Thread by @IhuezeMD

After seeing your body change during pregnancy, it’s totally normal to also ponder the state of your vagina after birth.

Are things going to be OK down there? Will it be forever changed? How does one's vagina fare after vaginal delivery?

I'll tell you 👇🏽

Naturally, after a woman has given birth, her vagina changes. It may feel enlarged or wider. It may also feel sore and even dry.

It is therefore not surprising when you hear women, especially new mothers, asking their doctors questions like:

Does the vagina remain the same after childbirth?

Is it true that after delivery vagina becomes loose?

What happens to my body after delivery?

How do I tighten my vagina after childbirth?

Of course, these are valid concerns because most women after delivery do want to get back to their normal routine including having sex with their partners.

And they want to make sure that everything down there is okay before having intercourse.

So, it’s normal.

Now, it's true that pushing a tiny human out of a much tinier hole has an impact.

But for most people, it may not be as bad or permanent as you’ve heard.

While childbirth is no picnic for your nether regions, your vagina can handle it.

The vagina is very resilient.

Still, it can take anywhere from 12 weeks to a year for your vagina to go back to its pre-birth state, and some things may never be 100 percent the same again.

1. Your vagina will be sore as hell.

It is normal to have a swollen vagina after birth, obviously because of all the stretching & even though your perineum remains intact after delivery, you’ll still experience some soreness because the area becomes tender from the stretching.

No matter the degree, if you tear during your delivery or your doctor cuts the area(episiotomy), you’ll feel pretty damn sore down there while it heals.

They can take up to 14 days to heal or less if the severity of the lacerations was considerably low after childbirth.

Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics and painkillers.

It is also important that you take care of the wound by cleaning it well to prevent the risk of infection.

You’re probably going to have some scar tissue in your vagina and on your perineum afterwards.

So, yeah, that's a big thing to keep in mind when it comes to anything going in or around your vagina after birth.

The extent of the damage in this area will determine how much you feel scarring in this area during sex.

The scar tissue usually heals over time, making sex more comfortable as you go (just be sure to use plenty of lube and go slowly in the meantime).

2.Your vagina may be drier for a while.

When you’re pregnant, elevated levels of certain hormones, including estrogen, are coursing through your body.

Then, after you give birth, your estrogen drops, which can lead to dryness.

Estrogen helps to keep your vaginal tissue moist with a clear lubricating fluid.

Without enough estrogen, not only will you not have the same level of moisture, your vaginal tissue can shrink.

All of this can make it much drier than normal in your vagina after birth.

If you’re not breastfeeding, your vaginal moisture may go back to normal within a few weeks.

But breastfeeding can keep those estrogen levels low, which can make you dry the whole time you’re nursing.

Once you stop nursing, your vagina should go back to its normal and hydrated state pretty quickly.

In the meantime, using lube can help relieve discomfort during sex.

3. Your vagina after pregnancy may be a bit wider (or it may not be).

Having a big baby, a baby with a big head, or several vaginal deliveries could make it less likely to go back 100%.

Your vagina might be slightly wider than it was in the past.

This is by no means something that will definitely happen, but some people do report feeling this way after childbirth.

Even if it does happen to you, you may not pick up on it much, or you might.

Sometimes, a tampon is actually the giveaway.

Some women notice tampons may not stay inside the vagina like they used to before having babies.

A slender or regular tampon may be out of the question to use comfortably and may fall out more easily.

It’s not that you put in a tampon and it shoots out of your vagina.

Instead, it may slowly slide out a bit while it used to just stay put.

Like the other changes on this thread, this can be a normal part of how your vagina changes after childbirth (although, again, it doesn't happen to everyone).

You may perceive weaker vaginal muscles post-childbirth as having a looser vagina, in which case Kegel exercises may help strengthen your vaginal muscles a bit.

4. You may pee yourself while doing basic things, like laughing, coughing, or just walking.

Childbirth can damage your pelvic floor, which is made up of muscles & other tissues that help keep organs like your uterus, bladder in the correct positions so they function properly.

Childbirth can also affect the muscles & nerves that control your bladder and urethra (the tube through which pee leaves your body).

All of this can lead to pee leaking out of your body at inopportune times, like while walking, jumping, and laughing.

The good news is this urinary incontinence will improve over time, but it is definitely a symptom that is not talked about enough.

Women are twice as likely as men to have this health condition, and the discrepancy is due in part to pregnancy and childbirth.

Kegel exercises may help reinforce your pelvic floor and combat urinary incontinence.

But if you’re not experiencing much improvement or this issue is affecting your life, definitely talk to your doctor to figure out your options.

5. Your discharge may get so heavy you might basically need to wear a diaper.

Welcome to the wild world of lochia. 🤗

This is the residual blood, mucus, and tissue that comes from the vagina after childbirth.

You can experience lochia for four to six weeks after childbirth, and it can change color over time.

It typically goes from an intense red color to a kind of pink or brown hue before eventually becoming yellowish.

Once you see how much of it comes out of you, you'll understand why postpartum underwear and pads basically combine to form a diaper.

While passing a few blood clots no bigger than a plum can be normal, if you see any larger than that, you should get in touch with your doctor.

For a normal vaginal birth, it takes about time to recover.

But if you had complications after vaginal delivery, such as vaginal tears, it may take longer to recover depending on the severity of your condition.

This should not get you all stressed out and frustrated.

Let your body heal. Relax more, keep to a healthy diet, exercise and enjoy spending time with your bundle of joy.  

❤️❤️

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