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Postpartum Changes No One Tells You About

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Postpartum Changes No One Tells You About by Boston mom blogger Elisabeth McKnight

Well, we have survived almost as many months with Adelaide on the outside as we have with her on the inside! She turns eight months old next week and in some ways it is hard to believe that only eight short months ago I was sitting at home, a few days past my due date, wondering when this girl would show up. But when I think of the sleep deprivation and working off the extra pounds, the eight months seem very, very long 😉

Everyone talks about the changes that happen during pregnancy. And everyone likes to tell their own miraculous and traumatizing birth experience. Even recovery is touched on often. But in the months after giving birth I still felt like I was getting reacquainted with my body… and struggling with a few postpartum changes I was not expecting.

So, here are the postpartum changes I was not prepared for, with the last one being the one I’ve been working on the most recently:

1. Hair loss: Everyone mentioned that their hair fell out a few months postpartum, but what I didn’t expect is that my hair is quite a bit thinner than it was before I was ever pregnant. Everything I’ve read says that your hair is just returning to its natural growth and regrowth cycles but my tresses would beg to differ. I’ve taken up using a thickening shampoo + conditioner and focusing on these tips to help stop or reverse the process.

2. Skin Changes: I had mentally prepared to lose the weight I’d gained with each pregnancy but what I didn’t plan for is the extra skin that didn’t disappear as the pounds came off. Lotions with vitamin E help tighten the skin but mostly it just takes time. Even as stretch marks fade, the skin is still just there.

3. Back Pain: I was excited for lower back pain to go away once I was no longer pregnant but no one mentioned that it persists long into the newborn months. The hours spent hunched over a newborn trying to nurse and carrying an extra 10-20 pounds in my arms for the first year didn’t help. Daily exercise and yoga stretches were a necessity (along with some ibuprofen). Cat and cow (yoga poses) are great for relieving back pain … bonus points for doing it with your newborn lying on the floor making faces up at you while you do it.

4. Dry Skin: Before babies I moisturized my legs in the summer and applied plenty of aloe after a sunburn, but that was the most I thought about what I put on my skin. After this second baby though, once the total sleep deprivation had worn off, I was convinced I was having an allergic reaction to our laundry detergent. My skin was SO dry and itchy. We switched detergents a few times, I doubled my water intake, and I started watching the fabrics I chose to wear. Nothing helped and my skin was painfully and irritatingly dry.

What I didn’t know was that dry skin can be due to a hormonal imbalance after child birth and can persist for up to a year post partum.

I noticed it mainly at night when things had calmed down but if I wasn’t careful I’d start scratching and end up with angry red lines across my legs (or back, or stomach). I tried so many different lotions before I came across Curél® Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer. Some other lotions would offer immediate relief but Curél is the only one that has made a noticeable difference in my skin. It is thicker than any other lotion I tried but absorbs quickly. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated but not sticky.

The interesting thing about this lotion is that it works on the ceramides in your skin. Don’t know what ceramides are, and how they affect dry skin? Don’t worry, I looked up “ceramide” for both of us: they’re a family of waxy lipid molecules that are found in the skins outer layers and help retain moisture. Instead of just treating the symptoms, like most lotions do, hat it works on goes to the source and helps your skin retain more moisture, helping your skin improve its retention over time. The way this lotion works is really interesting. You apply it right when you get out of the shower, on wet skin, before you even dry off. Then you just towel dry and go about your day – that’s it! There’s no waiting around for it to absorb, which is a good thing, because everyone knows that babies are exactly patiently waiting for you to finish a long beauty routine! I also used this as a regular lotion when I wasn’t showering and it worked really well.

update: I’ve also been using massage oil with lavender in it and that has been really moisturizing and soothing as well!

 

Postpartum Changes No One Tells You About by Boston mom blogger Elisabeth McKnight

I’ve been using this moisturizer daily for a month now, and I’ve noticed that my dry skin looks more hydrated and feels softer. I’m still trying to be consistent with applying Curél® Hydra Therapy every day and drinking a lot of water, but I’ve been able to resume my hot showers and haven’t had to think about the type of fabric I wear over the last few weeks (thank goodness).

Do you struggle with dry skin? What postpartum changes were you unprepared for after baby? Tell me in the comments below!!the post partum body changes no one told me about (besides hair loss, I hadn't heard of these) - Postpartum Changes No One Tells You About by Boston mom blogger Elisabeth McKnight

post partum changes that no one tells you about - beyond hair loss and some great remedies to help be prepared!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. My skin in dry especially during the winter, I’ll have to check out their product. I guess I wasn’t prepared to experience the pain of a shallow latch. I took a breastfeeding class but actually doing it was a learning experience, 4 days in and we had to call a lactation consultant to help which was well worth it. Everything is good now though and breastfeeding is easy 🙂 Our daughter will be 8 weeks soon and I have yet to experience the hair loss that everyone talks about.

    Reply

  2. Yes, I have dry hands and dry elbows.

    I had my 4th baby 17 months ago and I was not prepared for the postpartum hair loss. It still hasn’t stopped.

    Reply

  4. My hands get so dry and cracked after I have a baby. It is nice to know that other moms experience dry skin. I’ve always been a Curel fan! I will definitely try Curel Hydra Therapy.

    Reply

  5. I have dry skin and my skin was even drier when I was pregnant and after, I also lost a lot of my hair after baby was born. It was terrible.

    Reply

  7. I suffer from extremely dry skin on my hands. They get so bad in the winter that they crack and bleed. I cannot use harsh soaps because of it. I have not had a baby yet so I cannot speak to changes with pregnancy or postpartum.

    Reply

  11. I struggle with dry skin in the winter months. No babies but I use a good moisturizer and drink a lot of water to help my dry skin.

    Reply

  15. I do struggle with dry skin. I wasn’t prepared for how loose the skin on my stomach would be after I had my son.

    Reply

  20. I have dry skin and it got worse after baby. I have to rely on heavy cream and body oil to keep my skin moisturized all the time.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

    Reply

  22. Usually only during winter do I struggle with dry skin but still winter is months long and that’s a long time to have dry skin. 🙁
    I try to keep up with the lotion but you know how that goes, hectic days, hectic schedule, etc.
    What I need is a bed that moisturizes your skin overnight. 🙂
    thanks!

    Reply

  23. Usually in the winter time, but I use coconut oil to help my skin,

    Thank you for the chance to win this!

    allisonrsdswain(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    Reply

  27. My skin is always dry – extremely dry – in the winter. I didn’t notice a big change after having my kids, but I could chalk that up to sleep deprivation 😉

    Reply

  35. Yes I have dry skin – especially in the winter.
    I was unprepared for the night time feedings.
    thank you

    Reply

  41. It’s been so long that I don’t remember what my skin was like postpartum. I have dry skin now and must moisturize daily.

    Reply

  43. Yes, I get dry hands in the winter. I was unprepared for how much having a baby stretched out my stomach for a while!

    Reply

  47. I have very dry skin! My dry skin was worse and extremely sensitive to lotions on my stomach when I was pregnant! I think after my fourth baby, I was unprepared for my hair to thin for a few months after delivery!

    Reply

  49. I have dry skin. I was prepared for the sleep adjustment. Before I had children I could have slept through an earthquake but afterwards the slightest sound wakes me up.

    Reply

  57. I have horribly dry skin and have my entire life, but I have more dry patches on my body after I had my babies.

    Reply

  63. I have dry skin on my hands and sometimes elbows. My wife did develop some eczema after the birth of our first son and it subsided not to long after.

    Reply

  69. Not a fan of hearing that hair could become thinner! My hair has always been thin and I was hoping it wouldn’t get thicker with pregnancy, but it did, and while I admit I loved it, 2 months postpartum, I’m terrified of when it’ll fall out! ?

    Reply

  71. I started crying after getting back home from the hospital after a c section and looking at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognized my body and was very swollen. You often see procedures and what to do but I don’t think you are mentally prepared about the hormone changes and new lifestyle. And dry skin apparently is a trend because my hands till today I suffer from dry and cracking plus bleeding, which btw went to a dermatologist and she said it was eczema and prescribed me an ointment that calms it down but doesn’t heal it.

    Reply

  72. Every mentioned postpartum hair loss but I was not prepared for the volume nor was I prepared for the fact that my hairline would almost disappear and at 11 Months postpartum I would be dealing with unruly baby hairs that stick out no matter what.
    Not even going to talk about the dry skin. It’s ridiculous. I may just try the curel lotion. It’s some serious level of dryness. Never goes away either. I wonder if breastfeeding makes it worse? I also have developed dry eyes.

    Reply

  79. Having babies didn’t have a huge effect on my hair and skin but I think a lot of that was due to the humid climate where we lived. Now I’m much older and in a different climate and between age and harsh winter weather my skin has gotten very dry. I plan on trying this Curel product soon.

    Reply

  82. I suffer from from dry skin due to the dry air and harsh water. During my pregnancies, I had a lot of pigmentation changes in my facial skin.

    Reply

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