"My bladder is a mess." The unspoken things that happen to our bodies after childbirth.

OK, we kind of underplay it but creating and birthing a baby is kind of a big deal.

Our bodies are amazing. We create life.

But why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the weird and wonderful (but mainly weird) things that happen to our bodies after giving birth? Why are some things just ‘taboo’, when so many of us are quietly experiencing them?

Well, we decided to call on some mums to give us the down low on how their body changed after having a baby, and the ways they’ve coped with those changes.

“I always need to wee.” – Amy, 36, NSW Central Coast

“I sometimes dream about the days when I could go a whole night without waking up to go to the toilet. I always need to wee since having two babies, my bladder’s a mess. I have to go before we leave the house or I’m the woman you pass on the highway with her knickers around her ankles.

“I take comfort in the fact I’m not alone, though. One in two Aussie women over the age of 35+ experience bladder leakage, usually from pregnancy or playing sport. For me, it’s been a pregnancy and post-baby thing, so I’ve been using Poise’s Thin & Discreet pads to help. They’re so much thinner than the traditional pads, but still amazing protection that period pads can’t provide. They definitely help me overcome the fear of the sneeze.”

“My feet got bigger.” – Heather, 39, Adelaide

“Even after I lost all my baby weight, my feet remained bigger. A whole size bigger. I asked the doctor about it and he said it’s pretty common but I’ve not met another mum who has experienced it. Or perhaps they don’t want to talk about it!

“But I actually don’t mind as I’m the same shoe size as my sister now so can steal all her lovely shoes, so that’s how I’ve solved that problem. But still, I’d expected bigger hips and a bigger tummy but never bigger feet! So strange.”

"No hairstyle helps with postpartum hair loss." - Laura, 37, Sydney

“I used to have a head full of long and think brunette hair. After having a baby, it's like someone shaved off all my hair and then replaced it with a wispy wig. I’ve had to cut it short to make it look thicker.

"And just so we’re all aware, it does not make it look thicker. I also have these two thin short pieces of new hair that curl up like hair horns on either side of my head. But I’ve actually become obsessed with hats and have about 22 now so there’s a silver lining: I've learnt how to accessorise.”

"Black hair springs up everywhere." - Tori, 35, Perth

“I actually screamed the first time I saw this long black hair curl out of my areola. No one told me about the excess hair growth on the body. My hair fell out of my head and appears to be growing everywhere else. I have to trim my nose hairs, my nipple hairs and even found a big long hair coming out of my chin. Me and my husband laugh that it’s my transformation into the 'wicked witch'.”

"I weighed less than I did pre-baby." - Melissa, 44, Brisbane

“Everyone talks about how much weight they put on during pregnancy and being a mum but I found that breastfeeding and then running after a toddler completely helped me get the body I wanted. I feel fitter and stronger and healthier than I ever did. It was completely unexpected but a good surprise.”

There are a whole lot of things that happen to our bodies after we have babies. Light bladder leakage is one of them.

Poise has just launched five new products specifically designed for this purpose:

• Thin & Discreet pads, which come in three sizes: regular, super, extra. The Thin & Discreet extra pads are 45 per cent thinner than traditional Poise extra pads, and seven times drier than leading nighttime ultra-thin period pads. And they don't bunch or scrunch.
• Thin & Discreet pants, which come in two sizes: S/M and L. These are made of soft, breathable nude-coloured fabric, and they're 55 per cent thinner than Poise heavy pad and of course, more comfortable. For more information, visit poise.com.au.

What changes did you notice happened to your body after having a baby?

Feature image: Getty.