The female body is one incredible thing! Having been pregnant two times now I have learnt so much about the female body and it still amazes me how incredible it is. They are able to grow HUMANS! That is beyond incredible and I can’t even get my head around that fact. My two daughters were inside my tummy. They started out as tiny blobs at the first ultrasounds and each scan they become more and more human like and now they are on the outside as tiny humans. 2 arms, 2 legs, 10 fingers and toes, 2 gorgeous eyes looking back at me, etc. How is that even possible?

Then there is the fact that you can create humans passing down features from yourself and your partner. Miss A was a spitting imagine of me as a baby. Being handed her was crazy- I looked down at her and thought “my goodness I have seen you before!!”. When I was handed Miss C I thought wow you don’t look like your sister, you are probably more of your dad. 2 little girls, similar but so different. Grown in the same place, 22 months apart.

How do babies fit inside your tummy? It must be so squishy inside!

The next thing that blows my mind is how the body is able to adapt so well. To expand and stretch so much to make space to grow your baby. Your insides have to move and make way also. Incredible. It all happens without you having to think about it.

Don’t get me wrong pregnancy comes with side effects for some, and isn’t all smooth sailing, especially when it comes to getting your body back, but it’s ability to stretch and expand and then return to ‘normal’ is incredible.

Here are some photos from the day I gave birth to Miss C, hours after and 2 weeks later:

2.5 weeks after giving birth and I am very lucky to have my stomach return basically to normal. I find it hard to believe I was actually even pregnant only 2.5 weeks ago!! Let alone having given birth only 2.5 weeks ago!

After giving birth to Miss A I was pretty uncomfortable with a 2nd degree tear and 2 other tears. At the 2-3 weeks postpartum stage with her I discovered I had a mild prolapse also. It took me 7 months before I felt normal and comfortable again!! This time around during labour I felt as though I was tearing a lot worse and ended up only having a 1st degree tear and a couple of stitches. 2.5 weeks postpartum and I am not uncomfortable at all down there, I have healed really well and never had any stage where I found it difficult or very uncomfortable to do basic things like sitting down.

Healing and recovery between the two births were completely different. Labour and birth itself was completely different. My pregnancy side effects were completely different also. However the majority of my pregnancies, besides the cosmetic side effects I experienced second time around, felt very similar. I felt I was a similar size/shape, energy wise I felt much the same besides being tired due to less rest having a toddler this time to look after. Morning sickness hit me for a similar length of time, though this time I knew I needed to push through and eat otherwise I would just feel worse for not eating on top of feeling sick from morning sickness.

I will put together my birth story for you all as soon as I can (finding the time to blog now is proving to be a bit more difficult- however it isn’t the fact of having a newborn stopping me, it is the big sister who is keeping me away from the laptop to write. Miss A is napping less and putting up a few challenges at bedtime, leaving me limited night time to write).

Have you had multiple pregnancies and were they similar or different? Did you take any final pregnancy photos and a record of your postpartum body? We would love to see your photos! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram in your photos or add them to the comments on the Facebook post. 

 

By Clare at Relaxed Parenting