Does Breastfeeding Make You More Sensitive to Heat?

Are breastfeeding parents more sensitive to heat?

— Patty

There isn’t a specific link (at least not in the data and published research) between breastfeeding and heat sensitivity, but there are a number of reasons you may feel hotter.

First, postpartum hormone fluctuations — regardless of whether you are nursing or not — can cause excessive sweating. Sometimes, this is in the form of night sweats and occasionally during the day. This happens because estrogen falls dramatically after birth and takes some time to stabilize. The reduction in estrogen levels can cause night sweats — this is the same reason women get these during perimenopause and menopause.

Second, breastfeeding involves pressing a 98.6 degree pillow up against your naked body (the baby, I mean). This makes you hotter than you would be otherwise. There is nothing quite so hot as trying to nurse a baby outside on a hot day, with both you and the baby covered in sweat. It’s worse if you’re trying to use a cover. Now you’ve got a hot pillow and a blanket. Again, it’s not the breastfeeding per se, but the act of breastfeeding does require this contact.

Third, breastfeeding can be dehydrating, especially when it’s hot. In hot weather, breast milk adapts to have a higher water content, and you need more water to produce it. This will make you feel thirstier, which can feel like a sign of heat sensitivity.

Bottom line: It’s not surprising you feel hot, but there isn’t a biological change in heat sensitivity.