Dear pregnant me...let's talk about your body after birth

Your tummy will deflate and the swelling will ease, and whilst your body may not be the way it once was, it will always be your baby’s first home. There’s something beautiful about that, and that is something beautiful about YOU.

Ever wanted to go back in time to tell your ‘pregnant self’ a thing or two about being a new parent? In a series of posts, Laura does just that…taking some of the most common things pregnant women and new mothers experience and giving herself (and others) a quick pep talk! However you’re feeling, you’re most definitely not alone, take it from us!

So you know that it is very likely your body isn't going to 'snap back' to its pre-pregnancy state moments after giving birth, and you also know that your nether regions will be sore after child birth, so once again you're prepared, right? WRONG! .

In the hours after delivering your beautiful baby, more and more parts of your body will start to hurt. The obvious areas are tender to say the least, but your arms and legs are going to feel battered and bruised, your jaw and teeth are going to ache from bearing down, your neck might well swell up to a state that rivals Gaston from Beauty and The Beast, and even your hair is going to hurt. Why this is, I don't know, but trust me, your hair will hurt. Everything will hurt. Basically, your body is screaming at you 'Hey lady, you've just birthed a human being and that is quite a feat!' and you need to listen to it.The swelling and the bruising and the tenderness and the post-partum bleeding can all be one hell of a shock that nobody really prepares you for, but it eases up with each and every day. .

Listen to your midwife's advice when it comes to pain relief, and listen to Pinterest's advice when it comes to putting aloe soaked maternity pads in the freezer (genius). Most importantly, listen to your body and what it is telling you, and if something doesn't feel right then seek some help and support from your midwife, GP or health visitor. In time, your tummy will deflate and the swelling will ease, and whilst your body may not be the way it once was, it will always be your baby's first home. There's something beautiful about that, and that is something beautiful about YOU. 

A little bit about Laura...

Laura lives in Hertfordshire with 17 month old Harry, and when she can, enjoys meeting up with friends for lunch, seeing family, and watching too many episodes of Friends on Comedy Central! She was motivated to write about her experience because…

“As a new mum, with all the raging hormones and uncertainty that involves, it was just nice to hear from people who were going through the same thing from time to time, to reassure myself I wasn't losing the plot completely! So if I can give that same reassurance back to another new mum, that's definitely something I would want to do.”

Laura and her baby.

Read more about managing your mental wellbeing on our website.