5 Real, Messed Up Postpartum Symptoms That Can Happen After You Have A Baby

There are many things you don’t know about having a baby, until you have a baby.

I call this BB (Before Baby) knowledge and AB (After Baby) knowledge. ‘Before Baby’ knowledge is usually a mental Pinterest board of what we hope and dream motherhood will be like, with gorgeous baby gurgles, picturesque picnics at the park and days filled with adventures, mummy and mini dressing and endless joy!

Those with ‘After Baby’ knowledge see things a little differently. They know that along with the sleepless nights there are a lot of missed coffee dates, sobs in the shower, after birth pains and a body that you don’t recognise, and not just due to a little extra baby weight…

Here, we hear from real mums who’ve had their babies, and been left shocked by a postnatal change that they never knew about, nor expected to experience. This is great for expecting mums to get a sense of what they might be able to expect. Hopefully not - but maybe!

Can’t do a poo: Olivia tells her story…

"Okay this is definitely something nobody tells you before birth, in the birthing suite, or even after. After a birth involving a number of stitches (I don’t even want to know how many), I was quite rightfully fearful of my first postnatal number two. Turns out I was right to be worried. It was shocking. I don’t even mean to sound dramatic. I suffered from a little bit of constipation in my third trimester, where I literally had to work myself up to a poo for 15 minutes. The process was reminiscent of what I thought birth would be like (turns out it didn’t even touch the sides) - and after my daughter was born, and there was a real chance my insides could fall out with every push, there was much more to lose.

It was excruciating. The fear of torn stitches was a real mental barrier, and knowing I was passing what felt like Uluru into the loo didn’t help me mentally prepare each time I had to go.

My advice in those first few weeks is to put yourself first. Drink as much water as you can manage, eat fruits and vegetables as often as possible and make Movicol your best friend. Your body is adjusting to a truckload of hormones and you need to be kind, forgiving and very patient with it!”

(Not messed up, but unexpected!) You don’t ‘just lose’ your tummy: Nadean tells her story…

“I didn’t realise you didn’t just ‘lose’ your tummy.

I know that sounds weird, but no-one had ever explained that to me before. It took me turning on the telly and seeing Kate Middleton walk out of the hospital for me to realise. I was like, 'why does she still look pregnant?!' I had no idea that you still had a huge bump even though baby was out. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting to snap back like an elastic band and rock a midriff, but I just didn’t know it would take so long to stop looking like there was still an actual baby in there. A good few days at least! Lucky you don't care after you've just met your new tiny human.”

Your teeth can move, dramatically: Grace tells her story…

"I had braces in year 9 and back then we didn’t get all the fancy permanent wires hidden behind our teeth. I wore my plate etc for the time I needed to and my teeth were fine. Fast forward to falling pregnant and postpartum totally different story.

My teeth moved immensely. To the point one is so far back I felt shame. I questioned why they were moving so much. I went to the dentist and he explained pregnancy hormones can change your teeth. Basically they were just going to keep moving so I opted for Invisalign. That way I can get the permanent care after I’ve finished my course.

I also want more children so now was the best time to sort my teeth out before they got worse. I just want to preface a lot of the movement caused food to get stuck and swollen gums. Our oral health is the gatekeeper of our bodies health so it was important for me to sort it out."

Prenatal hives (PUPPP rash): Robyn tells her story…

“Within half an hour of giving birth to my son my stomach was unbearably itchy, and my doctor gave me some Phenergan. It settled down, but then about 5 weeks later I developed hives - like, literally watched them crawling up on my arms and legs, and all over my body, where they stayed for the next 5 weeks. I spent each day crying in pain, scratching my skin red raw, and heading off to anyone and anyone who I thought could help - my GP, a chiropractor, acupuncturist, naturopath, psychologist, and dermatologist - as well as trying to keep my newborn and 2 year old son alive.

I was diagnosed with PUPPP - basically, prenatal hives. It affects 1 in 160 women (70% of cases are women carrying boys), and while most cases happen in pregnancy and clear up when the baby is born, I was one of the ‘lucky’ 15% for whom it appears postnatally.

The only thing that really helped me was UV treatment 3 times a week at the dermatologist - like a solarium, the exposure of UV onto my skin slowly helped it to clear. Seeing my desperation for sun exposure and declining mental health, my husband suggested leaving Sydney's winter weather for an impromptu family vacay for a week in a Bali villa - we frantically sorted a passport for my 3 month old, and I spent a week relaxing in the sun and swimming in the pool. By the time we got home, my PUPPPs had cleared."

Short hair around hairline: Olivia tells her story…

“Lucky me! Not one but two messed up things happened to me after birth, but this one truly was the kicker!

Why? Because at around the 6-9 month mark, just when you think you’re getting back to the ‘you’ that you know and your body is starting to fight fit again - BAM - the full gorgeous locks you had during pregnancy is gone! Even the hair fallout is over, and now the growth starts. But it’s not normal hair growth. No, it’s a fringe that starts to grow basically in a ring around your head, at your hairline. All of a sudden top knots are a no go, because there’s a fluttering hair curtain at the nape of your neck. A ponytail is out because you have awkward bangs you never asked for - and if a sceric of humidity hits, God help you.

I now never leave the house without some of that wet look hair gel that teenage boys use to ‘spike’ their hair - and you may think that’s a joke but it’s not. It’s the only thing that keeps those baby hairs in place. It’s just fortunate that the ‘slicked down wet look is in Vogue right now.”

Disclaimer: we only use real parents with real experiences in our articles. If you're reading a story, you better believe it happened, and the recount you're getting is firsthand - and excellent.