This Body Has Stories
When you think about it logically, it is quite silly to not expect changes in your body post pregnancy. You quite literally incubate a human being. Pre pregnancy there are many things I was incredibly ignorant about to the process. The female body is stunning. The physical evidence of a growing baby is nothing compared to the work the body is doing inside. A woman’s body is flooded with tens of thousands of new hormones, her organs shift, the baby connects and depends on her for nutrients, feeding, breathing, everything. One day you are just walking around taking for granted that your body is carrying you around as you live and breathe. Next you are wondering how someone else can survive inside of you as you become a portal entryway to life as we know it.
While many changes happen to your body during pregnancy, it is surprising when the body does not return to it original state. And I don’t mean gaining and loosing weight or stretch marks. There are other things that happen after birth that people don’t really talk about. Maybe because they’re so random that not every mom can relate. Maybe because they’re low-key traumatic or embarrassing. Or maybe because we’ve all silently agreed to just… deal.
Just in case you end up with one of my postpartum body changes, I want you to know you are not alone. Girl, me too! Some were pleasant surprises while others left me shooketh and still recovering years later.
Let’s start with the positive.
The Surprise Healings
I had a condition before pregnancy that I’ve never experienced again during and since giving birth. I was taking a medication that I could not take while pregnant. However, my physician and I had plans of how I would continue once I have birth. It was shocking when I realized my symptoms did not appear during pregnancy, because I was definitely looking for them.
To my surprise, after I gave birth the miraculous healing continued. If I even experienced something that was similar to my former symptoms, I scheduled a doctors appointment. However, consistently I was told nothing was wrong. Just like that… gone. And I’m not the only one. There are stories of migraines that disappeared, allergies that faded, even skin conditions that somehow vanished post baby.
I don’t say this to over romanticize the process, pregnancy is not a fix all. It’s not magic. But there is something sacred about the body becoming a home. The immune shifts, the hormonal rewiring, the total system upheaval… incubating life is a full body transformation. Sometimes, that transformation comes with unexpected gifts.
Pregnancy is unpredictable. Sometimes exhausting. Sometimes healing. Sometimes both in the same breath.
Skin Situation: The Plot Twist Begins
Before I knew I was pregnant, I had the strangest skin rash that concerned me so much I went to the emergency room. Researching online to self diagnose when the doctor could not give me an answer sent me down a rabbit hole of all the conditions I could possible be facing. It was nerve wracking to say the least. I started researching dermatologist, investing in a four step natural skin care set. I was nervous.
Low and behold, I was pregnant. Unbeknownst to me, my skin was reacting to what was happening inside. And while my new skincare regimen was giving me minor relief, it could not cure a single thing.
Like may pregnant women, my skin went through many phases during the process. It didn’t bother me much because, hello, I’m a vessel of life lol. I just knew that once I gave birth my skin would return to normal. That was very wrong.
The postpartum skin changes continued. These days, my face looks reminiscent of my pre baby skin, but you will see some additions that look like freckles but my esthetician informed me were DPN’s (Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra).
Shoe Size Drama: Why My Old Heels Look at Me Funny
Till this day, I cannot believe I am no longer the same shoe size. I chuckle about this because apparently I was so distraught my first year post partake I told almost anyone who would ask how I’m doing. When they’ve mentioned it years later, I didn’t remember. That’s the grief no one warned me about, saying goodbye to shoes that no longer fit the woman I became.
As you can expect, I was in denial postpartum. I did not buy a single pair of new shoes until almost 6 or 7 months after giving birth. Swollen feet is normal and expected while pregnant. However, no one told me told me my shoes size would not return to normal. I went from an 8 1/2 to a solid 10. Till this day, I have not had the heart to give all my old shoes away and I am still building my new shoe collection.
The Great Bladder Betrayal (AKA Mom Bladder)
It is widely known that pregnant women use the bathroom a lot. I first heard the term “mom bladder” from a friend who had a baby years before me. She casually mentioned it while I was pregnant suggesting that I would understand soon. She was right.
Somehow, in the beautiful chaos of creating life, your bladder joins the rebellion.
Laughing too hard? Dangerous.
Jumping jacks? Better plan ahead.
Sneezing? You never know.
That last bit of tinkle need you to move to a different position to come out? You are not the only one
This one’s more common than you think, but still rarely talked about outs of intimate mom friend circles. It’s a quiet shift you carry, one more reminder that your body has changed in ways both big and small.
Energy Levels: Still Tired, Still Glorious
The lack of sleep starts before the baby even gets here when they decide your bladder is their personal trampoline or start play fighting your organs at 2am.
And then they’re born… yet somehow you’re even more tired. It’s not just the night feedings or the rocking and pacing. It’s the fact that your body just did something miraculous, and then doesn’t get to rest. It’s hilarious when the nurse gives mom a warning list of what she can’t do, the weight limit she should carry, and all these limitations that contradict taking a newborn home.
You go straight from birth to caretaker. But no one really prepares you for how long it lingers. Postpartum tired hits differently. It lives in your bones. It makes you forget what rested felt like. And sometimes it stays for months. For years.
It’s the kind of fatigue that makes you cry for no reason. That makes small decisions feel like algebra. That makes taking a shower alone feel like a win. Even when your child gets older, you never sleep too deep. You sleep in a way where you can hear everything around you, just in case.
But here’s the thing: even in all that tiredness… you show up. And that matters.
The Mental Fog Files (AKA Mom Brain)
People love to joke about “mom brain,” but I promise you, it’s not just forgetting where you put your keys. It’s a real rewiring. One minute you’re reciting a perfect bedtime story from memory, and the next you’re standing in front of the fridge wondering why you’re there.
Your brain is doing so much. It’s tracking feeding schedules, nap windows, developmental milestones, diaper inventory, doctor appointments, family group chats, and let’s not forget—your own survival. All while recovering from the most intense physical event of your life.
It’s not that moms become forgetful. It’s that our memory banks are now under new management, prioritizing everyone else’s needs. It’s not failure, it’s capacity overload. While I can tell you everything about my child I am known to need a recap of what was discussed when she is not the topic. Alarms, reminders, and calendar invites is the only way I can keep up with what is upcoming.
So when a mom forgets what day it is, or repeats a story twice, or leaves her tea in the microwave for the fifth time… be gentle. She’s running a high-level operating system with minimal RAM and hardly enough rest.
This Body, This Mind, This Miracle
The body changes. The mind fogs. The shoes stop fitting. The bladder gets rebellious. The energy taps out. Yet… you show up. Daily. Hourly. Sometimes on five minutes of sleep and a prayer.
Motherhood doesn’t just change your body; it changes your bandwidth, your brain chemistry, your patience, your pain tolerance, and your ability to love through complete exhaustion.
So yes, this body has stories. And those stories deserve reverence. This is your reminder that even if your skin looks different, your memory’s patchy, or your favorite heels don’t fit anymore—you did something divine.
That kind of miracle leaves a mark.
To every mom: you deserve softness, you deserve honor, and yes—you deserve the world.
