge life change.

1 Adult female Who Got Horrible Heartburn

I had a chronic, vehement cough during my kickoff pregnancy. Only it wasn't actually a cough — it was acid reflux that was irritating my throat! I had SUCH bad acid reflux (this is non your regular heartburn) throughout both of my pregnancies I had to go on medication.

4 Women Whose Sense of Smell Inverse

I lost my sense of aroma while pregnant with my 2nd child, and it has never fully returned. Now I can only smell extremes — either actually good or really bad.

I couldn't smell skunks until I became pregnant with my starting time child! The change was permanent.

During my first pregnancy, I adult "wolf nose." My sense of smell became so astute that I could tell when some other woman on an elevator had her catamenia.

This was the weirdest matter that happened to me. In comparison, the other things (enormous — no, bigger than what you're thinking — boobs, disability to bide the thought of eating meat for several months, constant unrelenting nausea every waking minute) all seemed fairly work-a-mean solar day. The wolf-nose was the weirdest affair; but the worst (bated from the nausea) were the zits in my pilus. Like, not my hairline. In my hair, similar one-half an inch dorsum. The wolf-nose did not recur in my 2nd pregnancy, thankfully. Most of the other stuff did.

With my first pregnancy, and to a lesser degree my second, I couldn't stand the odor of java (which is ane of my favorite smells of all).

i Adult female With a Messed-Up Esophagus

Pregnancy messed upward my esophagus. Starting tardily in my second pregnancy, I started noticing I was having difficulty swallowing food and that it was sometimes very uncomfortable to do so — I could feel the food traveling very slowly down the whole esophagus and into my tummy. At times it is almost painful. My son is 18 months erstwhile now and information technology still happens sometimes! I'm going to a gastroenterologist this calendar month to effigy it out.

one Adult female Who Became an Accidental Vegetarian

I adult such an aversion to all meat that I couldn't even go to In-N-Out when we went to L.A. for a hymeneals. (Nosotros're from the East Coast, so this was basically the reason we RVSP'd yes.) I couldn't be in same room every bit ham of any kind — Fifty-fifty Salary. Ten years after, I can consume beef and bacon, just still tin barely look at ham.

ane Woman Who Has Meliorate Sexual activity Than Ever

Information technology fabricated sex hurt, until I finally got PT. And that made sex experience better than information technology always had. Thanks, childbirth!

1 Woman Who Gets Silent Migraines

I become silent migraines now! (That's the aura symptoms without the headache.) I had my first one during pregnancy, in my third trimester and found it very alarming, though changes in blood pressure at the end of pregnancy — and throughout — are not super uncommon, I gauge. But even now, they continue to happen, every few months or and then, three years after my daughter was born. Fun!

1 Woman Whose Allergies Went Abroad

I had horrible (though garden-variety) jump allergies and a carrot allergy before I was meaning. Since pregnancy and the birth of my girl — she's now 17 — no more allergies. I am Non lament!

four Women Who Lost a Ton of Hair

The biggest change for me has been my hair. I'chiliad pretty sure I didn't lose a single hair to normal shedding while I was pregnant. A few months after giving birth, I started to lose hair more rapidly, and the tiptop was around 10.5 months. Now, at about 13 months, you can see the extent of the hair loss — it wasn't concentrated in i spot, which is what I've heard happens to a lot of women. Instead, the loss was all over. The regrowth is at present about three to four inches long, and I've had to go along my hair at about chin length to so that it all looks semi-normal. I try to avoid spending much fourth dimension looking at my hair (specially the back of my head), considering I know this is temporary, but it's actually tough!

I lost and so much hair for months after I gave nascence to my daughter. The hair that has grown back in its place has either been much darker than my original color, or has come dorsum blindingly white — peculiarly behind my ears. Even after several haircuts and ii years postpartum, my hair is still two definingly unlike lengths. Mom mullet is existent!

My hair started to autumn direct after pregnancy; 7 years afterward, I am nevertheless losing an enormous amount of pilus! Nothing seems to aid — no diet, no pills, no shampoos. I've tried drinking zip booze, getting practiced sleep, exercising — zippo. If information technology keeps this mode I will exist baldheaded earlier I turn 40.

My hair got super awesome and thick, and then ii months after I had my kids, it just roughshod out in clumps.

3 Women Whose Body Pilus Changed

I now have a single, coarse blackness hair that grows out of my mentum that I never had before. I chalk it up to how pregnancy messed up my hormones.

During pregnancy, the hair on my legs barely grew. Information technology'due south growing once more normally at present.

You know that darkly pigmented line that can form from your omphalus downward? Mine faded after I gave nativity, but information technology left behind a new freckle and one wayward thick pilus, like a pube, just beneath my bellybutton. (I pluck it out every 6 weeks or so.)

half dozen Women Whose Pilus Inverse Color

My hair is coarser and I have more than gray hair than I did earlier I was pregnant. My babe is 6 months onetime. The grayness is probably permanent.

During every pregnancy my pilus has grown more than and more than grayness. I don't agree hope that this will change.

While I was meaning, my hair grew in black, instead of my usual brown. All returned to normal a few months after my son was born, and I had a visible line in my hair where it turned from black to brownish again.

Right later on birth, my naturally dingy blonde hair turned dark brown at the root and grew for two inches that way earlier returning to natural dirty blonde. I at present have a horizontal stripe in my pilus. This happened after each of my 3 births!

My hair went gray about instantly. Three kids after, it's 75 percent grayness. And I'm only 29!

Later my daughter was born, I started losing hair! I got 2 big bald patches near my temples. I know this isn't besides unusual, but the wildest part was that the hair growing back in its place is bright, deep ruby-red! My hair is, or was, strawberry blonde, and this new pilus is definitely a different colour.

xiv Women Whose Hair Changed Texture

My pilus used to be super curly. Now it's straight!

My super curly hair looked like I just got a keratin treatment, which was an added bonus to the whole getting fat thing. It stayed that manner while breastfeeding and while pregnant with my 2d and simply now — nearly two years postpartum — is it coming back.

My pilus has soft curls, fifty-fifty subsequently 2 pregnancies and vii years.

Several months subsequently my 2nd kid was born, my hair did the normal fall-out-in-droves matter, only weirder still is that my actual pilus pattern changed. I developed a very severe cowlick at the back of my head. In addition, the hair that makes up that cowlick has become wavy, so it makes for a localized and very strange curly department where my scalp is totally exposed in an otherwise directly caput of hair. It is so bizarre!

Postpartum, my pilus thinned a bit. Information technology was a hassle. 3 years afterward, information technology's thick once more, simply generally unruly. But my overall feelings about my body: The first time I took a shower afterwards giving birth, I stood naked and felt such tremendous respect and gratitude for my body. I was surprised past the weight of that feeling.

My pilus texture has definitely changed. I'grand African-American, and it looks the same only at present it tangles more, and is overall harder to manage.

I've had four children in the span of four years. The modify in my hair has been the biggest change. It has progressed from straight to now mostly wavy!

While I was significant, my pilus was AWFUL. People talk alllll the time nigh having the most amazing pregnancy hair, just that was non the instance for me. My pre-pregnancy healthy pilus turned dry and brittle and bankrupt off constantly during pregnancy. Then much so that I had to cut it several times to bargain with the harm, eventually ending up with a super short bob (my hair was previously armpit length). Information technology was the WORST.

My son is almost ane, and I'd do it all once again to accept him, but thankfully my hair has started to get healthy again, finally! But not afterwards all of my edges fell out near 12 weeks postpartum. Now it'southward almost shoulder length and pretty thick and strong.

I accept stick-straight hair, merely adult a skunk-like stripe of curls in the back.

Later on the birth of my last girl (I take three) my hair went from directly to super curly!!! My daughter is now 6, and I STILL struggle with how to bargain with curly pilus — what type of curls I have, what haircuts work (or don't), what products and styling tools to utilize. Most days I just throw it upward in a bun. Information technology'due south been a process!

Four years later and I accept one patch of dry, frizzy hair. Information technology keeps coming in as crispy as if I doused it in '80s hair gel.

My hair went from straight to weirdly non-straight. I can't call it curly, and I can't even call it wavy. It'due south just a big clump in the back of my head that is most decidedly not straight anymore merely now coarsely textured and kinky.

My hair inverse into two completely dissimilar textures. Pre-pregnancy, I had lightly wavy pilus. At present, the sections next to my face are directly, while the back is so wavy it looks like I used a crimping iron. My piece of cake days of air drying are gone.

With my get-go baby, a meaning chunk of hair on the back of my head got super curly — but only on the left side! I've always had wavy-ish hair, but this clamper now looks crimped in the way we wore information technology circa 1987.

And so with my 2d kid, a clamper of hair on the back right did the same thing!! I now have a section of hair in the back that is waaaaayyyyy curlier than the rest of my caput. And then strange!

100 Women on the Wildest Ways Pregnancy Changed Their Bodies