In plain words
Diaphoresis is the medical word for heavy sweating. After birth, many mothers sweat a lot, especially at night. The sweat can soak sheets and nightclothes. Hot flashes can come with it. These symptoms happen as the hormones of pregnancy fall quickly and the body moves extra fluid out of the tissues. Most sweating eases over the first weeks, though for some mothers it lasts longer. Sweating with fever, chills, a fast heartbeat, or a red or painful area on the skin is different. Those signs need a same-day call to a provider, because they can point to infection. Many mothers find a cool room and dry clothes more comfortable. Many mothers find the change less frightening once they know it is common.
The deeper version
Postpartum diaphoresis and are common, self-limited consequences of the abrupt withdrawal of placental steroids and the mobilization of pregnancy-associated extracellular fluid, which together affect hypothalamic thermoregulation. The symptoms overlap with those of , anemia, and infection, and the differential is clinically important when fever is present. ACOG Committee Opinion 736 (2018) on optimizing postpartum care includes evaluation of symptoms in the . Vasomotor symptoms in lactating women are documented to be transient in most cohorts, though data are limited for the first year. The main open question is which symptomatic women benefit from evaluation for endocrine or infectious causes, and when persistent symptoms should prompt thyroid testing.
Where it comes up
- Hydration while breastfeedingNourishment and Traditions
- Night sweats, chills, and the hormone dropPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about diaphoresis
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Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018
- Cunningham FG et al. — Williams Obstetrics, 26th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2022