Waking up Sobbing and Shaking in the Middle of the Night (5 Days Post-partum)

I woke up cold & shivering a few days post-partum, very scary! Called my OB/GYN who said it was a symptom of an infection, which he found hard to believe since I had been on heavy antibiotics following my c-section, but he put me on antibiotics again, anyway, and that worked...

After having my first child, I spend the first 6 months terrified my hubby was going to leave me. It was completely irrational, but the momma instinct (I think) had just kicked in.

You will experience some weird things emotionally, for sure, for the first few weeks. Just hang in there and try to take care of yourself, i.e. let someone else make dinner, do laundry, etc. Not sure about the freezing cold part.

call your doc these sound a little extreme to me.

So much is happening with your body right now and it is trying to normalize what happened in giving birth and now getting used to life with out supporting a human being within your body. This is all very normal, but not something to just shake off. The dreams could just be some deep seeded fear of change; change in your life all the way around not just in your relationship with your husband but with everything. The crying is for sure normal and can last for a month; just getting support and knowing that you are completely normal is key. The shakes is also a part of hormonal adjustment as your body is trying to compensate again for the "loss" of life that the body has supported for so long. Just know that you are very normal and your feelings are valid. However, if it causes you anxiety and perhaps other thoughts that might provoke problems for either you or your baby; I would get professional support. If you need to talk feel free to contact me too; I would love to offer support in any way I can ____@____.com! Everything should start to stabalize within the next couple of weeks.

congrats on your little one!

-Robin

I had the nightsweats too and the crying jags. I remember getting so upset after my second that I couldn't leave the bathroom floor. My OB wanted me on an antidepressant (but I refused; in retrospect it might have helped) or he told me to take calcium at night before going to bed (helps you sleep) and take a daily walk with baby. That helped so much as I was able to get out and meet people and didn't feel so alone. Either way talk to your doc. Congrats!

I know you've already had a ton of responses but I just wanted to say that yes I had it too. The crying and the shaking. The day after we came home from the hospital, my MIL had put up a small port-a-crib thing in the living room so we didn't have to go all the way upstairs to lay the baby down. I saw that thing and burst into tears, I hated it on site. The same day I looked at the baby and thought "no one is coming to get this baby, it's here forever and we have to take care of it," and I cried and cried! Now it seems funny but I cried for days. I didn't even change a diaper for the first week! I was scared. Thank God for my husband, he did everything and just brought her to me to nurse. There was also a night when I woke up because I thought I was hearing voices. Scary!

And you know how on TV how the moms are instantly in love as soon as they push the baby out and it's placed in their arms, and how people say you take one look and you're instantly in love - I didn't feel that and I felt so guilty. It wasn't until about 3 weeks later I was in bed with the baby laying next to me and she opened her eyes and looked at me and smiled. I was so filled with love at that moment and cried.

So just give yourself time and rest as much as possible. Accept any help anyone is willing to give to do anything. Try to get out for an hour or two alone and go do something you enjoy. And enjoy your baby because the time flies by! My daughter is now three & 1/2 and we have a wonderful close bond!

I have had some experience on that freezing and shaking thing but sobbing? maybe it's all in the head...You should try to fight that thing.Here in the Philippines,very few women know about post-partum things so we only associate what we feel or experience to stress.Stress in giving birth,and taking care of the baby so we overcome it easily.

V.,
It may be hormone related but it still sounds like an anxiety attack to me. Talk to your doctor. A temporary anti-anxiety may be in order to help you get through this, and could go a long way.
:)

Girl, I have had the baby blues after both babies and I am pregnant again and I am sure I will have it again. I cry over everything and worry incessantly about my new baby. I get over it after about a couple weeks. I know it is just my hormones trying to get back to normal but it really sucks to go throught it. Just hang in there and it will pass.

I agree withe everyone..hormones do some really crazy things! If this goes on past a few weeks please contact your OB. I had PPD with my second child with many familiar symptoms, but rather than the detachment from my baby that the always talk about I was glued to him to the point no one could touch him, hold him, etc ( he was my security blanket and the only thing that made me feel better). Ohh and I feel ya on the night sweats they are NOT fun.

Call your Dr., you may have a UTI. I had one after each of my kids and it was about 5 days after birth, I would shiver uncontrolablly and couldn't get warm. I would definately call the doc. I called and didn't have to make an appt, just went in and gave a urine sample and by the afternoon, they had a rx called in for me.

Good Heavens, it's alright. Your body is putting the hormonal brakes on after going great guns for 9 months and it's shocking. Some moms have lots of hair loss and that is it. Others have horrifying dreams, sleeplessness, bouts of depression and anxiety from nowhere.

If this continues past 2 weeks you should get a referral from your OB to be evaluated for post partum depression which is definitely serious but definitely treatable. In our area there's a great resource for post partum depression: http://www.ppdil.org/

Yes. It's called post-partum depression and can be mild to very severe. GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT IT ASAP. It NEEDS to be assessed by a healthcare professional as u might need medication to help you get over it.

Very normal to wake up with nightsweats. I had them with both my children. My first son I did have a mild case of post partum depression. I would also start crying for no reason. I would be standing in the shower and start crying or, like you, wake up in the middle of the night and cry. I also had some very odd dreams. Hormones can do some really crazy things. By about 3 weeks out I was feeling much better. With my 2nd son I only had a little night sweats and NO crying. So know that it is different with each child and it will get better. However, if you continue to cry, call your MD and they can put you on a safe antidepressant if you are breastfeeding. I called my MD and asked for meds when I was crying so much with my first son, but never had to take them since I started feeling better on my own. Good luck and hope your little one is letting you get some sleep.

Nothing is wrong with you. It sounds like your hormones are just out of wack. I experienced the same thing. Constantly crying & had massive night sweats. I mean I was drentched. Had to change my clothes in the middle of the night. And then of course I'd get cold & couldn't stop shivering. For me, it went on until I was 3 1/2months post partum. Has it been 6 weeks post partum for you? If not, when you go for your 6 week check up mention what's going on to your OB. Just to get her feeback & put your mind at ease. It should go away very soon & you should then feel like yourself again :) I do. :) It'll get better it always does. Take care!

My understanding is that your estrogen goes down to a menopausal level after childbirth, so yes, the emotional ups and downs are very normal. With that being said, I would check in with your doc and let them know that you are having these ups and downs AND that you are having the shivering. I had the night sweats really badly after childbirth, but don't remember the shivering and freezing part. I would definitely give your doc a call, just to make sure that you don't have an infection somewhere.

Good luck to you. You will get through it. It's a tough time, filled with lots of changes, both everyday changes AND hormone changes.

Hi V.

Congratulations on your new baby :).

You should call your doc to let him/her know what is going on, but I also recall sweating profusely at night during the early post partum days/weeks, and so I would alternate between being very warm and very cold. I think that's normal. I also cried every night before going to sleep for about a month, which was probably partly related to hormones and sleep deprivation, and partly related to processing a difficult labor ending in a c-section (and my baby having to go into ISCU for a couple of days immediately after birth). I had the baby blues but didn't have PPD. Every woman's experience of childbirth and the initial days/weeks is different, so while for some it may be just normal blues and hormonal reactions for you, it may not. Best would be to chat with your health provider, and monitor how you're feeling the rest of the day as well, and in particular how you are feeling towards your baby.

I'll also add that in the first few days/weeks even though he was around all the time, I MISSED my husband. Suddenly all our focus is elsewhere and we're in survival parenting mode and it's not just the two of 'us' anymore. I was surprised by that, but I guess it's pretty typical, especially for first-time parents. That could be contributing to your dreams about your relationship.

I have a new profound respect for women and what we have to deal with wrt pregnancy, labor, post-partum issues, sleep deprivation, etc!!!

yes, and it turns out that I had mastitis, a breast infection and needed treatment for that, then everything was fine. I hope that you feel better soon, being a new mom is tough at times, hang in there, I promise things will get better soon :)

P.S. Oh, and you didn't start crying "out of the blue", you started crying because your hormones are all over the place and you woke up in the middle of the night (losing precious sleep!) and your body was in a state of pain. Anyone would cry in that situation, don't be too hard on yourself. Get all the rest that you can, do whatever you have to do to take care of yourself, and don't feel guilty asking for help. Take care!!!

Hi V., I didn't have the crying jags but I had the shaking and sometimes the freezing cold feeling. This happened after I had my son and it went on each night (seemed like it happened during the night, once my body had relaxed) for 5 or 6 nights after the baby arrived. My doctor said it was a combination of hormones and coming down from the epidural, etc. Everyone reacts differently...always a good idea to just run it by your doctor. Hope you're back to your old self soon! Congrats on the new baby!

You poor dear! You have gotten some good advice so far, but I'll throw in my two cents as well. I don't know if you are breastfeeding, but I know my sister had mastitis a few times (an infection in your breast) and reported being extremely cold and shaking, but I think she also had a high fever. As far as the emotional stuff, I ended up with severe post partum depression after the birth of my baby and it got out of control fast. One of my main symptoms was that I could not sleep despite being extremely tired. I am not sure of the difference between PPD and the baby blues, but my advice to you is to keep talking to your doctor about your feelings and don't just brush it off as "normal." I ended up seeking out a psychiatrist because my OB/Gyne was not very helpful. Good luck to you and feel free to contact me personally!