Your Post-Baby Body: The New You
By Lisa Druxman

During pregnancy, your body was a mixing pot of vastly changing hormones. Virtually every part of you was affected. There were profound changes in your cardiovascular system -- including increases in the amount of blood that your heart pumped out and increases in your heart rate. A faster breathing rate helped you take in more oxygen and exhale the extra carbon dioxide that resulted from breathing for two. The amount of blood in your body increased, and your body adapted to regulate its core temperature to keep baby in a favorable environment. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone increased. Your thyroid gland enlarged and your metabolism sped up, too.

As your baby grew, your anatomy changed. Your ligaments and cartilage loosened because of the hormone, relaxin. Your ribs, pelvis and other joints expanded to accommodate your growing girth. Postural distortions and subsequent back pain may have occurred. Your balance may have been affected -- and it may still be a little off as your body shifts back to being baby-less. Your feet, ankles and knee alignment also may have altered to adapt to these postural changes.