weight that won't come off, or a different shaped-body, relish in
the joy of motherhood and the fact that you brought a new life
into the world.
What every new mama experiences is different, but
here are a few things you can expect:
1. Larger breasts. If you are
breastfeeding and were not well-endowed before birth, you can
expect to have larger breasts, maybe for the first time.
If you were well-endowed to begin with, your may not get much
bigger. If you are not breastfeeding, your breasts may be
slightly larger until you lose pregnancy weight. Whether
breastfeeding or not, most women find that their breasts do not
ever return to their pre-pregnancy perkiness.
2. A more toned upper-body. Lifting
and carrying a baby that seems to grow daily will tone your
upper body and arms. You'll probably never look better in
a tank top than when toting your tot in your arms.
3. Hair loss. Don't panic!
During pregnancy you may have noticed that your hair was really
thick. During pregnancy your body did not shed hair
as it normally would. So, by the time you gave birth you
had more hair than usual. After pregnancy the extra
hair falls out. I thought my husband was going bald
as the drain was always clogged, but then I realized it was my
hair!
4. A different shaped body. Even when
you get to your pre-pregnancy weight, your body shape may
change. I found that even though I reached my
pre-pregnancy weight, some of my jeans did not fit just right.
My body was different.
5. Weight
loss plateau. A lot of moms find that they just can't
get those extra 10 pounds off. There are lots of reasons
why. Eating a healthful
diet rich in fruits and vegetables, getting daily exercise, and
drinking water will help you to lose weight at a safe rate,
especially when breastfeeding. But, a word of caution:
Ignoring the weight gain often results in even more weight to lose
after the next baby.
Motherhood brings about a lot of changes, and
maybe your body will never be the same again. This doesn't
mean that you aren't attractive. Our culture puts so much
emphasis on outward appearance. As long as you are a
healthy weight, then maybe those extra ten pounds aren't really
the big deal you think they are!
