Wife sweating issues

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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 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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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 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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the doctor doesn’t realize how severe her issue is. Your wife may have minimized the sweating and smell factor. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ew. Has she seen a Dr?

Yes. Her doctor told her some women experience postpartum sweating and body odor. It’s nothing she is doing wrong.

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She needs to consult her doctor, OP. You need to suggest that. There are actual medical disorders that include excessive sweating, so this is perfectly legitimate.

Per OPs posts, she already has and has been told nothing can be done atm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you taking about?

My wife has some hormone issues that she didn’t have with our the first. She had dealt with body odor and excessive sweating after having our second child. I would like to politely broach the subject but I don’t know how without hurting her.

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.

[Anonymous]

OP there are some good ideas in this thread. Mine is to add a capful of eucalyptus oil into the laundry. You can tell her its for your sweaty gym clothes if you want. This oil will kill all odors. Sometimes regular laundry detergent does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This. And there’s a good chance she’s repulsed by your natural scents, too, OP. This is nature’s way of preventing another pregnancy too soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have her habits changed, maybe due to being busier with 2 kids? Like not showering as often, rewearing clothes when she would not normally (like just throwing the same sweatshirt on without thinking), not washing towels or sheets as often etc? Things can get a bit hectic? Sometimes a 13 week old is more work than a newborn (not sleeping as much, more fussiness etc)…at least that was the case for my babies.

She showers twice a day. I pitch in a lot to make sure she gets that time to shower. We do laundry regularly and she changes clothes each shower and at night. She sweats through both sets of sheets at night. The sweating really only happens at night. The Bo comes on in the evening and during the night.

Her doctor said breastfeeding and hormones are the reason and it should eventually resolve.

Our 13 week old is a typical baby but actually sleeps really well at night. Like he’s doing 4+ hours at a time. Naps aren’t the best but we have a sitter that helps a couple of times a week. Our toddler sleeps 12 hours and hardly ever wakes up at night. He is in FT daycare.

Then WTF do you want to talk to her about? There's nothing anyone can do at this point. Why do you want to constantly bring up you're not attracted to her for something that isn't her fault and is the result of her carrying, birthing and feeding YOUR child??

Are you planning on asking her for an open marriage so you can sleep with someone who isn't sweaty? Like really what is the point of bringing it up over and over again?

This. 💯

[Anonymous]

If she’s giving you the ick, your best defense is a good offense. Just get this card for your wallet:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she’s giving you the ick, your best defense is a good offense. Just get this card for your wallet:

😩😫