Jamie Otis gets candid about 'crazy' postpartum night sweats: 'There are so many struggles in the fourth trimester'
The 38-year-old mother-of-four opened up about finding postpartum life more difficult than her pregnancy.
Jamie Otis isn’t holding back when it comes to postpartum life. On Wednesday, the 38-year-old mother of four shared a candid post to Instagram about the 12 weeks after giving birth, also known as the fourth trimester. Otis, who welcomed twin boys Hawkins and Huxley in September, shared some of the uncomfortable side effects that can occur after giving birth.
Otis posted a video of herself in her pyjamas, covered in sweat, to social media. The text on screen read: “No one tells you about the crazy postpartum sweats.”
In the caption, the “Married At First Sight” reality star said the side effects from the fourth trimester have caught her off guard.
“I can’t believe the night sweats I’m having postpartum,” she wrote. “I drench my pyjamas and the sheets. I woke up and wondered if I peed myself this last time [sic]... There are so many struggles in the fourth trimester.”
Although every pregnancy is different, Otis said the fourth trimester is “definitely” the most difficult for her.
“I mean, I’m in pain downstairs with stitches and hemmorhoids. My breasts are on fire from being pumped and latched on 24/7,” she wrote. “I am mentally exhausted from caring for two little newborn babies and their two older siblings. And I wake up stinking from sweat and feeling like I peed myself.”
Otis’s post earned praise from followers for sharing the not so picture perfect parts of motherhood.
“Thank you for sharing all the realness of the postpartum sweats and more and keeping it real,” a follower wrote. “People always post these glorified pics like all is roses and rainbows after baby arrives. They make you feel like what you are going through is just a ‘you’ thing. I wish people shared more like you do so the rest of us feel less alone. I always felt like everyone else had it so easy, while I was struggling and felt like an island.”
“The night sweats were gnarly,” another said. “And no matter how many times I put deodorant on during the day my armpits would stink. Postpartum is not easy.”
Others pointed out the similarities between Otis’s postpartum experience and menopause.
“Just wait until menopause. All the symptoms and no sweet babies to cuddle,” one woman wrote.
Are night sweats normal after having a baby?
Menopause and the fourth trimester have more in common than most people may think. In a previous interview with Yahoo Canada, Dr. Diane Francoeur an OBGYN and the CEO of The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada said the dramatic side effects postpartum are due to significant hormone fluctuations.
“You have to realize that when you have your baby, especially if you breastfeed, your ovaries are not working anymore,” Francoeur explained. “It’s like you have menopause. You may have a change in your body temperature and you sometimes have memory loss.”
What other postpartum symptoms are there?
In the first few weeks after giving birth it's possible to experience:
sweating
hemmerhoids
hemorrhaging
urinary incontinence
swelling in the hands and feet
hip pain
lower back pain
acne
changes in skin pigmentation (dark patches under your eyes, across your upper lip)
constipation
breast pain
clogged milk ducts/mastitis
gas pains
cramping as uterus contracts back to its normal size
postpartum depression/anxiety
post traumatic stress disorder
hair loss
“Once you deliver, it’s like your hormones shut down. Your thyroid gland will work differently, your ovaries are not going to be working for six weeks," Francoeur said. "It’s all going to come back when you start sleeping again, but it’s normal that all of these changes are happening all at once.”
Francouer encouraged new mothers to share their concerns regarding postpartum symptoms or feelings with their healthcare providers.
“I see a lot of young women who are alone and what they see on social media or what they read is that they have to be the perfect mom every minute, every second of the day,” Francouer says, adding that parents should consider finding support groups or local aids that can help build community and answer questions. "You'll be less shy to call for help — that's the only way you're going to make it through, because [postpartum] life is hard."
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