Postpartum Body Experiences (Birth-6 months)

I thought I'd share some of the bodily changes I've experienced after giving birth, both physically and emotionally. Some of these changes I was told about in advance, and others have been interesting discoveries. It's still crazy to me that my body continues to adjust 6 months later! Here are a few of the things that have been going on...

Hair "Loss"

Imagine that you're taking a shower and rinsing the conditioner out of your hair. All of a sudden, you notice that the water is pooling around your feet. You run a foot over the drain only to realize the clog is being caused by a massive amount of hair that came out while you were washing it. Not such a great image, but it happens!  I was warned about this, but I thought I would maybe be an exception because it didn't start happening to me until 3 months postpartum. 

During pregnancy, hormonal shifts prevent hair from shedding as much as usual. So if you're still pregnant and you brush your hair, you'll probably notice less gets caught in the brush than it used to. After birth, when your hormones change, you'll end up shedding all the hair that was clinging on during pregnancy. If you think about it, that's almost a years-worth of hair, so it's no surprise we feel like we're losing most of it! If you anticipate this happening, it might come as less of a shock. I've been told the loss should normalize between 6-12 months postpartum.

Crying

Tears of happiness. Tears from being overwhelmed. Tears from lack of sleep. Tears from looking at pictures of your baby as a newborn when they're already 4 months old. Tears from leaving your baby for the first time. If you're a working mom, tears from going back to work. Tears from seeing someone else's baby crying and your own hormones kick in and you miss your baby so you start crying as well. Tears because you love your baby so much, your body can't even process it. Tears from all the "what-ifs" that lay ahead...and the list goes on. It's normal. And it definitely happens. Especially when you're somewhere you'd rather it didn't. But if you ever feel that it's excessive and coupled with other debilitating symptoms, please don't be ashamed to ask for help or contact a professional.

Disappearing Period

I think it's fairly common not to get your period if you're breastfeeding. Everyone's body is different. I breastfed Logan until he was 4 months old and I returned to work and could not meet the demands of pumping regularly enough. Logan is now 6.5 months old, and I still have not gotten my period. I think this is normal, but am going to contact my OBGYN if he turns 7 months and I still haven't gotten it.  

Sleep Changes

Yes, we dealt with the inevitable lack of sleep, etc. But on a different level, my mommy-instincts kicked in and my sleep abilities changed. I used to be the heaviest sleeper, to an extent that my husband was envious of. I could also let my head hit the pillow and be out in 5 minutes. Unfortunately, it now takes more like 20 minutes for me to fall asleep, and I'll wake up if a bird chirps loudly enough outside. It was worse when Logan still slept in our room, but it still happens frequently. 

This started happening to me in the hospital when we were in the postpartum wing. Logan could have slept through the night, being the sleepy newborn that he was, but we had to wake him every 2-3 hours so he could eat. Even after lack of sleep and taking Benadryl, my body would jolt awake at the appropriate times. It's like I had an internal alarm saying "feed Logan now!" 

Milk

It took a few days for my milk supply to come in. Meanwhile, Logan was surviving off colostrum. About 5 days after he was born, I woke up as though someone gave me implants in my sleep. My boobs. Were. Huge. More so than they were during pregnancy. I had read about becoming engorged, but I had no idea the milk was going to come in with such force!

Bruising

I don't really know why, but I bruise a lot more easily than I did before. I find bruises in the most random places, mainly on my calves or thighs. Do I have a vitamin deficiency? Am I bumping into things more often? I currently have one on my outer wrist, one on my knee, and one on my thigh. It's the strangest thing. 

Those are the main things that I can think of. Has anyone else had similar experiences?