WHEN we think of childbirth, glitz and glamour doesn’t spring to mind.
But there’s a new tide of mums who DO find that being in labour and looking glamorous go hand-in-hand.
From getting a fresh set of eyelashes the day before to putting on a full face of make-up when 10cm dilated, women are more than ever getting dolled up to welcome their children into the world.
That includes mum-of-three Josie Balka.
The hairdresser gave herself a “heatless blow out” for her third labour after finding her hair always got matted during childbirth.
The result?
Gorgeous delivery room pictures with tresses to die for.
In a now viral video, Tennessee-based Josie shared that she’d “cracked the code” for looking glamorous with minimal effort during labour.
She used a heatless curler to create a blow dry-esque mane right before giving birth to her son.
“POV: you cracked the code on having a blow out for birth while also keeping your hair out of your way during labour,” Josie said on Instagram.
“My third birth and the first time my hair wasn’t fully matted.
“Heatless curls during labour might be the biggest slay.”
Hair often gets matted during childbirth due the prolonged period of physical exertion, sweating, lying with your head against a pillow for an extended period of time and lack of movement.
But by keeping it in a protective style around the heatless wand and taking it out right before she started pushing, Josie protected her locks.
The exact tool she used was the £30 Full Heatless Curler from her very own brand, The Effortless Shop.
It is a long satin-like stick hand made with a soft fibre filling, which you wrap your hair around to mould bouncy curls without any heat.
TO SAY the body changes during pregnancy and childbirth is an understatement.
Throughout the nine months it takes for the body to bring a baby into the world, it goes through some huge physical changes.
Considering how different the body looks during pregnancy, it's not surprising that there are some lasting changes.
And it some ways, it never does, Doctor Rachel Ward, a GP at Woodlands Medical Centre, Derby, said.
1. Wider ribcage and hips
"During pregnancy in order to accommodate a growing baby and prepare for giving birth, our body produces a hormone called relaxin," she explained.
Relaxin works by increasing the flexibility and movement in our joints and ligaments.
"Many women find that after pregnancy the shape of their pelvis and ribcage remains different," Dr Rachel said.
It is common to need a different bra size due to a change in chest circumference, the expert said.
"This is a reminder of the changes your body made to accommodate your baby and is nothing to be worried about," she added.
2. Change in skin colour
During pregnancy, most women experience skin changes as it stretches to accommodate your bump and enlarging breasts.
"It is not uncommon to develop stretch marks.
"Though they will often fade over time and become a shiny pale colour, depending on your skin tone they will not go away completely," Dr Rachel said.
"Some people do not like the way stretch marks look but they are an incredibly common change that we see in many people," she added.
3. A change in breast shape
Breasts increase in size during pregnancy as the breast tissue prepares to produce milk.
And shortly after birth they will start to produce milk and become swollen, Dr Ward explained.
"If you choose to breast feed or not, it is likely that the shape, size and way your breasts look and feel will be different after pregnancy compared to before," she added.
"This is not a problem but it is important that we do learn what the new normal is for our breasts so we can stay breast aware and pick up and changes that could be cancer."
Josie’s video has since gone viral and totted up over one MILLION views.
But not everyone was a fan of the idea, with some critics say it is “the dumbest s**t they’ve ever seen”.
From other women, the general consensus is that looking glam and therefore feeling your best during labour is “always a good idea”.
“Mothers definitely deserve to feel like the goddess they are during childbirth,” one argued back.
“Why is this so genius?” a second asked.
“I’m sure those first birth photos were fire,” a third quipped.
