Uncontrollable shaking early in breastfeeding?

[JeanGabin]

AIBU to think this may be more common than is recorded?
When I was breastfeeding in early days (I think 1-2 weeks post partum) I had a couple of episodes within 2-3 days lasting 1-2 hours where I felt perishingly cold and was shivering uncontrollably. I may have had a blocked duct, possibly even mastitis though it wasn't obvious, the first time I couldn't get warm despite toasty clothes, sitting pressed against the radiator etc.
Second time I got in a hot bath which helped me feel warmer at least!
I've always wondered if it was stress related but it felt like how people describe rigors. Has anyone else had similar but not got more unwell / needed antibiotics?

Yes I had this with my first baby, 8 years ago. Very stressful birth and I was breastfeeding. Had the uncontrollable shakes and was freezing cold, then sweating bucket loads, several times until she was about 4 or 5 weeks old I think. My midwife said it's not unusual and was linked to sudden changes in hormones. I was also so sleep deprived I almost lost my mind for a while! Probably all linked.

Yep, I've had it with all 3 of mine, a few days after birth. It wasn't an infection, was something to do with temperature regulation post pregnancy. If I got a tiny bit cold, I shook hard with shivering, teeth chattering etc, almost muscle spasms from shivering so much. Feels so weird. But definitely wasn't mastitis or another infection and stopped after a couple of days.

This baby, it first happened when I went to the supermarket. I started to feel chilly then WHAM, suddenly freezing, my muscles were hurting from how hard I was shivering. I wrapped up in my husband's coat then got it under control. Happened again as soon as I got home; had to cover myself in about 5 blankets.

I had this while still in hospital but it was the middle of the night and I was too sleep deprived to try and alert anyone. When I told the midwives in the morning they were unconcerned as my obs were all fine by then. I'd started to think I'd imagined it until this post.

If we're including non human examples, I've seen similar in a mare who had lost her foal and had been given Lutalyse (prostaglandin) to encourage bonding with a foster foal. She got really sweaty and shaky for about an hour before it passed.

(They bonded, the goal is now an enormous three year old and the mare is living her best life being an auntie to weanlings!)

Just found this thread - I’m four weeks postpartum tomorrow and experiencing weird episodes of feeling freezing cold/shivery/can’t get warm in the middle of the night (after the second feed of the night when I try to get to sleep). I’ve taken to sleeping in a thick wool jumper and clutching a hot water bottle which helps but doesn’t eliminate it. Had night sweats first week but long gone.

Have had tests, no uti, no infection or anaemia in blood tests. Midwife thinks just hormonal. But to go on for a month?! Warded off mastitis early on and breasts comfortable now (baby ebf). I’ve lost all baby weight and possibly more so maybe it’s a calorie/milk making thing, possibly not consuming enough calories as have had loss of appetite (but trying to eat really well!)

Anyone else had it up to week 4 and beyond?

@K80pie glad you found this thread, hopefully others will too if they have the same.

In case other do find it, rigors (uncontrollable shaking caused by fever) are usually an emergency, caused by fever and often needs antibiotics. But what I'm talking about is temporary, with full recovery between episodes and I suspect has another mechanism (something to do with prostaglandins or an inflammatory response might make sense)
If everyone who experiences it and finds this thread leaves a post it'd give a better idea of how common it is and if it's pretty common might even generate some interest in researching it

I had one episode of this with my first. I put it down to the physical shock of pushing a baby out.

Milk fever
Midwife here

Yes. But I had a long laundry list of things that happened in pregnancy and during breastfeeding that I just wonder so much if we could just track breastfeeding moms a bit, what would we find out now

Buttterflyleg - ooh, hypocalcaemia? This was maybe a week or 2 post partum

Lemondrizzles - it seems kind of crazy there hasn't been some longtitudinal studies of all the stuff that happens after childbirth!

Milk fever is an old fashioned term. People using it generally mean a mild fever with chills at the time a woman's milk comes in. Were your breasts engorged? You also get fever with mastitis but it's unlikely you wouldn't of noticed a big red patch in your breast which is indicative of mastitis. Perhaps two weeks after birth, the baby was feeding more often due to growth spurt and this caused you to get engorged and so you experienced milk fever then?

Historically woman's health has been woefully neglected by medical science, so it isn't surprising to me that there aren't more studies into postpartum complications/women's experiences etc etc

I had what felt like the start of flu about 2 days after I had my daughter. All of a sudden felt really cold and was shivering, but my temperature was up and I was sweating, like this all night and the following day. Never turned into anything, maybe something to do with the fact I lost 2 pints of blood during the birth, never found out what it was.

Butterfly leg - that's really interesting, so not uncommon at all - maybe I had a blocked duct / engorgement, I think I probably did. I remember reading something on LLL about milk stasis - which sounded similar to milk fever and I put it down to that at the time.

Tiny Sarah - sounds like it went in ages! Poor you, must have been frightening.

I deffo didn't have blocked duct or mastitis. It was a day or 2 post partum. No feverishness, just uncontrolled, quite violent shivering for about 30 to 40 minutes. It felt to me like a physical reaction to giving birth.

This happened to me when DS2 was 4 weeks old! I had to call my mum to come round and help because I didn't feel I could look after the baby safely. Thankfully DS2 was ok with me just putting him down in the moses basket and went to sleep for a bit. I was really cold and shaking for about an hour.

I've had blocked ducts and mastitis before when feeding DS1, and this wasn't that. DS2 was a really enthusiastic feeder as a newborn and gained weight like crazy, going from 10th centile to over 50th by 6 weeks. So I was feeding around the clock and leaking milk all the time, and generally very hormonal, but my breasts weren't uncomfortable and there weren't any blockages or lumps.

In my case, I wrote it off as being dehydrated as multiple cups of decaf tea sorted it out, along with mum bringing me sandwiches and wrapping me up in lots of blankets. Interesting to know it could have been to do with hormones, though.

I had this with my second. Day after I'd got home after a week in hospital with EMCS and horrific infections. I felt colder than I ever have in my life and I just kept repeating "I'm not going back to hospital" over and over. Lasted about half an hour. Happened again the following day and then a couple of much milder events over the next few days.
I felt silly not getting myself checked out, but I really did not want to be readmitted!

Thank you so much for starting this thread, I’ve been panicked I had an actual problem and was toying with idea of going to A&E

For me I didn’t have with DD but did have mastitis 3 times. With DS who is now 1.5 weeks old it started 24 hours ago though fever started maybe day before. Midwife told me to take a lot of ibuprofen which seems to help. Waiting to see if mastitis praying not.

Had a vaginal birth no complications. Only interesting feature of note is I have lost a lot of weight since delivery - despite eating a LOT. And constantly. I would be back to nearly pre preg weight if weren’t for boobs. Maybe a thyroid problem?

thanks again for setting my mind at ease