Our bodies go through some seriously incredible changes when we're pregnant. They grow in such a way that they're capable of accommodating and providing for an entire person for nine, sometimes ten, months. What our bodies accomplish during pregnancy is amazing, yes, but human growing isn't easy and can, at times, take numerous and unexpected tolls. There are things no one tells you about your postpartum body; things that, honestly, if more women knew, less women would feel "gross" or "not normal" or expected to fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans a day after they've had a baby.
Body image issues during my pregnancy hit me hard. I should have been thrilled to see my body change and grow every day, but instead I was bitter and resentful about it. Pregnancy took a major toll, and admittedly, it took me a long time to learn to appreciate the shell it left me with. Pregnancy is the hardest time for body image for so many women, but our postpartum bodies can be equally as difficult to adapt to. Among the things no one tells you about pregnancy, is the fact that the end of your pregnancy doesn't mean the end of the changes you and your body will continue to experience.
The end of my pregnancy and the beginning of my postpartum journey was a difficult transition for me. Honestly, when I was pregnant I read all the baby books, but I stopped after the chapter about labor and delivery. I figured that I knew all that I needed to know, and that I was fully prepared for what was going to happen after I had my baby. Not the biggest surprise but, yeah, I definitely wasn't. I was armed with information about what to expect with my new baby, but I had no idea that there was information I needed to know about myself and my postpartum body in particular. Since no one warned me about some of the details about my postpartum body, I feel that it is my duty to make others aware of some of the things I wish I had known. No one will tell you about the following nine things that happen to your body after you have a baby, but I will. (You can thank me later.)