5 Things That Happen To Your Vagina After You Give Birth

Congratulations! Now that you have managed to eject a full-grown baby out of your vagina, you can be sure that the hard part is over. We do sympathize for the ongoing sleepless nights, smelly diapers and the challenges of handling an always-hungry baby. But at least your vaginawon’t have to go through another ordeal anytime soon.

Or so you thought!

Well, we hate to break it to you but that is sadly not true. Childbirth is going to change your vagina in a lot of ways. Dr. Alyssa Dweck, an NYC-based OB-GYN, as well as co-author of the book The Complete A to Z for Your V, explains that your vagina will go through multiple changes post-childbirth (1).

The alterations that your vagina will go through post-delivery are absolutely normal. Also, they will fade away once your hormone levels return back to those of pre-pregnancy days, according to Dr. Dweck. You can even overcome most of these changes on your own with a little bit of effort and will power. Now that definitely counts as good news!

So before you go fighting the enemy (in this case vaginal changes), you should know who the enemy is. Here are 5 things that can happen in your nether regions once you have delivered a baby, ofcourse through natural birthing process.

1. It Will Be Quite Loose Down There

No surprises here! If you’re going to push a whole baby out of your vagina, you can’t exactly expect it to be tight. Post-delivery, it is absolutely natural for your pelvic floor muscles to loosen up a bit (2). For the first few years after delivery, you may feel that things have particularly loosened down there. Dr. Dweck also adds that you may feel airier in your nether regions as you walk.

However, the extent of this loosening can vary and will depend on several factors such as the duration of your labor as well as the size and weight of your baby. Nevertheless, these factors will not affect women who have undergone a C-section.

Frankly, the looseness can be bothersome and if that is the case, you can get to an exercise routine to tighten it up. Kegel exercises are the best option and help restore your vagina to its original tightness over time (3).

2. It Will Feel Dry As A Bone

Shutterstock

This change is fairly common and most new mothers report vaginal dryness as a side effect of nursing. Reason? Breastfeeding causes your estrogen levels to go for a toss, and this reduction in estrogen can lead to vaginal dryness. The good thing is that since breastfeeding and vaginal dryness go hand in hand, this change is mostly temporary.

As for a remedy to this malady, you can make use of a trust-worthy lubricant before having sex, says Dr. Dweck. In case the lube is not very effective, you can also consult your gynecologist and try out alternatives such as an estrogen vaginal cream.

3. Soreness Is Possible

Shutterstock

Delivering a 3 to 3.5-kilo baby can be quite a shipwreck for your vagina. According to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a professor of gynecology, reproductive sciences and obstetrics at the Yale School of Medicine, the tissues surrounding your vagina can tear during delivery (4). Although these tears are normally sutured up immediately after childbirth, the recovery process of this traumatic experience can take time. This is especially the casefor muscle tears.

You can get relief from this soreness by indulging in a sitz bath or sitting in a warm tub, according to Dr. Minkin. Over the counter painkillers such as ibuprofen can also aid in the recovery process.

4. There Could Be A Change In Color

Shutterstock

Don’t panic if you take a peek down there and notice that your vulva’s (the outer part of your vagina) color has changed a little bit. This happens post childbirth. Dr. Dweck explains that the hormonal changes, which take place during pregnancy, as well as the tearing of the vaginal tissues, can lead to a darkening of the area. This color change can take place for C-section mommies too. Although the pigmentation will fade away with time, it will never completely vanish.

5. Potential For Bloody Discharges

Shutterstock

Lastly, bloody vaginal discharge is common to both vaginal births as well as C-section mommies. This secretion is known as ‘lochia’ and is a mixture of blood, fluid and mucus (5). Dr. Dweck says lochia can be differentin consistency and color for different women and in some cases can even be accompanied by pain, odor and itching. However, it will stop once a woman starts ovulating again.

The above changes to your vagina can understandably take you by surprise. However, there is no need for you to get alarmed,for with time, your vagina will go back to being relatively normal.

The post 5 Things That Happen To Your Vagina After You Give Birth appeared first on STYLECRAZE.

from STYLECRAZE http://ift.tt/2zy39yq http://ift.tt/2iIKLLc