by Samantha Montpetit-Huynh
What your mother never told you…. or your aunt, sister; not even your friends for that matter!
There’s no question, that there is a definite lack of information when it comes to what happens “after the fact” in reference to your body postpartum. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked “why didn’t anyone tell me?” or “how come nobody checked?”. Unfortunately I can’t answer that but have simply come to the conclusion that either people don’t know or they just don’t care.
So I’m here to clear things up a bit and tell you the sh*t that nobody else will. Here are 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Body After Having a Baby:
1. You’re most likely going to look 4 months pregnant for the first 8 weeks postpartum.
2. There is pretty good chance your abdominals will separate during pregnancy and will most likely not close after birth.
3. If you give birth vaginally, you increase your chances of becoming incontinent after birth. In other words, you will leak…yep, leak and it’s not fun.
4. Pelvic organ prolapse is NOT just for our mother’s and/or grandmothers.
Now that I am the mom of two and have “been there, done that” (some good and not so good), I can give you the quick rundown of what happens to your body after having a baby:
Diastasis recti affects approximately 80-85% of first pregnancies and unfortunately it doesn’t magically “snap back” after delivery. This is the main cause of the Mummy Tummy or post baby pooch that moms everywhere suffer from and try desperately to fix – usually the wrong way.
Incontinence affects 1 in 3.5 women who delivery vaginally. Once you hit 30, it’s 1 in 3. Add more kids, age, genetics, extreme exercise and you can see where this is going…As “common” as this is, it is not normal and can be fixed. Women just need to talk about it more, find the tools and know that most incontinence is a fitness issue, not a medical one.
POP (pelvic organ prolapse) does happen but not overnight. It is gradual and by the time your doctor diagnoses you with one, it’s usually too late to treat without surgery.
But like I always say, I’m not here to shock you or freak you out, but to educate and tell you that these things happen!
Will women stop having babies as a result? Not likely. However, they will be more informed, know what questions to ask and (hopefully) do what is necessary to treat and even avoid some of these things all together!
Let’s talk and be more proactive when it comes treating ourselves otherwise you may end up suffering long term.
Samantha Montpetit-Huynh is the mother of two beautiful girls and the founder of Core Expectations, Toronto’s only full services wellness team that delivers personal training, abdominal rehabilitation and other support services to the homes and offices of pregnant women and new moms across the GTA.