*Disclaimer: I went and looked for photos to add of my postpartum period here, and there’s legit like no photos of me the first 3 months postpartum. This makes me really sad. Yes, I was battling pretty severe PPD, but this is such an important and fragile season, and I so wish I had photos of myself during it. The image you clicked on, was me 5 months postpartum and I felt beyond fat in that photo (which I was a good 20 lbs lighter in that photo than I am now). It’s so crazy to think about now.

I don't know about you, but no one specifically told me that my belly was going to feel like a ballon filled with Jello that was left out on a hot day immediately after my son was born. Super cute visual huh? 😉

We became so focused on how our body was changing DURING pregnancy and what to expect as we were growing this baby, that we completely forgot to research what to expect after the baby was born.

Why is the postpartum period always conveniently left out!?

Why does no one tells us this!? Well hopefully I can change that for even just a few of you. I'm going to include a "short" timeline of the postpartum body/uterus changes immediately after baby is born up until roughly 6 weeks, just as kind of a quick run down:

1. Uterus begins to contract to birth placenta (fourth stage of labor), where your placenta was attached to your uterus, there is now an open wound and where your lochia (postpartum bleeding) comes from.

2. You will experience after-pains/smaller contractions to help the uterus return to its normal pre-pregnancy size and close off the open blood vessels where the placenta used to be (these suck btw).

3. If you're at a hospital, the nurses will palpate (or massage, although this is not a massage you will ever enjoy) to "encourage" your uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size. Breastfeeding will help this as well, as breastfeeding will trigger the uterus to contract (also not the most pleasant feeling).

4. Your organs will begin to slowly shift back into place, this may take up to a few weeks to officially be back to where they are supposed to be.

5. You will be sore, everywhere. It will take time for all of the swelling to dissipate, especially in your nether regions (and if you were lucky enough to receive hemorrhoids during the pregnancy, those may never go away).

6. SWEATING. Omg the sweating. SO. MUCH. SWEAT. This is due to the hormone shift and extra fluids your body retained prepping for labor.

7. Peeing and pooping are painful and can be scary. Keep your Peri bottle with you at all times while using the restroom. This will most likely last a few weeks. The biggest thing that helped me was actually sitting down but leaning forward with my elbows on my knees while peeing. It was much less painful. But still using the Peri bottle, it becomes your best friend.

8. At two weeks postpartum, your belly is still very much protruding and looking pregnant. Your uterus still isn't to its pre-pregnancy size yet, you have extra skin, and your muscles are still moving back into place.

9. By 6 weeks, your uterus should be back to its pre-pregnancy size, your lochia should have stopped, and your lady bits should be healed. Most doctors will give you the ok to begin having sex again.

And it's at this point (if you even got this much information during your pregnancy, I know I didn't) that they will typically just send you on your merry way and tell you not to look back and to embark and embrace this new journey (woop-dee-doo). But it's like, well now what do we do? There's extra skin and I pee when I sneeze. Like how do I fix that? I was told my body would go back to the way it was before, and it hasn't. WTF.

Returns to normal my ass, it’s just a new normal now.

While for the most part your body does and will return to the same, or very close to the same way it was pre-pregnancy (like your uterus and organs). There's also a handful of things that may not ever return to the way they were before (like extra/loose abdominal skin, if your feet grew, if you're breastfeeding there's a high probability that your boobs will forever be changed). And it's things like this, the things that will FOREVER be changed, that we really need to talk about. That we need to be truly prepared for after we give birth. That it's TOTALLY OK to have mom boobs (I sure as shit still need to hear this one like everyday) and that you should be proud of what they accomplished! Just like your body, you grew a human. Your body created life. And as difficult as it may be to look at immediately postpartum, or even 3 years postpartum. I bet you, your kid(s) look at it differently than you do. It was their home. It was/is their safe space and comfort. But I know it doesn't take away the feeling of not liking/being used to this new body. This body that has forever been changed. That may still be foreign to you.

And can we all just say that society sucks. How much pressure is put on us to be perfect? To look perfect 3 days after you just gave birth is literally the craziest thing in the world! Like you realize a watermelon just came out of my vagina and you want me cleaning my house and hosting people!? 

NOPE. Fuck no.

But that leads me into next weeks post: How to treat your postpartum body in the first few weeks after having your baby. Because self care and feeling like a human is important.

****Because cleaning your house (or in my case weeding your driveway, yes I legit did that the second week postpartum) is NOT something you should be doing immediately after you have a baby.