Lately at night, I cannot sleep because I cannot regulate a comfortable body temperature. I get really hot, then sweaty, clammy and cold. I have no doubt that I have some hormonal issues from BF and this does cause me to get very hot. But what I cannot figure out is why its more pronounced now that baby is 6 mo. At first I thought it was my cold and fever to blame. But I'm past my cold, yet struggling at night to find the right amount of body parts to stick out of the blanket to be comfortable. I fluxute between too hot and too cold more than before. I do get really hot when baby is crying to eat right before and right after the latch. Like hot flash hot. But lately, this has been happening when I'm not actively nursing the baby. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I don't recall this happening with my last baby. FYI I'm 38.
(I should also add that I live in a temperate climate so we don't even have a.c. The house is often 73 degrees during the day with the heater off, even in winter. At night I rarely hear the heater kick in, but its set to go off at 68 degrees)
I hear you Jen, I had those horrible night sweats with all three babies. But that is the bodies way of dealing with all that extra fluid from pregnancy and I'm long past all of that.
73 is hot!
when i was hot flashing with miserable regularity i kept a spritz bottle with ice water in it next to the bed so i could cool myself off.
do you have a ceiling fan?
khairete
S.
I would have your thyroid checked. It may be completely unrelated to your breastfeeding, though breastfeeding can exasperate your thyroid if something is off.
Also, at 38 you can be getting close to peri-menopause. This change in hormones can throw you for a loop. I'm 43 and have been experiencing it for a few years. I am also nursing my youngest right now.
Have you had your thyroid checked? I would call the OB and see if you can get it checked. Peace of mind.
68 is too warm for sleeping. Studies show that the ideal sleeping temperature is 64'F. Put blankets on in layers and add or remove them until you've found the optimal amount of bedding. Cooler is better.
Jane,
I don't think it has to do with breast feeding.
73 degrees is too warm to sleep. When my 11 year old went for his sleep study in December - they said the temperature should be around 62 degrees for "optimum" sleep. You want to be COOL NOT HOT.
Go to the doctor and have him/her run a full blood panel that includes thyroid, progesterone, etc.
Good luck!
Oh hon, welcome to hormones and your late 30s! The bad news? It will only get worse. I'm like that, and I haven't had a baby in 4 years. It's just more pronounced as I get older and my cycle changes more frequently.
My mom dealt with this for almost 20 years before she finally went through menopause.
I have to admit that I doubt that you're going through peri-menopause right after having a baby, even if you are in your late 30's. I do agree with the ladies who recommend that you see the doc and have your thyroid function checked.
I don't know if you have an A/C or not, but I think you should use it along with your covers. Hopefully your hormones (or thyroid meds) will give you a break soon!
yes.. I had this after I had my baby I was hot for along time.. I gradually cooled down.. you will too..
I think my dr said it was low estrogen..
Get your hormones tested. My daughter was about 6 mos when I started having those same problems. My hot flashes eventually started occurring in the day as opposed to just at night, along with some anxiety type reactions. I thought I was going nuts. In the end, I was going through premature menopause and had to go on HRT. But it could be a variety of factors- thyroid, hormone imbalance,etc. Get it checked out!
wear a summer night gown...you can always add covers if you get cold.
Talk to your doctor. They can run a blood test and see what's going on.
mine didn't last for 6 months, but I had MAJOR night sweats the first few months with all three of my babies... like literally soaking ALL THE WAY through pajamas, sheets, blankets, full head of soaking wet hair - I mean, I would look like I just got out of a swimming pool. You may wanna put a call in to your OB and make sure you don't have anything more serious going on, just for peace of mind :)
I'm still breastfeeding my 28mo and I still get the night sweats/freezing cold 10 seconds later. I'm also in my late 30s. I think it's still from BF as it all stopped as soon as my last child weaned. I'm positive it will when this little guy weans as well. But until then I keep an extra blanket on the bed.
