Shivers / chills and teeth chattering - milk coming in?

[QuirkyGreenCat]

Hi all,

I’m 5 days postpartum with my second, delivery via c-section, and last night woke up with my teeth chattering and uncontrollable shivering all over my body - this lasted about 10-15 mins. Every time I woke up to feed the baby the same thing happened.

It’s stopped today but I still feel really sluggish, out of it, and not really myself. I called midwife in a panic and she said this was because my milk was coming in, and it was to do with hormones? My body regulating the hormones?

I don’t have a high temp or any pain so that ruled out infection. My question is - has anyone else experienced this? And when did you start to feel a bit more normal / back to yourself?

I hate feeling so teary and out of it.

Snap and turned into sepsis for me. Scariest time of my life. Be vigilant! It came from one morning to the evening I was hospitalised

I had this too, a few days after c-section. Only once though, scared the shit out of me and there was another thread on here about it too that I commented on. I think if it had happened more than once I would have seen a doctor though.

I would head to hospital OP. Is your thermometer accurate. Even if it is you should be under maternity ward care for at least a week. Possibly longer. It’s much better to get checked and be fine than not.

@QuirkyGreenCat I had the shivers the evening before and felt terrible, then in the morning kind of zonked but ok ish. Just by chance I had an unrelated nurse appointment late afternoon and mentioned it. She realised what it could be and took some blood on advice from one of the GPs and I took it to the path lab. An hour later I was called back to get checked again and given immediate antibiotics with a further prescription to be going on with. I had to return the next morning for monitoring too. I was incredibly lucky

Just because I didn't have the chills etc didn't mean the infection was gone, just my body wasn't reacting which apparently was worse.

I had this with both c sections, around day 4/5. In my case it was my milk coming in. But I literally had an odd 5-10 mins, then when I next latched baby on, had loads of milk. Ds was most surprised, his little eyebrows shot right up, fingers splayed and everything. Then after a few minutes he was delighted then zonked out for 3 hours.

I also had it with DS when he was weaned a week or so, when he was about 18 months old.

But I also had the shivers when I had mastitis so I'd definitely get checked out.

I had this 3days pp with DD1. She was in the NICU with GBS sepsis and for me it was the start of a horrific UTI (probably also caused by the GBS). I was still admitted as my BP hadn't stablised so it was picked up and treated early but like pp have said, if the midwife isn't interested, worth checking in with the GP and please please keep vigilant for signs of sepsis.

I hope you’ve been checked @QuirkyGreenCat ?
I am a midwife and I’ve never heard of your milk coming in presenting like this! If you came to me I’d send you straight to the hospital for a sepsis screen.

Hope you've seen someone OP by now but my father had a massive infection when he was having chemo which presented the same. He didn't have a temperature because he was taking paracetamol.

Certainly when my milk came in post csection with my 2nd, I didnt have those symptoms. I was just weepy.

Hope you're being seen now. Came on to say I had this around day 10 with my LO and ended up with septic mastitis, was seriously unwell in hospital for several days. Hope you're being looked after.

Hi everyone,
I’m heading in this morning after a lot of back and forth. Everyone I speak to seems convinced that the shivers are a totally normal thing and nothing to worry about / just the way your milk comes in? Must admit I’ve had a bit of a nightmare getting anyone to take me seriously. I also passed 5 large blot clots in the last 24 hours and am getting breast pain too, so just going to be safe than sorry. Anyway, thanks for the responses!

I hope you are ok op. I've just seen this thread but it also sounds to me like it could be sepsis. Please don't let them fob you off without checking you thoroughly. Take your husband/dp to advocate for you if possible (shouldn't need to in an ideal world but we aren't in an ideal world).

Sepsis is no joke. Really hope you're OK.

I think that’s wise OP as it does seem to be getting towards the end of the window for your milk to come in.

Hormones can cause all sorts of funny reactions - though sepsis and mastitis are also very valid concerns so it’s well worth getting checked out.

I’m glad you’re being seen based on the symptoms.

Just to mention about the comments about being late for milk to come in - this (milk being later, not the other symptoms) this often isn’t unusual after a c-section. It can take up to 9 or possibly 10 days although I’d seek help from a breastfeeding advisor in order to support you and the baby with potential supplemental feeding / a pumping routine in the meantime when that’s the case. I found my came in once I was retaining less fluid from the IV / procedure - 9 days.

Hey @QuirkyGreenCat how did you get on? I hope you're feeling better and all was OK x

This happened to me with my second baby quite a few times in the first few weeks. Always in the middle of the night around 2 or 3am apparently quite common as this is the time your body steps up milk production. I found it very weird and thought I must be getting ill but I wasn't.

For me it was an infection. Idiot doctor told me that if it got better with paracetamol, I should just stay topped up with paracetamol. Ended up on IV antibiotics.

Infection seek medical help immediately

Came on to say the same as most others.

I ended up with a water infection after csection, caused by when they removed the catheter.

Can see youve updated to say you're getting checked out.

Hope you are ok

Hope you are being looked after OP

The fact they are telling you ‘you havent got a temperature so you cant have an infection is just plain wrong

Iv had kidney infections and pneumonia requiring hospital treatment and not once had a temperature