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Pregnancy is a blooming period of your life. Your body is working over time to make sure everything is in place and sufficient for the proper development of your baby. This must be the nature’s way of ensuring healthy perpetuation of our species. Some people regard birth as a shock to the body and many women are frightened of the trauma the birth could leave on their bodies. Most of this is not true, because our body prepares for labour and birth all through the pregnancy and it’s completely ready for it when the time comes.

However, you might find all of a sudden that you’re not happy with your body after birth. This is perfectly normal and you might find some consolation in knowing that millions of women feel the same way.

We all struggle to restore our order after the birth of our babies. Having them compensates for everything, but not all is lost. There are easy and simple ways of getting back to the way you looked and felt before becoming a parent.
You may find that:

* it’s not that easy to lose the pregnancy weight and the baby weight lost immediately after birth wasn’t as much as you expected;

* the stretchmarks gained during pregnancy don’t always go away after birth;

* you lose tons of hair;

* your breasts are not as firm, as full and as sexy as they used to be;

* you get deep, dark circles around your eyes;

* you feel incredibly tired;

* you feel irritable, disorganised, can’t make a decision, can’t sleep well, can’t concentrate, feel anxious, upset and weeping for no obvious reason;

* your lifestyle habits (such as going out, socialising etc) have changed and you have no desire to do this anymore;

All these are normal. Partly, they have to do with the effort your body is putting into readjusting to the new routine, including sleep deprivation, no time for yourself and hormonal re-adjustment.

If you feel that you can’t cope and experience especially the last two symptoms, it could be Post Natal Depression or Post Partum Depression. In spite of being a common phenomenon, it is a serious condition and your Health Visitor will make sure help is there for you if you need it. Untreated post natal depression cases got worse and ended up in tragedies that could have been avoided if help was taken.

To improve your health condition after childbirth, you can follow a few simple steps:

* keep an active life style; take the baby out on every opportunity and make sure you keep your network of friends even if you’re parent now;

* go to the gym at least once a week; this gives you time for yourself and a great opportunity of socialising;

* use cocoa butte for strechmarks and skin moisturisers;

* eat well and balanced; if you decide to follow a diet, it’s recommended to get a personal counsellor that can help you all the way; however, it’s advisable to wait if you’re breastfeeding;

* don’t let dust cover your cosmetics bag; now that you’re a mom, you have one more reason to prove you don’t neglect yourself;

* take the prenatal vitamins, especially if you’re breastfeeding; they should make you feel and look better;

* don’t stress over small things and relax as much as you can; aroma therapy and massage sessions can be a God sent; at times even your partner will do;

* keep a calm and loving relationship; realise that parenthood can put an extra pressure on your love life, so talk to your partner to make the extra effort in this period;

* accept any help you are offered;

* look for support from other parents; you might be surprised to find out how common “major” things are and how many of us have been there. Our forum is a great place to share experiences and look for help with your concerns.

Author: Lorena Goldsmith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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