The 40 Most Surprising Things About The Post-Natal Period

• 79% of mums were surprised by some of the things they encountered during the post-natal period.
• 47% blamed this on people not talking about it honestly and 43% cent said you don’t see it happen in TV shows or films.
• 53% enjoyed the post-natal period and 48% found it harder than they expected
• 65% of mums were surprised by how long it took them, mentally and physically, to recover from pregnancy and giving birth
• 67% admitted their own health and wellbeing took a back seat doing this time as they concentrated on looking after their baby

Source: OnePoll/Vitabiotics Pregnacare Survey Oct 2022

Mums have revealed the biggest surprises they had after giving birth, including how many people have opinions on their parenting, the closeness experienced when feeding their baby, and how skilled they became at eating a meal one-handed.

Our Pregnacare poll of 1,000 mums who gave birth within the last 10 years found they were also taken aback by how long it takes to leave the house, the amount they need to take with them and how little time they have to themselves.

Others were shocked by how lonely they felt, how their relationships changed with people around them not in the same situation and even how often their newborn needed a feed.

Watch Our Need-To-Know Advice From A New Mum

The Biggest Surprises Mums Had After Giving Birth

 But the surprises aren’t all bad as mums were also amazed at just how quickly they forgot what life was like before their newborn, how rewarding breastfeeding can be, the closeness you experience when feeding them and how much they wanted to talk about their baby.

Our Pregnacare and Wellbaby spokesperson said: “For many first-time parents, there are lots of new discoveries after having a baby.

“While many of these are positive things, some can be more unwanted, but are a surprise because they simply aren’t spoken about openly.

“But the more honest we are about the post-natal period – otherwise known as the fourth trimester – it can help mums be more prepared for the good and bad, hopefully making it a more relaxed and enjoyable time.”

We Need To Talk About The Fourth Trimester

The study found 79 per cent of mums were surprised by some of the things they encountered during the post-natal period.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of those blamed this on people not talking about it honestly, while 43 per cent said you don’t see it happen in TV shows or films.

Others admitted they never really paid attention before it was also affecting them (40 per cent) or that they were the first of their friendship group to have a baby (34 per cent).

Despite the surprises, generally, 53 per cent enjoyed the post-natal period, although 48 per cent found it harder than they expected.

Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) said more open conversations about what it is really like would have helped make the period easier for them, while 32 per cent think it would have been better if they had friends or family close by.

Others would have felt more prepared if they saw the bad, or less glamourous, side of parenting more on social media (32 per cent) or knew more people going through the same thing (30 per cent).

Health And Wellbeing Is Important For New Mums

It also emerged 65 per cent of mums were surprised by how long it took them, mentally and physically, to recover from pregnancy and giving birth.

And the average mum reckons the post-natal period lasted nearly 10 weeks.

But 67 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, admitted their own health and wellbeing took a back seat doing this time as they concentrated on looking after their baby, with 59 per cent wishing they looked after themselves more.

Our Pregnacare and Wellbaby spokesperson added: “It’s a time of huge change for mums, when they are also recovering from the toll that pregnancy and birth has put on their bodies.

“So, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are looking after yourself as much as you are looking after the baby.