5 unexpected ways your body might change permanently after pregnancy

From developing skin tags and dark patches to thinning hair and uncountable mood swings–there is no denying the fact that pregnancy can cause a plethora of changes in your body. But if you think that those changes will reverse and your body will become the way it was before you conceived, you’re wrong.

No, we’re not talking about stretch marks or saggy breasts post delivery. Your body might change in unexpected ways once the baby is out, ladies. Here, take a look:

Your shoe size may increase
The fact that a woman’s feet may swell during pregnancy is not hidden from anyone. However, according to The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), carrying all that extra weight during pregnancy can put enough pressure on your feet to flatten its arch permanently, thereby, increasing your foot size by approximately half an inch.

You may become wider
To keep up with the increasing uterus size during pregnancy, your rib cage and hip bone may also expand their width. And although the uterus will shrink back to its normal size post delivery, your hip bone and rib cage might remain expanded to make you wider permanently. 

Your alcohol capacity will shrink like your stomach
Once you get back to consuming alcohol, you might experience a high after the first drink itself. This is simply because you’ve stayed off alcohol for months together and your body has redeveloped the resistance only to make that glass of wine give you a buzz quicker than before.

You may start farting too much
Yes, with a baby growing inside you, pregnancy gas is definitely a thing. However, even after the baby comes out of your womb, excessive farting can make your life difficult. According to a study published on PubMed Central in 2015, this can happen because during childbirth, a pelvic nerve called pudendal nerve can get damaged and lead to flatal incontinence–a medical condition that results in an inability to control farts.

Your nipples will change too
The hormonal frenzy in your body during and after pregnancy along with constant breastfeeding can make your nipples become bigger, darker, and bumpier. 

Also read: Hear it from an ob-gyn: The dos and don’ts of exercising during pregnancy