Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Postnatal health

As with all health-related issues, please seek advice from a RL health professional if you're worried about anything.

Sensitivity to sound after birth

3 replies

MumNo2 · 16/02/2025 08:47

I gave birth 5 days ago. A few days before the birth and ever since, I've had an incredibly high sensitivity to vehicle sounds outside. We moved house 3 weeks ago so I know there will be a different level/type of noise to get used to but it didn't bother me in the first 10 days we were here- didn't even notice it. My husband doesn't notice it either. The flight path were under is the same one that our old house was under so that wouldn't have changed. The car sounds- this road is probably slightly busier but not by much at all, but we have a shorter drive (again, not by much). But we do live closer to the train station now so I hear the trains more. But also, only 7 years ago I lived above a train station for 2yrs without issue!

I feel like I can feel the vibrations of all the vehicles nowadays and my chest is heavy at the anticipation. Sometimes now when it dead quiet, I want to enjoy it but I'm so anxious it's about to be ruined by a sound again. I'm trying to avoid ear plugs because I don't want to get even more sensitive.

It probably doesn't help that I haven't really been out of the house for a week because of recovery, so I'm here to ruminate. It probably also doesn't help that we had to move in a rush so close to due date because of factors outside of our control, so we've had an incredibly stressful few weeks (the house is far from finished, bringing up new issues and I've essentially had to cut my recovery short to get it on track).

Has anyone else experienced sound sensitivity like this post partum? What helped? Please tell me it goes away?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
stargazer02 · 16/02/2025 09:07

Not that I noticed.
I think you bring up good, logical points about why you may be noticing more. Its also reasonable that the body may go into a high alert state instinctively. In your scenario I would use ear plugs (even noise reduction rather than block out entirely) for short amounts of time to let yourself relax a bit. I wear them myself as I find a lot of noise (like busy places) a bit overwhelming. It hasn't made me worse when I need to cope without.

I got an increased sense if smell from my last pregnancy which didn't go away (she's 8 now)

.

FTMaz · 17/02/2025 22:51

Hi
being over stimulated is probably making you hyper aware of noise. I’ve always not liked noisy environments but this has definitely heightened since having my son. I can’t stand it if say the tv is on and someone is having a conversation at the same time.

FTMaz · 17/02/2025 22:54

Also forgot to say have you heard of loop earplugs? You can buy different ones - for example to just blur the background noise but still hear direct noise. I worked with children with special needs to had noise sensitivity and it allowed them to be in a classroom environment.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page