I thought I was prepared for what was going to happen to my body as a result of having a baby.nI mean, stretch marks and weak pelvic floor muscles – how bad it could it be?nWell, here we are 9 months later and my body still isn’t the same and I don’t know that it will ever go back to the way it was. Here’s what’s changed:n1. My core: Nothing new here – I knew that my core would be weak after giving birth, but I thought my muscles would bounce back pretty quickly after having Isabella, especially because I’ve been working out for years and years. But no – I still struggle to go from lying down to sitting up in one smooth motion. 2. My posture: I did ballet for 14 years and have always had pretty good posture. But now, hours spent nursing and rocking Isabella to sleep, my poor old back is feeling it! My shoulders hunch forward really easily and I feel like I slouch a lot. Needless to say, I’m going to visit my chiropractor tomorrow! 3. My scatterbrain: Have you heard of “baby brain?” It’s very common for pregnant women to feel scatterbrained, but I thought that’s where it stopped. Um, no! I still feel like my head is not quite together, and in social situations, I really have to concentrate on what people are saying, and on my own sentence construction, in order to carry on a conversation. It could be sleep deprivation, or it could be the fact that I don’t spend a lot of time with adults throughout the day – either way, I have a mushy brain! 4. My body: This is not so much that my body has changed, but rather my perception of it. I used to be really hard on myself; I was too fat, not toned enough, too this, too that. But now, whilst it’s important for me to feel good about how I look and feel, I appreciate my body a whole lot more. I GREW A HUMAN, GAVE BIRTH TO SAID HUMAN AND HAVE BEEN NOURISHING HER FOR 9 MONTHS NOW! What’s more important than that? In my opinion, nothing. I’m bloody proud of what I’ve been able to do with my body and have decided to treat it with the respect it deserves. So while my body doesn’t work the way it used to, I don’t think I’d really want it to, if it meant that I missed out the amazing experience of bringing a child into the world.