Many thanks to Poise for sponsoring today’s discussion.
“I don’t understand why they don’t fit,” I mumbled to my friend amidst the rows of shoes in DSW. “I’m a perfect 7 1/2, they always fit,” I continued, as I struggled to cram my not-so-perfect-7 1/2 foot into a 7 1/2 shoe.
My friend shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe it’s the pregnancy?”
No, no, it couldn’t be that, I thought to myself. After all, I was only 13 weeks along. And besides, I had been so sick that there’s no way that any part of me was actually gaining weight.
“Oh, it’s definitely the pregnancy,” said a woman one row over. “I went up a whole shoe size with each of my children.”
WHAT?! I can only imagine the look of horror I gave the woman who had just broken the news that my coveted shoe collection – all 7 1/2’s – might not fit again. Ever. To say I was in denial would be an understatement. In fact, I was in such denial, that I actually bought the 7 1/2’s that I’d struggled to get onto my feet into (complete with 3″ heels) and left the store.
You see, up until that point, no one had mentioned that my feet might get bigger or that the effects of pregnancy could stick with me long after pregnancy. But when it came right down to it, there were tons of things that no one ever told me. Shoes were really the tip of the iceberg.
Because while I was ready for food cravings during pregnancy, I wasn’t ready for the food aversions. Completely hating food to the point that I couldn’t watch anyone else eat it. And when I started gaining weight, I expected stretch marks, but no one told me that some of them would linger long after child birth, like scars of battle, along with some of that stubborn baby weight. And the light bladder leakage? Well, there’s no way that I saw that one coming…or staying long after my pregnancies were over.
Pregnancy might only be 9 months, but I assure you, my body didn’t snap back into shape after my babies were born. Somethings you can’t get back. Turns out, my feet grew a half a size during each of my pregnancies, making me a perfect 9, instead of a 7 1/2. I have lots of pretty shoes that I can’t bear to part with, but can’t bear to wear. Others, you can get back. There are workout programs designed specifically for post-partum, creams to dull the stretch marks, and for the light bladder leakage, there’s Poise. 
Now thinner than ever and made with SAM (Super Absorbent Material) Poise Microliners give you the confidence to enjoy your day without worry, even if light bladder leakage strikes while coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercise, etc. Because what you might not know, is that one in three women experience light bladder leakage at some point. It’s not just you.
Little by little, I feel like I’m getting my pre-baby body back. It’s just taking a little bit more time than expected. And luckily, all those 7 1/2’s sitting in my closet have given me a great reason to go shopping for new shoes (that actually fit!).
So, did your body change for good after pregnancy? How?
