What You Can Do about Those Post-Baby Body Changes

Everyone knows that your body completely changes during pregnancy. But do you know what can happen to your body after you have the baby?

Here are four post-baby changes that you could develop. Find out why they happen and how you can fix them.

Sagging Breasts

Motherhood can totally transform your breasts. Pregnancy and nursing can make them swell significantly. After you’ve started to wean your baby off of the breast and onto the bottle, your breasts will shrink. You might notice that they’re lower and flatter than they were pre-baby.

What can you do to prevent this? You should wear a supportive nursing bra as often as possible. You can also do certain exercises like pushups and chest presses to strengthen your pectorals — this could give your breasts some structural support.

If it’s too late, and you’re not happy with how your breasts look, go to a Toronto plastic surgery clinic for a consultation on cosmetic surgery solutions. You could get a breast lift to correct sagging and move your breasts into a higher position. You could also get breast augmentation to add more fullness and volume to your breasts if they’re flat or deflated. You could combine these two breast surgeries together for a full makeover.

Loose Skin

The skin around your belly stretches rapidly during your pregnancy to accommodate your growing baby, and then it recedes after giving birth. Your skin can’t adjust that quickly. So, it might look loose or saggy around your stomach.

Losing your baby weight too fast can also leave you with loose skin around your belly. It can be tempting to rush through a weight loss routine to get back to your pre-baby body, but that strategy can backfire.

What can you do? First, give your skin time to heal and retract. You’ll notice a difference within the first year of giving birth. If you want to drop some weight, try your best to do it at a slow and steady pace. Most importantly, you need to wear postpartum clothes that help you feel good about yourself – clothes that feel comfortable on your tummy and make you feel stylish at the same time. If you notice that your skin doesn’t go back to normal, then you could undergo cosmetic surgery. A tummy tuck can remove the excess skin and help you get a smooth, contoured midsection again.

Varicose Veins

Plenty of pregnant women develop varicose veins in their legs during pregnancy. Varicose veins are engorged veins. They can itch, throb, burn or feel painful.

It’s common for the varicose veins that you developed during your pregnancy to fade a few months after giving birth. To help them fade away, you should do the following:

• Exercise every day
• Don’t cross your legs or ankles when sitting
• Wear compression stockings to help increase blood flow

If your varicose veins don’t disappear, you can talk to your doctor about removal options like sclerotherapy or laser therapy.

Hair Loss

The rise in hormones during your pregnancy makes your hair thicker, shinier and less likely to shed. Once you’ve given birth, your hormone levels go back to normal, and your hair cycle will try to do the same. Sadly, this means that your hair will start to fall out.

Postpartum hair loss can be emotionally distressing, but the good news is that it’s temporary. It typically begins two to three months after giving birth and should only last for a few months.

During that period of postpartum hair loss, here are some things that you can do to minimize the problem:

• Avoid hairstyles that will put stress on your hair (high ponytails, tight braids, etc.)
• Avoid using heating tools on your hair
• Eat a diet rich in foods that promote hair growth

There are solutions for all of your post-baby body changes. So, don’t worry! You can handle them just fine. 

Credit: Migs Reyes via Pexels

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