Are you a new mom? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to find your clothes and bed sheets completely soaked with sweat?
You overcame fatigue during pregnancy and swollen feet from water retention now this. Are you wondering why you have to deal with postpartum sweating along with a host of other unpleasant postpartum symptoms? How do you deal with night sweats and when should you call your doctor?
Read on to find out!
Even if you are a seasoned pro, you might find yourself asking this question in the weeks after you give birth to your baby.
Although a lot of changes occur during pregnancy, many women expect that things will go back to normal immediately after childbirth. Well, we are sorry to inform you dear mama that that is not always the case.
Even as you try to adjust to the life of a new mom, your body still has a lot of things going on. Therefore, you should expect to deal with a number of uncomfortable physical and emotional changes like:
In addition to all this unpleasantness, night sweating is also another thing that new mothers complain about in the few weeks after childbirth.
Your body will gradually try to return to it’s pre-pregnancy state after you give birth. During pregnancy, there were a lot of changes to your hormone and fluid levels. Therefore, your body will try to adjust to new hormone levels after pregnancy.
In addition to this, it’d also try to get rid of all the excess fluids that sustained your body & baby while you were pregnant. Therefore, it’s normal to experience excess sweating in the days and nights after you give birth. Asides sweating, you may also notice that you urinate more often. This is another way your body tries to get rid of all that extra fluid.
At times, sweating at night may also be due to other reasons. You may find yourself waking up all warm and sweaty simply because your room is too warm or your blankets are too thick. Excessive night sweats can also be a side effect of some medications.
On the other hand, your night sweats can be a symptom of an underlying medical issue like anxiety, hyperthyroidism, obstructive sleep apnea, tuberculosis or menopause.
You should expect to experience night sweating in the few days and weeks after childbirth. It is usually no cause for concern. However, if your sweating lasts for too long, please contact your doctor.
Waking up warm and sweaty may be very uncomfortable. However, it is comforting to know that this unpleasant postpartum symptom will not last forever. Your hormones and fluids should regulate on their own in due time and the excess sweating should stop.
Meanwhile, here are a few tips to help you feel better when your night sweats are at their worst:
You should contact your doctor if your night sweating lasts for several weeks after delivery.
Also inform your doctor if you notice any of the symptoms below:
As you try to adjust to your life as a new mom, you may have to deal with a lot of unpleasant changes.
We understand that having to wake up at night to feed, change, and soothe your baby is not easy. Not to talk of when you have to do it while you are all hot and sweaty. Good news it, this will not last forever.
Your body will be back to normal soon and then you can say goodbye to sweaty nights. Till then, you may have to keep your fan close and your air-conditioner, a little closer.
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