There seems to be a few topics that are rarely address to a pregnant woman. People will comment on the size of your boobs. They’ll tell you your nose has ‘spread’. They’ll say you are glowing or sickly, too! But there are a few issues that seem to only make it to your circle of knowledge the second you experience them. And frankly, some of them hurt.
5 Post-Birth Topics No One Wants to Discuss
Speaking of painful.
Engorged Boobs – Yikes. You probably knew that they would swell up a bit but what happens around 24 to 48 hours after birth couldn’t be considered just ‘swelling’ in even the most abusive use of the word. What really happens to you during engorgement (which will also happen every time you fail to pump for too long) is your breasts turn into solid rocks, become incredibly painful and expression becomes critical if you’re going to continue to breastfeed. If not, you’re going to feel like you’re literally carrying two giant painful rocks around in your shirt for a couple days.
You Still Look Pregnant – Yep. For quite a while after birth, you’re still going to have a little round belly that’s likely the same size as you were around the 5 month mark. Please brace yourself. While most people are astute enough to realize a woman carrying a newborn still has baby belly, there may be others (especially children) who can’t put two and two together. They may ask you when your baby is due. Don’t be alarmed and try not to let it hurt you personally! It’s a really common mistake and if you try to remember their intentions were good (trying to chit chat with you about your pending baby!) you’ll get through just fine. Maybe with just a couple tears in the bathroom later. I know. I’m sorry, you can’t really NOT take that personally. It’s okay. Just bring a tissue or two.
You Might Cry. Often – Don’t beat yourself up too bad if you’re not one of those women who gives birth and suddenly finds immense joy in every waking moment. It’s okay! It’s also incredibly normal to suffer from mood swings with swirling piles of hormones raging around in your body. However, it IS critical to ask someone who loves and cares for you to ‘keep an eye on you’ and to help you seek help if you begin displaying symptoms of postpartum depression. It’s a very, very serious issue that should never be ignored. Crying over ridiculous commercials? Okay. Wanting to hurt the people in the commercial who made you cry? Not okay. And speaking of riding the roller coaster of emotions post-birth.
You Might Hate Your Family – So your partner left a dish in the sink for you to clean and you felt an overwhelming amount of hate for their lack of consideration for you and your current duties? What about your kids who know you were up all night with the baby but still insist on a round of dodgeball just outside your bedroom window when you finally eek out a few moments for a nap with baby? Yikes! These are strong feelings and as long as you don’t feel yourself building resentment and hanging on to these instances of lack of consideration for long periods of time, they are really fairly normal. You’ll suffer through a lot of moments of frustration in those early days. Instead of keeping slights to yourself, just share with your partner exactly what you need from them, ask your kids to remember mommy needs to sleep and give them other quiet time activities while you nap. Just hang on to the reasonable person buried under all the mounting chaos and you’ll be fine.
Your Hair Could Fall Out – All that glorious hair you grew in super speed during your pregnancy may be one more reward you’ll be glad to take away from your pregnancy. But maybe you shouldn’t get so attached. No, no! You won’t be going GI Jane or anything, but you might notice a horking load of hair filling up your shower drain all the sudden. Don’t freak out. This is actually really normal for some women after birth and it’s highly unlikely you’ll shed yourself a bald spot or anything. Hey, just consider it a free thinning. Hair stylist charge lots of money for that!
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