The 'day 4 postpartume hormone drop' explained

Lucky for me a good friend of mine warned me about the ‘Day 4 Hormone Drop ‘…  it might of been a few days before going into labour and she said something along the lines of “You know around day 4 after you have given birth, don’t be worried if you find yourself on the bathroom floor sobbing uncontrollably – it’s completely normal!”  

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And literally like clockwork, 4 days after the arrival of my son it happened.

It was at around 10.30 am in the morning when I hadn’t managed to shower, dirty nappies and bottles covered every inch of my house,  I was still in my breastmilk soaked nightie and I found myself sobbing on the bathroom floor inconsolably!

Thank you to my lovely friend Tina for giving me some warning because I didn’t feel quite so alone or worried about what was happening to me.

If this is your first baby and you don’t have your own Tina, this might all be news to you!

So what exactly is happening here?

It’s called the postpartum hormone drop. It is the single largest and most sudden hormonal change in the shortest amount of time for any human being, at any point of their life cycle. Wow. Take a moment to take that in.  And no wonder we are sobbing on the bathroom floor!

During pregnancy, our estrogen and progesterone increase to incredibly high levels, but by day 3 or 4 postpartum, your body essentially regulates these hormones back to their non-pregnant levels. Imagine it’s like your hormones are ramped up to 1000 megawatts and then they are literally turned off and drop to 0. Yikes.

With such a drastic drop in hormonal levels, it is no wonder that your energy, moods, and emotions can feel jumbled up and confused after having your baby. During this ‘baby blues‘ period, a lot of new mums experience feelings of anxiety, feeling down and lack of control. Feeling overjoyed one moment and then sad, moody, and overwhelmed the next.  The baby blues are a natural side effect of the hormonal shifts taking place from pregnancy and after birth, so you are not alone.

Something I want you to remember during this time is that this hormonal shift is out of your control. So don’t be shy about talking with others. Always seek help and guidance from your medical professionals, they are here to support you. Discuss these changes with your obstetrician and GP, ask for more information about what your body is going through, and how it might be affecting you.

If you feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster ride, listening to a calming guided meditation audio can help to calm, soothe and nurture yourself.

Meditation: Mood lifter

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Remember, you are not alone and give yourself some self-love and self-care x

* Like with all of my guided meditations, please make sure you aren’t feeding/holding your baby or driving a car while listening. 

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