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8 things you didn't know happen to your body after giving birth
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What to expect when you're not expecting anymore. - photo by Melinda Fox
It's amazing that women's bodies know how to care for a small human. Naturally, this feat causes changes to a woman's body. Here are some post-pregnancy and delivery symptoms that mothers can expect after their little one has been born.

1. You might go up a shoe size

During pregnancy, your body has high levels of progesterone, a hormone that manages fluid retention. Due to the other changes in your body during pregnancy, fluid may start to accumulate in your lower body. This fluid build-up is increased during birth, causing your legs and feet to swell. The swelling should go down eventually; but it is still possible that your post-pregnancy feet will remain a little larger than your pre-pregnancy feet.

2. You're probably going to sweat (a lot)

Not only does fluid retention cause swelling, but it also causes sweating. After birth, your body doesn't need to retain quite so much fluid, so it starts releasing it. This means that you are probably sweating more than normal, even when you're not being active (like when you're sleeping). As your fluid levels normalize, the excessive sweating should normalize as well.

3. You might lose your hair

Although pregnancy hormones cause you to retain more hair than normal, after you're no longer pregnant, your hair may seem to feel the need to make up for lost time. But within a year, your locks should be back to normal.

4. You might wet your pants

After giving birth, your muscles are weaker. This means you may have challenges controlling your bladder. Also, your uterus shrinks and sits directly on your bladder in the weeks following birth. That added weight can have you running to the ladies' room more often than usual. But don't worry, this shouldn't be a permanent problem.

5. You'll probably get hemorrhoids

Your bowel movements are probably going to hurt after you have a baby. Because you just gave birth, your veins are irritated and you probably have anal fissures, which cause both pain during bowel movements and hemorrhoids.

6. You might have dark spots on your skin

It's common for women to develop dark spots on their skin during pregnancy. These dark spots, called melasma, are the result of pregnancy hormones. In general, melasma clears up after pregnancy as hormones normalize. However, it's not uncommon for melasma to remain after you've given birth.

7. You might not have a period for a while

At first, your vagina will be excreting blood, mucus and your uterine lining leftover from delivery. This discharge, known as lochia, can be heavy at first and lasts about four to six weeks. However, it may be a while before your actual period starts again. Typically, menstrual cycles return to normal about 10 weeks after birth, if not breastfeeding, and 20, if breastfeeding.

8. Your vagina won't be the same

After birthing a child, your vagina at first will probably look and feel swollen and bruised. It may even have torn or been cut during birth, causing pain down there. This will heal; though it may never completely return to "normal," it won't always be so stretched out.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.