Things that have changed after having a baby

[AliasGrape]

I'm currently having some tests/ investigations regarding a problem I've been having with my bladder after having my dc last year. Basically I need to go far more often and get sudden urgency but then often I will think I've finished and stand up and 'leak' or I will feel that theres more there but I can't get it to come out so I give up and get up and get on with my day and then 2 mins later there it is and I need to go again.

Anyway that's all in hand but it's got me thinking about other weird or less tangible things that have changed since pregnancy/ childbirth such as:

• I get travel sick if I'm not driving - used to feel it mildly if in the back of a car but now its stronger and happens in the front too
• I can't wear any perfume it just makes me feel nauseous and migraine-y
• I really can't stand any background noise these days, can't have radio on in car unless classic fm very low (used to have my indie tunes from the 90s at full volume ) want to kill my husband when he puts the tv on I just can't bare it for some reason. To be fair this might just be because I'm so tired and so used to having a noisy little person around me all the time I can't stand anything extra!

I know some if not all of these could be total coincidence and not connected to the baby at all but I was just wondering if anyone had experienced similar or had other unexpected changes happen for them?

Hello, congratulations!

Yes I recognise some of these things. A colleague never regained her ability to cope with perfume actually. I can now 'baby' is 3 but it was definitely over powering for the first year or two. I have a very good / sensitive sense of smell and taste though.

Pregnancy does reorganise (and enlarge actually!) the brain and it can take 2 years to settle down. So I bet it's not unusual to still have some smell sensitivity etc. And exhaustion really lowers your threshold for tolerance of all
Sorts of things as well as sensory sensitivity.

I'd possibly ask the Gp to check you're not low in anything (eg b12 or vit d, ferritin, thyroid etc) too.

It might help taking a b vit complex and some magnesium glycinate, and daily Vit D. Take the b vits and vit d in the morning and the magnesium at night. These also help with hormones which might be a bit out of wack, as well as better sleep and energy. Berocca or boots/ supermarket own brands is a good one to try.

@YellowPostitNote thanks for the reply that's really interesting and I'll look into the supplements

It's really fascinating the changes that happen although some I could do without. Glad it's not just me

I used to love a swing… feel sick on them now when I sit on them with my children!

I had the bladder thing and turned out I had endometriosis on the bladder, which I resolved but then problems persisted, then also chronic cystitis caused by probable Ehlers danlos syndrome.
I also react to smells and loads of foods due to mast cell activation syndrome. These two things are linked to pots (postural tachycardia syndrome) which I also have.
Not saying you have this but wanted to share as could recognise some of what you say. Hope you feel better soon x

Are you breastfeeding? I had a similar experience but found they went away once I stopped breastfeeding so assumed hormone related.

I’m the same with the car sickness. Never used to get car sick at all, but since the maybe second trimester of pregnancy I felt awful car sick as a passenger, I can’t even go 10 minutes without feeling vile now. DD is 18 months and it’s not eased or gone away.

I am still bfing my 3 yr old, there was a day when he was 2.5 I realised I was ok with perfume again. (Hadn't bothered for whole of lockdown though!)

@Wouldyoudothesame

Are you breastfeeding? I had a similar experience but found they went away once I stopped breastfeeding so assumed hormone related.

Not breastfeeding no, I wasn’t able to - just didn’t produce any milk at all despite persisting with trying/ pumping for weeks. Don’t know if it’s in any way connected.

Could very possibly be hormonal for some other reason - my periods have gone insane since the baby for example.

@Namechange600

I had the bladder thing and turned out I had endometriosis on the bladder, which I resolved but then problems persisted, then also chronic cystitis caused by probable Ehlers danlos syndrome. I also react to smells and loads of foods due to mast cell activation syndrome. These two things are linked to pots (postural tachycardia syndrome) which I also have. Not saying you have this but wanted to share as could recognise some of what you say. Hope you feel better soon x

That’s interesting I’m sorry it sounds like you’ve had a lot to deal with.

I did have a scan on my bladder so far which they said was normal the next step is a camera up there.

I get really bad PMS now which I never had pre baby.

Also my nails are much stronger and nicer (though that could be down to lack of time to use nail polish now)!

I definitely have less patience since having kids.

Physically, I had two csections, so my stomach is not what it once was. I was also really badly anemic following both pregnancies. My periods have been bad since having kids. Much heavier (probably didn't help with anemia either) and the PMS in the week before is terrible.

I also think I'm perimenopausal. I had my periods early and my mum was menopausal by 40. I'm 41 and my youngest is 6YO. So I'm not sure how much hormonal stuff is down to having kids and how much is age/menopausal