Intense sweating after childbirth. Postpartum Recovery Problems: Excessive Sweating Night Sweats After Childbirth

In women, sweating after childbirth is associated with reasons of a different nature. The female body during the bearing of the baby and during labor experiences severe stress, which changes the work of many systems, including the hormonal one. Severe sweating can bother a woman while breastfeeding, at night or during the day.

After childbirth, women often experience increased sweating, which is a temporary phenomenon.

The main causes of sweating after childbirth

A nursing mother often suffers from excessive sweating. Mom may sweat under the armpits, legs, area under the chest, forehead, or other parts of the face and body. This is due to the following reasons, highlighted in the Great Medical Encyclopedia "Women's Health":

• Stress. Childbirth and the postpartum period is a strong stress for a woman and for her body, so the body often reacts with increased sweating. During stress, less estrogen is released, to which the brain responds and begins to produce heat and sweat.
• Elevated fluid level. During pregnancy, a lot of fluid accumulates in the female body, which gradually comes out after childbirth in the form of sweat.
• Depressive postpartum state. Constant depression and worries lead to the fact that a woman after pregnancy has a strong sweating.
• Prolonged reaction of the body to stress factors. When carrying a baby, a woman's body adapts more slowly to the load, which causes increased sweating, which can also go into the postpartum period.
• Excess weight. During pregnancy, a woman gains a lot of extra pounds, which after childbirth become a source of intense sweating. Overweight women often have stinky sweat.

Sweating can be eliminated only after the cause of its appearance after childbirth is clarified. Often, strong sweating disappears on its own 2-3 months after the birth of the baby. If the problem does not disappear by itself, then you should see a doctor and find out what is the cause of the violations.

Factors provocateurs

There are several factors that provoke hyperhidrosis in women after childbirth:

Hormones, stress are the main provocateurs of postpartum hyperhidrosis.

• disruptions in the hormonal system;
• impaired functioning of the thyroid gland;
• crying baby, causing a rush of milk and increased sweating;
• physiological features;
• removal of excess fluid.

What to do?

Deodorants and other measures against sweat

If a woman smells sweat at night or during the day, then measures must be taken, since excessive sweating causes discomfort not only to the mother, but also to the baby. When breastfeeding, the baby also sweats a lot, there are unpleasant sensations, because of which the baby becomes capricious and restless. For women after childbirth and during pregnancy, dermatocosmetologists recommend special organic deodorants that do not have a negative effect on the baby and do not cause an allergic reaction. In addition to deodorants, you should follow the recommendations:

• Healthy food. After childbirth, a woman's body is especially in dire need of nutrients that come from food intake. It is necessary to exclude fatty and fried foods from the diet, instead of them it is recommended to add foods rich in fiber. Important are vitamin complexes, which are selected individually for each woman.
• Observe the drinking regime. It is incorrect to assume that less fluid intake causes less sweating. When taking the daily norm of liquid, a woman's metabolic processes are more likely to normalize, as a result of which sweating is reduced. The daily norm of fluid after childbirth is 2 liters.
• Quality rest. After the birth of a child, a woman needs proper rest and regular walks in the fresh air, which will help the body to adapt and get rid of excessive sweating.
• Maintaining hygiene. A woman after childbirth should not forget about hygiene and take a shower at least 2 times a day.
• Proper selection of clothing. To reduce the amount of sweat produced, it is necessary to choose high-quality clothes made from natural materials. Nursing bra should be made of cotton so that the breasts do not sweat.

Folk remedies

A nursing mother cannot take many medications, due to the fact that their active substances are transferred to the baby along with milk during breastfeeding. Therefore, doctors often recommend getting rid of sweating after childbirth with the help of folk remedies. They are more affordable and almost never cause an adverse reaction. Teas with natural ingredients or baths with the addition of herbal decoctions help to remove the smell of sweat after childbirth. The following recipes, tested by women, are common:

• Soda. To prepare the medicine, 2 tbsp. l. soda, which is diluted in 250 ml of warm water. The resulting solution wipes the most sweaty places.
• Oak bark. For 2 tsp. plants use 250 ml of boiling water. The broth is infused for 30 minutes, then used by analogy with a soda solution.
• Essential oil. A couple of drops are added to a glass of water and used to wipe the skin. The medicine has an antiseptic effect.
• Chamomile. From this plant, lotions are prepared for problem areas. Requires 5 tsp. chamomile inflorescences pour 500 ml of boiling water and let stand for an hour. Then 1 tsp is added to the broth. baking soda, stir and make lotions from sweating.

Medication treatment

Medications for sweating are prescribed only by a doctor and in case of additional dangerous symptoms.

After a caesarean section and after childbirth, a woman is not recommended to take medications that help eliminate sweating. Medicines are prescribed only in special cases, exclusively by the attending physician. Medicines are prescribed only when sweating is accompanied by such symptoms:

• high body temperature and fever;
• vaginal discharge that smells bad or contains blood;
• pain when passing urine;
• redness and tightness in the chest;
• convulsive state;
• headache or fainting.

It is also recommended that a woman consult a doctor and undergo medical treatment if a caesarean section was performed and the stitches are reddened, hurt or heal poorly. This condition causes inflammation, accompanied by excessive sweating. In all other cases, it is recommended to do without medicines that can harm the baby.

Increased sweating is evidence of the ongoing hormonal restructuring of the body to function according to the new scheme. Heavy sweating after pregnancy ends within two months. If excessive sweating after childbirth persists for a longer time, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor.

Severe sweating after childbirth normally disappears after two months

Sweating is regulated by the hypothalamus, the brain structure responsible for thermoregulation. Since all body functions are controlled by hormones, any changes in the hormonal background lead to the fact that the autonomic system begins to malfunction and the young mother notices that she has begun to sweat at night.

During pregnancy, a woman's estrogen rises, which is responsible for a specific emotional response to the fetus, so that she protects it. After the birth of a baby, you don’t need to be so careful anymore (nature argues simply - if a pregnant woman gets into trouble, two individuals will die, if a nursing mother - one individual can survive), estrogen drops and prolactin is produced, which is responsible for producing the best food for your baby for the next year - milk. A sharp drop in estrogen, which is produced at night, causes night sweats in women after childbirth.

No less stressful than normal childbirth for mother and child is a caesarean section. In this case, the woman also often notices that she began to sweat at night.

Why night sweats occur in new mothers

Eat right and get more vitamins

After childbirth, many nursing mothers often begin to freeze in their sleep and complain of heavy sweating at night. The most common cause is the usual decrease in the blood of a nursing woman of estrogen, which is responsible for thermoregulation. For the same reason, women suffer from severe sweating during menopause.

Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding are very stressful for the body, and profuse cold sweat can be a symptom of various pathologies that manifest after childbirth. These include:

1. HIV infection.
2. Lymphogranulomatosis.
3. Tuberculosis.
4. Diabetes.
5. Diseases of the thyroid gland.
6. Myasthenia.

A particularly serious symptom is sweating after childbirth at night, which is accompanied by weakness and swelling of the lymph nodes, muscle cramps in the arms and legs, increased and profuse sweating, throws you into a fever. Contact your doctor for a thorough physical examination.

How to be treated

Since there is no single reason for excessive sweating after childbirth, there is no universal way to cure either. If this problem causes inconvenience and anxiety, it must be dealt with.

To begin with, carefully observe hygiene standards (no matter how difficult it may be with a baby that constantly requires attention). Increased sweating is associated with hygiene violations in a “vicious circle” - dirty skin sweats more, which makes it dirty, etc. Review your wardrobe, give preference to linen or cotton fabrics, it allows the body to breathe.

If sweating persists for a long time, you should consult a doctor

If something bothers you while breastfeeding, do not delay, consult a doctor. Many diseases are much easier to treat at an early stage.

The diet of mothers - not only for those who say "I sweat a lot after giving birth", but for everyone - should change radically. For the next six months, your baby should only eat your milk, and for the next six months it will remain an important part of the diet. Milk should contain all trace elements, fats, proteins and carbohydrates. If your diet is insufficient, some of the elements your child needs will be produced from your body's reserves. Calcium from bones, for example (and then you will suffer from osteoporosis). Therefore, it is better to include vitamin complexes in your diet.

Try to make your diet as balanced as possible. Stick to the principles of proper nutrition and drink enough fluids.

In increased sweating in young mothers, in addition to many reasons, there is one unpleasant consequence. While you are breastfeeding, almost all appropriate drugs are contraindicated for you (even herbal ones, their metabolites can get into milk and cause allergies in the baby), and cosmetic procedures such as botulinum toxin injections. So hygiene, nutrition and lifestyle come first.

While waiting for a child, a woman experiences great stress.

Pregnancy leads to a completely different work of all internal systems, the hormonal background changes, there is a rapid restructuring, everything is aimed at the full development of the unborn child.

Because of this, some new mothers smell strongly after giving birth. Surely, everyone agrees: such a phenomenon is unpleasant, but it is possible, and most importantly, it must be fought.

If, after childbirth, a young mother began to sweat a lot and her body smelled unpleasant, the cause should be found.

Increased hyperhidrosis can cause:

• stress;
• depression;
• elevated water level;
• excess weight.

Often a young mother is stressed. Such a psychological attitude always negatively affects the body and its functioning, especially while expecting a child. Therefore, if a pregnant woman was nervous a lot, then after giving birth she will have a sharp smell of sweat under her armpits, this is quite normal.

The other side of mental problems that arise after childbirth is depression. If stress is characterized by the manifestation of nervousness and aggression, then in this case the woman becomes apathetic. Due to the smell of sweat under the armpits, the depressive state of the young mother only intensifies. The representative of the weaker sex ceases to take care of herself, the situation becomes simply catastrophic.

Another reason is the increased level of water in the body. Excess fluid is characteristic of pregnancy, but excess water must somehow come out. Therefore, after childbirth, women complain that they began to sweat a lot, and sometimes smell unpleasant.

It plays an important role. If a pregnant representative of the weaker sex has gained a lot of extra pounds, then this will also have a negative impact on health and the endocrine system. Thus, after childbirth, the weight continues to go off scale, it is difficult for a young mother to move around, she sweats, and her armpits stink.

So, first of all, it is worth noting that this phenomenon can pass on its own, 2-3 months after childbirth. Therefore, initially you should not panic and take any measures.

If this did not happen or the sweat began to stink even more, then treatment should be started.

First of all, you need to find out the exact cause. You should pass the necessary tests. When the expert understands what's wrong, treatment begins.

However, there are ways to help eliminate excessive sweating. The first option is deodorants. But when breastfeeding, you can not use ordinary deodorants, they can harm the baby.

But do not worry, because pharmacies have special deodorants that are designed for young mothers after childbirth. Modern antiperspirants will become reliable protection and will not harm the child due to the natural composition. This will help you get rid of this problem, even when the sweat smells bad.

To reduce hyperhidrosis, it is important:

• Healthy food. It is worth removing all fatty foods from your diet, as such products provoke hyperhidrosis. Experts recommend eating more vegetables, fruits, fish after childbirth to get rid of odorous sweat;
• drink water. Many girls are sure that if sweating is increased, then it is necessary to drink water as little as possible, but this is wrong. Water is necessary for each of us in any case. With the help of liquid, you can easily normalize the processes in the body. Therefore, it is imperative to drink water, and in the required quantities;
• Rest well and don't overwork. As mentioned above, after childbirth, the nervous system of any woman experiences stress, and in order to recover, it is necessary to rest. And after 1-2 weeks, you can notice that the problem of sweat, which smells strongly, will pass by itself;
• observe hygiene. For health, you need to take a shower at least 2 times a day.

So, we can conclude that it is not always possible to immediately figure out why, after giving birth, a woman's sweat began to smell strongly. An unpleasant phenomenon can be associated with a large number of very different reasons. But most of the time it happens due to stress. It is necessary to follow the tips discussed above, and in 2-3 months everything will pass.

If the strong smell of sweat does not stop, it is recommended to consult a doctor for treatment.

You can not self-medicate, it can negatively affect the body and lead to big problems, the strong smell of sweat under the armpits will only increase.

Both pregnancy itself and the process of childbirth are a lot of stress for a woman's body. It undergoes many changes that affect absolutely all organs and systems. The hormonal system suffers the most. She reacts differently to stressful situations. One of the options for deviations is excessive sweating after childbirth.

Excessive sweating is a problem for almost all women in labor. In some it is more pronounced, in others it is less.

Usually a woman faces a problem in the first few days after the birth of a baby. Completely solve it manages to two months. Most heavy sweating occurs at night. It affects the axillary zones, head, back and lower back.

Expectant mothers rarely think about how they will feel after childbirth. They are more concerned about the correct bearing of the child and the birth itself. But after the baby is born, the body will begin to recover, and this process can bring some troubles with it.

If heavy sweating is observed within two months after childbirth, this is the norm. And if more - you should consult a doctor and, possibly, undergo an additional examination. By the way, if a woman experienced similar problems during pregnancy, it is quite possible that they will haunt her in the period after the birth of a child.

Why is this happening?

Increased sweating appears after childbirth for several reasons:

1. Strong stress. It occurs due to malfunctions in the hormonal system. In the body, the level of estrogen is rapidly decreasing. The hypothalamus (the part of the brain that regulates body temperature) recognizes this decrease as a violation and begins to produce heat. To get rid of a large amount of heat, the body sweats profusely. This is the main reason why a young mother began to sweat a lot.
2. During the bearing of the baby, a lot of fluid accumulates in the mother's body. Increased perspiration - the ability to remove excess and normalize water balance.
3. Postpartum stress or depression. As well as disorders of the autonomic nervous system, these conditions can cause profuse sweating.
4. In some cases, the body simply does not have time to rebuild. Actively sweating, it protects the fetus from overheating and possible abortion.
5. Excess weight gained during pregnancy.

Possible Solutions

To begin with, it is worth understanding that the problem will be solved over time. No need to be nervous and worried once again, because stress can only aggravate the situation. It will also have a bad effect on the baby, who subtly feels his mother's mood.

There are several ways to get rid of excessive sweating. Their main goal is to restore metabolism.

• Proper nutrition. Every day, a young mother should receive all the necessary substances with food. It is advisable to completely abandon very fatty and spicy foods, but eat more foods with fiber: lean meat, seafood, milk, cottage cheese, cereals. It is recommended to take vitamin complexes. But before using them, you need to consult a doctor.
• Proper drinking regime. Many people think that reducing fluid intake will reduce sweating. It's a delusion. The right amount of pure water helps restore metabolism. The amount of water needed depends on body weight. Usually it is about two liters per day.
• Complete sleep and relaxation. It is important to get enough sleep and walk as much as possible. You can set aside time for gymnastics. Physical exercise will help return the metabolism to its original state and, as a result, the woman will sweat less.
• Hygiene. Do not forget about hygiene measures. This is a shower, washing or wiping.
• In clothes, preference should be given to natural fabrics, such as cotton or linen.

Are medications needed?

There is no specific treatment for postpartum excessive sweating. Experts suggest using a set of measures that will help alleviate the condition. However, you should be careful: some drugs are contraindicated for a woman who is breastfeeding.

Caution should also be taken with some traditional medicine. For example, wiping with various decoctions can irritate the baby.

When to go to the doctor?

If the problem of increased sweating is solved within about two months after childbirth, you should not worry. However, if sweating continues and more, has a sharp and unpleasant odor, you should immediately consult a doctor. It may be caused by certain diseases.

Folk and other means

Deodorants will help to alleviate the situation a little. You need to purchase those that contain a minimum of harmful substances.

You can use traditional medicine recipes:

• 5 tsp Pour baking soda into 1 cup of warm water. Mix well. With this solution, wipe those places that sweat the most.
• Take 1 tbsp. oak bark. Pour 1 cup boiling water over and leave for half an hour. After the infusion, strain, moisten a cotton swab with it and wipe heavily sweating places.
• Essential oil with antiseptic properties will help to cope with the smell of sweat. These are oils of lavender, bergamot, fennel, cedar. Add a couple of drops to a glass of water. Use to wipe the skin.
• An excellent option is burnt alum. They have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Apply directly to the skin.
• 3 tbsp pharmacy chamomile pour a liter of boiling water. Leave for 1 hour. Add 1 tbsp. soda and stir. Infusion to use for lotions.
• In the fight against profuse sweating, horsetail helps a lot. To prepare the infusion, you need to pour it with boiled water in a ratio of 1 to 10. Infuse for a day. Wipe the skin twice a day. You can prepare an alcohol infusion. Combine the herb with vodka or alcohol in the same proportions, strain and use for rubbing.
• If you can’t take a shower, you can use wet wipes and a slice of lemon. Wipe, for example, armpits with napkins, and then with lemon.
• If your face sweats a lot, you can wash your face with cold tea or milk. A mask of fresh tomatoes or rubbing with lemon slices will have a good effect.

Increased sweating during postpartum recovery is normal. It is caused by many factors, in particular, hormonal failure and the stressful state of the body, it disappears after about 2 months.

You can alleviate the situation with the help of proper nutrition, physical activity, personal hygiene measures and some traditional medicine. The main thing is not to overdo it, and if frightening symptoms appear (a pungent smell, for example), immediately consult a doctor.

The period of pregnancy, labor pains deliver considerable shocks to the body. After the child was born, all the life-supporting systems of the mother's body must return to their usual mode of operation. During the entire period of fetal formation, the body of the expectant mother before childbirth was preparing for the upcoming birth crisis. The hormonal background of the body changes greatly, which is expressed in every girl in different forms. Some mothers testify that they began to sweat a lot at night.

Initial postpartum stage

The main problem for many expectant mothers is unpreparedness for the elementary difficulties that they face after they have given birth to a baby. Often, preparatory courses for young mothers concern only the period of pregnancy until childbirth. But few know how a woman should react to changes in her body. Therefore, such "dangerous ignorance" can have a bad effect on the mother herself. After all, most of us imagine that the birth of a child brings great joy and happiness, after the birth of a baby, labor pains are not so terrible. However, few people understand what happens to a girl in the first week when she returns from the hospital, left alone with her child.

The first days at home completely change the mood of young mothers. Happiness is replaced by shock, a period of postpartum depression sets in, when all expectations and ideas about maternal happiness change dramatically. To this should be added the problems caused by the restructuring of the body. Even when a woman did not suffer from high sweating before giving birth, she will definitely face this situation a little later. And the probability of this problem is 92 out of 100 cases.

How to react to sweating

Almost every woman who has given birth to a baby can testify: "I sweat profusely after the birth of a child." In different cases, intense sweating is observed, sometimes it happens less strongly. But, one way or another, this problem exists and requires competent medical attention. As a rule, such a feature manifests itself in the first week, and lasts from 14 days to two to three months. Often active sweating occurs at night. Both the armpits and the back, head, and lumbar region suffer.

Due to the fact that the girl for the most part remains ignorant of what happens to her body after the birth of the long-awaited child, few of them are able to adequately accept the fact of unpleasant symptoms.

Strongly protruding sweat in a recently given birth mother cannot be considered a pathology up to 1.5-2 months. When sweating continues for more than this period, you should visit a doctor for a thorough examination. Girls who experienced profuse sweating during the formation of the baby, almost all face this problem after the birth of the child.