Knowing the breastfeeding and body odor facts is important for personal hygiene.
It’s not every time a mother has to feed their baby from a bottle with stored breast milk.
Breastfeeding is supposed to be an enjoyable experience for both the mother and the child.
While it usually is, some mothers have to worry about breastfeeding and body odor at the same time.
What causes it, and how can you make sure that body odor doesn’t affect your daily life while breastfeeding?
Related: Babys breath smells like sour milk
Related: Breastfed baby gas smells like rotten eggs
Breastfeeding And Body Odor
Honestly, body odor can make or break your life.
Other people will stay far away from you when you have body odor, and it can be very frustrating, especially if you don’t know the cause for this.
Body odor issues for women start during pregnancy as their body changes, and new life grows inside them.
It happens when the sweat glands are active, blood flow increases, and the body’s hormone levels keep changing.
During breastfeeding, your body’s natural scent becomes much stronger to help your baby locate your breast.
Body odor can also be a result of too much postpartum sweating.
When one is sweating a lot during postpartum, it’s because the body is trying to eliminate all the fluids retained during childbirth.
How to get rid of body odor after pregnancy
While postpartum body odor does eventually go away, it is still deeply embarrassing for anyone to endure.
Some of the ways that you can manage this include:
- Taking multiple showers a day with cool water and medicated soap. Don’t forget to wash your hair as well, as it can also be the odor source.
- Using deodorants and antiperspirants. You should check to see which ones are safe to use around babies or go for natural ones.
- Try to eliminate any excessive hair on your body where bacteria can thrive, such as below your armpits.
- When suffering from bad breath, make sure that you brush your teeth several times a day. If that’s not possible, then you can keep some mints or breath spray near you at all times. You can also try adding some mint or a lemon wedge in your water.
- If dampness is a problem, start applying talcum powder to the problem areas, excluding the nether region. Wearing loose, natural fibers whenever possible, will also help your skin breathe.
- Some mothers also experience uncontrollable farts due to constipation and gas caused by the changing hormone levels. If this keeps happening to you, talk to your doctor, and they are likely to prescribe some activated charcoal tablets or heartburn medication.
- Body odor can also be affected by what you eat, so start watching your diet and get rid of anything too ‘strong.’ This includes spices, red meat amino acids, Sulfur compounds from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, cabbage, processed sugar, and strong-smelling foods, garlic, and chilies. Instead, take a lot of sweet-smelling and sweet-tasting fruits and vegetables and lots of water.
When it comes to breastfeeding and body odor, it may feel like there’s no winning.
This is why it is important to have an idea of what to do so that you can be around others without feeling self-conscious.
Iesha is a loving mother of 2 beautiful children. She’s an active parent who enjoys indoor and outdoor adventures with her family. Her mission is to share practical and realistic parenting advice to help the parenting community becoming stronger.
