H is for the Haywire Hormones

Many people think that once you have gone through hours of painful labor or a C-section and given birth to your baby. You are over the hard part, and in a way, it is true for the physical aspect of a mother’s body.

But in truth, it’s just a phase you have completed. There are so many challenges and hardships waiting for a mother on the other side of the birth of her baby. From after birth pains, to sleeplessness, round the clock nursing, and so much more.

One such challenge is; Your hormones, which go haywire after the birth of your baby. And dealing with the problems they cause.

How women’s hormones are altered after Birth

According to Aviva Romm, MD-midwife-herbalist, “The postpartum hormone drop is considered the single largest sudden hormone change in the shortest amount of time for any human being, at any point in their life cycle.”

No wonder such a big hormonal change can have a lasting effect on us emotionally and physically. It affects every woman differently, some don’t have a larger impact of the hormonal imbalance on their daily life, while some women have to struggle with it a lot.

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance after Birth

If you have some or all of the symptoms below, it could be a sign of hormonal imbalance in your body:

Loss of Sleep

You might be thinking when does a new Mom actually get to sleep? And that is true. Still, if you are not able to fall asleep even when you get a chance, it could be due to hormonal imbalance.

Mood Swings and Anxiety

Frequent bouts of weepiness, mood swings, anxiety, unhappiness, and regret can be symptoms of hormonal imbalance too.

Fatigue

It is normal to feel tired during recovery from child-birth, but if you are feeling exhausted all the time and it’s affecting your daily routine majorly, it can be due to hormonal imbalance.

  Baby Blues

Baby blues is a feeling of sadness or unhappiness that many women experience after giving birth. If you suddenly feel like crying and get emotional every other second, your hormones can be the cause of that.

Postpartum Depression

I wrote a detailed post on postpartum depression a few days back, which you can read here. Postpartum Depression is a serious condition, and it can be caused by hormones imbalance. 

Recurring Infections

Infections like bladder or urinary tract infection, uterine or kidney infections can be an indication of hormonal imbalance in the body.

Menstrual Problems

Heavy bleeding or very light bleeding during periods is also a symptom of hormonal imbalance.

Hair loss

This is something many mommies complain about. But if your hair fall is unusually excessive, consult your doctor as it could be due to hormones.

Tips to Survive

If you are having the above-mentioned symptoms, you should not wait to consult your doctor.  Meanwhile, here are some things you can do yourself to help restore your hormonal imbalance and survive during that period.

Take your supplements regularly

Your body’s vitamin and mineral balance will also help to restore the hormonal balance.

Adequate sleep

Inadequate sleep or sleep deprivation can worsen the hormonal imbalance. So try getting as much sleep as you can with a newborn baby at home. Get help from your spouse and family members.

Healthy Diet

A healthy diet full of fibers such as greens, lentils, peas, and broccoli, etc. also helps to restore the body’s hormonal balance.

Lower your caffeine Intake

Caffeine can worsen the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. You must watch your sugar intake too.

 I hope this post will help the mothers who are struggling with this and maybe recognize if they haven’t already that they are going through hormonal imbalance.

I wish you H… for happy Hormones!

Note: This post is written as part of the #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge for the letter H.