I loved Lauren’s post last week on the black hole of recovery. She wrote candidly about the things they don’t tell us will inevitably happen after we deliver a sweet bundle of joy. But now, 20 months after delivering my second child, I am definitely done with the “black hole”.
I’ve moved on to something else no one tells you- that a full recovery never really happens. Not one of the moms I know looks or feels exactly like they did pre-baby. The the baby weight might be gone but most of us end up with a few lingering physical and emotional effects from becoming a mom. Anyone with me? Let me see if any of these ring a bell: stretch marks that are here to stay, acne like a teenager, tummy skin that never goes back in place, hormones that change my mood every five seconds, and my personal favorite, a new {much smaller} bra size. Seriously??!! ! You would think that 20 months later my body would have gotten the memo that I am done with the whole pregnancy/delivery/recovery thing. Were my two children totally worth it? Of course. And would I choose to do it all over again? YES. But seriously, where did all of this stuff come from?!
The breakouts have to be the worst! Please tell me I’m not the only one. I never struggled with acne as a teenager or young adult. Nope. Not when it was totally normal to have pimples. My body decided at 31 years of age, after having two kids, that now is the time for a zit {or twelve} to pop up on my forehead every other day. I’ve been to the dermatologist. I’m on a prescription but my clear complexion is something of the past.
Then there are the hormones {which probably don’t help in the breakout department}. Lord have mercy. They are definitely better than they were a few weeks after giving birth, but I just don’t know if I’ll ever be the same. And then you throw birth control into the mix and you’ve got some craziness going on. My doctor said it can be different after each pregnancy too. So, just when you think your hormones seem to have leveled out after number one, you get pregnant and have number two {or three or four} and you have to deal with the roller coaster all over again!
I don’t want to complain. These “minor” things are completely worth it, but dealing with all of these issues post-baby is hard, y’all! I’m so thankful to have had the ability to carry and deliver two children, and I really am thankful for this “new normal” even though it’s sometimes tough. Anyone else agree? Are there other lingering effects I forgot to mention?
Here’s to our new normal, Dallas moms!
