This. Seriously, OP. You have an explanation, her doc said it will resolve in time, and you need to calm your tits and wait it out. Bodies aren't always pleasant, and making a whole human isn't neat and tidy. You sound like a total asshat for prioritizing your sensitive nose over her rest right now. Sleep on the couch if the smell is really so horrid, but if she's showering twice a day, it's not. You're just a delicate little flower and you need to fortify yourself. And God help you both when she hits menopause if sweating is this big a deal for you. You're in for a WILD fscking ride, my guy!
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Nah, bro. YOU are really interfering with your marriage. She's doing all she can, while raising your two kids, and you're acting like she needs to smell like a rose 24/7 for your pleasure on top of it all. She showers twice a day. Man up and deal with it. Otherwise, she'll get over the sweating and you'll have a dead bed because of the way you chose to prioritize your short-term wants over the reality of being married to an actual human and not a sex robot. It's temporarily interfering with your boner. Get over yourself. Quickly. |
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Holy cow the suggestions on this thread so far have no connection to actual science.
Let's break it down: Your wife's hormones are still going haywire, particularly the balance of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and prolactin (the hormone that governs breast milk production). That she is experiencing night sweats means her estrogen levels are fluctuating wildly. You didn't say how old she is, but with many women having babies in their 40s, this postpartum could coincide with perimenopause which would be a double whammy for her. I hope for her sake (and yours) that she's younger, but in any case the hormones can be monitored by a doctor to see how they are resolving. As for the odor, it's caused by bacteria on the skin mixing with sweat. Regular soap won't neutralize bacteria, and antibacterial soap can also be limiting. So what does work? White kitchen vinegar. Why? Because acetic acide reacts with and breaks down the odor causing molecules. How to use it? 1. Pre-soak clothes for at least 30 minutes in a vinegar-only wash to break down residual odor in clothes. 2. Before, washing, after washing, or before and after wipe down all the sweaty odor producing areas (pits, crotch, and along the bra line) with a washcloth dipped in vinegar if you can handle it undiluted, or a slightly diluted vinegar solution (1 part water, 2 parts vinegar). 3. Switch soap/body wash. Try using a pH neutral or slightly acidified soap or body wash. Personally I like Aveeno baby wash which is very neutral, but there are a bunch to choose from. 4. Switch deodorant to an acidified version. LUME set the standard in this category, but other brands have adopted the formula. 5. Consider buying LUME wipes to keep body parts fresh throughout the day--they are acidified By now you've probably spotted the trend--it's about making the body inhospitable to bacteria and/or neutralizing them through pH management. 6. Diet. Your wife is eating for two, and diet will definitely impact body odor. Eating healthy is great, but it's different from eating strategically. Perhaps it would be helpful for her to talk to a nutritionist to make sure she's getting everything her body needs to produce breast milk without overstimulating insulin and inadvertently triggering an increase in testosterone (yes, this can happen--see PCOS). Final thoughts: Your wife just gave you a second son which is a huge gift. Be gentle and supportive with her as she navigates this period and tries to regain her sense of self. |
| I’m currently pregnant with baby #2 and bad BO. I started using CRYSTAL Deodorant Mineral Deodorant Stick after showering and before applying regular deodorant - it’s helped with that issue. For night sweats, I’d look into something like the BedJet or some cooling contraption- we got one because my husband sleeps hot but menopausal women rave about it. And maybe throw a towel down at night - also did this temporarily when my husband had terrible night sweats due to sickness. And so you have a bidet? We love ours and it helps keeps things clean. |
That's a very young infant. |
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Well, she has seen a doctor who verified nothing is amiss and it will go away eventually….and your wife is showering twice daily.
What else do you expect her to do (beyond maybe trying a different deodorant, maybe a fan or something at night, etc)? And why would it be damaging your marriage? That seems quite shallow IMHO. She just gave birth to your child. Continue to support your wife, and things are likely to normalize soon enough. If they don’t, then sure- she should check in with her doctor again at some point. I also had terrible night sweats after giving birth, although I don’t recall any excessive odor. The problem went away after awhile. |
I will try the vinegar trick. This isn’t about sex. It’s just an awful smell. Like way worse than BO smell. Even her washing her armpits twice a day doesn’t really take the smell away. She only uses all natural deodorant and I suspect that may not be working. She doesn’t have pcos or insulin issues. She’s eats enough and eats healthy. |
I never said it was about sex--that was everyone else. But your last comment caught my eye--that the smell is worse than BO. She should follow up with the doctor in two areas: 1) make sure there is no internal infection from the delivery because putrefying flesh is quite rank and 2) I wonder if she's in ketosis (burning fat) because of all the breastfeeding. I swear women in ketosis smell awful and it's not standard BO. Investigate for sure if the vinegar doesn't do the trick. |
| It's normal. It will pass. You just have to deal with just like she has to deal with it. Life is long and you will experience worse things than this together (wait till perimenopause!). Be resilient and flexible. |
| Perhaps the doctor doesn’t realize how severe her issue is. Your wife may have minimized the sweating and smell factor. Good luck. |
| Put Vicks in your nostrils. It’s what we do to stallions to make them behave around mare because they can’t smell the hormones then. It might also work for asses like OP. |
| How in the world has no one on dcum- which is typically a highly educated population- told this guy that it's biological. Mothers smell changes and/or becomes stronger during the infant phase because new babies have poor eyesight and the smell can help them identify their mother. |
So, she’s already been told by a medical professional that she is doing nothing wrong. So how about you help her out to give her some extra time to shower twice a day and maybe take care of extra laundry and linens right now |
Per OPs posts, she already has and has been told nothing can be done atm |
What do you want her to do? Shower more frequently? That means you offer to clean up after dinner, or take the baby in the morning. If you want her to use different hygiene products that’s trickier. |