What Should I Expect In Terms Of Weird Hormonal Stuff In The Postpartum Time?
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Kaely Harrod 0:00
If you've been around this podcast for any length of time, you know that one of the things I value and center in my work is preparation. And I think that that comes in a couple of different ways. One of them is setting realistic expectations for a certain time period. So today's episode is all about that. And the question that I'm answering is what should I expect in terms of weird hormonal stuff in the postpartum time? Welcome to doula Tips and Tits, the podcast where I answer one question about pregnancy postpartum or lactation. This is a space where it's safe to have questions and we're gonna give you real answers. We're not going to beat around the bush or give you what we want you to know we're going to answer in an evidence based way. I'm Kaely Harrod an experienced doula mama three lactation counselor and a childbirth educator. I started this work in part because of my own lack of answers in my journey of pregnancy and birth. And I'm on a mission for families to be well informed and well supported through this time. This is a space where you will learn about questions that you didn't even know that you should be asking and have answers to ones that you're already asking. The whole purpose here is for you to feel a bit more educated and informed and competent in this journey that often feels very new, and a little bit disconcerting. If you have not already I would love for you to subscribe to this podcast so that you get updates when there are new episodes, or head to our website, Herat doula services.com to subscribe to our email updates so that you get notifications when we have a new episode Episodes Episode out. Thank you for joining us today. So postpartum hormones, you might have heard that these can be a little tricky. I like to say your hormones are going absolutely bananas right away in the postpartum time. That is, of course not like a quantifiable measurement. But suffice it to say that you may not feel exactly like you normally feel hormonally after birth, I want to normalize some of the wacky ways this shows up because I think it adds to postpartum anxiety, to not know what to expect or to experience something that you had no idea might happen. So when I give you this list, I don't want you to think that this is absolutely 100% going to happen to you. Because it might not all of these things vary person to person, but all of them are considered normal in and of themselves. Right. And so that's more what I want you to think about, like, okay, so I could experience this. And if I do experience this, it is not something for me to be nervous about. Okay. So that's kind of where we're coming from in this. So the first that you maybe have heard about or maybe not is night sweats, which is just as exciting as it sounds. It is normal in the early weeks postpartum to wake up very sweaty in the middle of the night. It is hormonally related. Now, not everyone experiences this, but many people do. And if you do, it can be quite disconcerting. There are a couple strategies, I think one is embracing it, and, and not going to bed hoping it doesn't happen. Because like so many things, having a realistic expectation and a good mindset around it plays a huge role. And so I do want you to think like, Okay, I'm having night sweats, I might keep having these for a little bit, I'm gonna go to bed with a strategy for dealing with them, rather than go to bed hoping that tonight's the night that they stop, you kind of can hold those two things intention to like you can go to bed with a strategy and also really hope that they stop, which I think is reasonable. One of the things that I've had clients do sometimes is put down like a towel or something under them so that they don't feel like they need to change all of their sheets if they wake up wet. Also going to bed like in a pair of pajamas that you know you might get sweaty in and then have another plan for like what you're going to change into if that happens. Sometimes having like wipes next to the bed like face wipes and things like that, if that makes you feel better. Having your hair up if your hair is long or like get stuck to you when you sweat can be helpful because it just like logistically keeps it a little bit more out of the way. So those are some things that can be helpful. I've even occasionally had clients that choose to sleep and assess separate space. So like temporarily sleeping a separate bed from their partner if they share a bed with a partner, so that they don't feel like self conscious about it or they don't feel like they're waking everybody up in the time of getting up soaking wet in the middle of the night. And so those are all strategies that might work for you. And also other people have done, which I think just normalizes them. We'll be right back after this message from our sponsor. The birth prep blueprint course is a guide from pregnancy to postpartum, giving you the competence to walk through this journey. However it might play out. It is pre recorded on demand content. So you do not have to fit your busy schedule around a class or meeting time, you can go back and revisit the lessons as much as you need to. And you can watch or listen to them on your own time. This curriculum has left many families feeling confident in their decisions, knowing what questions to ask their providers, and knowing when they should be concerned in all of these periods. One of the biggest parts of this work in terms of preparing families and walking through this journey is knowing that you have a guide to rely on. And that's exactly what this class is. Students have told me they felt like I was walking them along a path to know what to watch for and what to not be worried about. Because you are here as a listener, you get the opportunity to have a 10% off discount on this class, that code is podcast, it is in the shownotes as well along with the link to use to check out for the class, I do really recommend that you go give it a look. Because it is going to make you feel more prepared, calm and confident for your birthing experience. All right, welcome back. And we are going to continue our conversation around what to expect in terms of hormones. So another one that is fairly common that people hear about is weepiness. So you might be inclined to cry more than is normal for you in the postpartum time. There are lots of different reasons for this, right? Because postpartum can be a little overwhelming, you have this baby that you just got for the very first time. Sometimes you're really happy about that. Sometimes you're really nervous about that, right? Sometimes it's a good mix of those two things. So there's lots of emotional things going on. But also hormonally, it's normal to cry for no reason like to kind of cry and not know what triggered it right. And that can be a little disconcerting, if you're not a crying person anyway. So if you're a crying person, I'm a person that cries so I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad, I cry movies, my kids are always looking over to see if I have started crying at some scene good, bad, sad or otherwise. And so I cried more in the postpartum time. But I am not entirely foreign to the idea of crying because that's already kind of a part of who I am right. And so for me, that was maybe a little less disconcerting than for someone who barely ever cries and is now crying and doesn't know why they're crying, then it can be a bit more unnerving. So it is normal to have that however, I do want you to normalize needing support as well. So while postpartum depression is not officially diagnosed until a little bit farther out in the postpartum time, and actually, we're quickly going to have an episode about that with we're talking with a really awesome
Kaely Harrod 8:46
counselor about this and like kind of digging into that a little bit more. But it doesn't mean that you need to wait if you're feeling like you need some extra emotional or mental health support. Feel free to do counseling or therapy or whatever that needs to look like for you earlier in the postpartum time if you think you would benefit from it. So that's kind of my like, I don't know, Pep Talk along with the fact that you might be weepy. So other things that sometimes people feel is like swelling in different parts of their body like when your lactation is starting. Sometimes you have swelling in the chest area. It's normal to have swelling of course in the genitals when you like in your vulva and that area when you're have given birth, vaginally especially, it's also normal to have some dryness in that area. So some people have some dryness post delivery in the vaginal area because of an estrogen change. And so sometimes having like an estrogen cream or something like that can help but it kind of depends on Why and how the situation is playing out for you. So it's definitely worth troubleshooting that a bit with your provider, if that's happening, it's not a concerning sign as much as it is something that you don't have to just live with. Right. So that's, I think something just to be aware of. Some people notice that after a few weeks, they do have like, a little bit of hair loss and things like that, depending on how that played out for you in pregnancy, oftentimes, you're catching up with some of the hair loss that you did not have during pregnancy. And so some people find that they start to have some thinning of their hair and things like that, in the postpartum time, as well. So while this is not an exhaustive list, it is a few of the things that I find most unexpected for people. So that's why I wanted to go into them, because I want you to have a sense of what to expect and also to normalize them if you're currently experiencing them. So we are still in this postpartum series for a couple more episodes. And then my hope is to start into some information about fertility. And then kind of go from there. So I would love for you to submit questions that you have to me via Instagram. That's the easiest way to get them to me. And please do leave a review on iTunes or Apple podcast or wherever you listen to this podcast so that other folks can find it as well. All right, I'll talk to you soon. This has been Kaylee daily doula Tips and Tips. I'm so glad that you were here joining us today. I am not your medical provider. And so all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walk through pregnancy postpartum and lactation. Please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
You’ve likely heard that your hormones go just a touch bananas in the postpartum time. That is true, but how does that feel and look? What is normal? When should you be concerned? That’s what this episode is all about. From postpartum night sweats to weepiness what might you feel in the early weeks postpartum and how to prepare for those things!
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Hormones show up in a variety of ways for people, so the following are a few symptoms people feel:
Night Sweats
Weepiness (listen to the next episode to hear when to distinguish between Baby Blues and Postpartum Mood Disorders)
Hair Thinning
Hormones take a firm 6 months to really get back to normal levels in most people, so be gentle with yourself and your body!
If you’re ever unsure if what you’re experiencing is inside or outside the realm of normal please speak to your care provider!
RESOURCES
FREE Ultimate Postpartum Checklist Bundle
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/free-guide
Postpartum Preparation Class:
Understand what to expect to feel/experience in the postpartum period or how to deal with it if you’re already there!
This is the real sh*t that happens TO YOU in the postpartum time and works for you whether this is your first or fifth baby!
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/postpartum-prep-blueprint
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below and coupon code PODCAST
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/birth-prep-blueprint
** The Birth Prep Blueprint is offered for only $20 to anyone who qualifies for any kind of social services (meaning that a family has a lower income to the point that they would qualify for WIC or SNAP or Medicaid, etc.). No need to disclose your income, just which service you qualify for and the link can be sent right over. Just email kaely@harroddoulaservices.com to learn more.
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Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
