5 Ways Pregnancy Permanently Changes Your Body
Pregnancy is a big strain on a body; there is no hiding that fact. It’s something that you sign up for when you decide to have a baby and for the most part, the changes are permanent. Pregnancy is a big deal for your body and it’s not just about the baby that is stretching out your womb. You get the delightful introduction to hair growing in places that you’ve not experienced, skin being stretched to literal breaking point and – bizarrely – your feet can grow a size or two.
These are the changes that are often temporary – well, aside from the stretch marks, they fade but never go. The permanent ones are the ones that you have to look out for. For example, your teeth can loosen during pregnancy, which is why gum and dental care is so important when you’re carrying. Your eyes are also something that changes, with the blood pressure putting strain on your optic nerves. Pregnancy comes with scans, which means exposure to radiation and it should be the hope that your healthcare provider should check out Kemper Medical for the best radiation protection glasses. Pregnancy is one big change, and below you can find five of the longest lasting souvenirs that you get to take away with you long after the labour has happened!
Wide Hips. You may have been hip-swinging for years, but in pregnancy your hip bones soften and widen to make room for an entire person to descend through the pelvis. Your bone structure totally changes and after birth, they don’t go back to where they started.
Darker Pigment. It’s not just the hips that go through changes, the skin does, too. The areola and even some of the moles on your body can change in colour, which is due to the higher levels of estrogen in the body.
Bladder Control. Or rather, the lack of it. Urinary incontinence is no joke, and before you’ve had a baby you may hear other mothers talk about not being able to use trampolines anymore. After you give birth, you could find yourself letting go even when you don’t feel like you need to pee. Kegels, ladies. Practice your kegels!
Melasma. Not every woman suffers this one, but melasma is not easy to deal with. Also known as a ‘mask of pregnancy’, melasma causes freckles and a darkening of the skin on the face. In most cases it lessens in the first year, but it can also be a permanent fixture. Fortunately, there is a way to clear up your complexion. ClearifiRx is a custom hyperpigmentation treatment that will lighten your melasma and help you get back your even skin tone
Hair Loss. This is a rather distressing side effect for women, especially those who wear their hair like a crown. The hair loss stops during a pregnancy and boy, does it catch up afterward! This can leave hair permanently changed and rather limp for some time.
Pregnancy may bring you a beautiful baby, but it does bring some changes that you’d not have expected or liked. Read about them all and embrace the idea of change; the physical cost to having the little piece of immortality? It’s so worth it.