Body odor is most commonly caused by the breakdown of fatty excretions from the apocrine glands, which are located in the armpits, nipples and areolas, as well as the genitals.
Smelly secretions released from the nipples of women who have just given birth may help babies find and extract their mother's milk.
Here's some news that might surprise you: Body odor does not just come from the underarms; it can originate anywhere there are sebaceous (oil) and sweat glands—which includes the scalp, genitals, feet, and even nipples!
However, when lipase activity is unusually high in expressed milk, its work in breaking down the fats can result in a soapy or fishy aroma and/or taste that may be distasteful to the baby.
Breastfeeding. If you're nursing your baby, your body will emit a stronger smell through your underarm sweat than normal to help your baby find its source of food (2). This is your body's response to naturally assist your baby in finding the breast, and will begin right after giving birth.
There will be an odor to the blood and discharge like a typical menstrual period. The best thing you can do is practice good hygiene. Contact your healthcare provider if your discharge is extremely foul or fishy, as it could indicate an infection.
When you cut back on breastfeeding or pumping, or your baby does, and/or stop altogether, your body produces less and less oxytocin and prolactin, these “good hormones,” so it follows that you might feel something akin to a comedown, feeling less and less calm (to put it mildly) and less and less contented (borderline ...
There's a structure called the Tail of Spence that extends beyond the breast itself and into the armpit. Since it's connected to the main milk-producing tissues in the breast, it can become engorged. Engorgement in the armpits most frequently occurs early in breastfeeding, while milk supply is being established.
Candida infections on the skin don't usually generate discharge that smells. A smelly rash under the breasts could signal a different condition, such as a bacterial skin infection. Thrush can cause a breast rash that is raised, swollen, tender, shiny, and red.
Bromhidrosis is a disease that occurs when the bacteria on your skin breaks down sweat and produces an abnormally offensive smell similar to onions or sulfur.
It's mostly genetic and can vary from baby to baby. If you do have high lipase, it's important to inactivate the lipase IF your baby is sensitive to the smell and taste. Some babies aren't affected! If you naturally have high lipase milk, you can't prevent it from happening.
If you do have excess lipase activity in your breast milk, you might notice a difference in its smell and taste about 12 to 14 hours after pumping and storing, although others might not notice changes until days later. Some possible changes include: Milk that has a soapy smell or taste.
“Once any kind of breast milk spills on either the bra or blouse, and the breastfeeding mother does not change the clothes, she will immediately start smelling,” he explains.
You'll find Montgomery's tubercles on the surface of your areola, the circular area of skin surrounding the nipple. These little bumps can be flesh-toned, pink, red, white, or yellowish in color, and are usually about 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter.
During engorgement, for example when your milk first comes in, you may notice lumps and swelling in your armpits. Using the tips in Engorged Breasts can help to reduce this engorgement. It is also possible to have extra breast tissue that is not connected to the breast both in the armpit and in other areas of the body.
Plugged Ducts
Small plugs in the ducts can cause the milk glands to become over distended with milk. A firm or hard lump in the breast is most likely a plugged duct. It may occur anywhere in the breasts including in the underarm area.
“Some women find that when you're not nursing and your metabolism changes, they keep weight more persistently or they gain. Others don't. We all have our own experiences,” she says. If you do start to pick up pounds after weaning, don't panic.
“After you stop breastfeeding, your body has to get back to baseline again which can take some time and cause a lot of symptoms, including appetite changes and metabolism changes,” Moskovitz says. That said, it's not a guarantee that you'll gain weight after you stop nursing.
In addition, estrogen levels drop after childbirth and during breastfeeding, which can result in symptoms that often mimic those experienced during the perimenopause, such as hot flushes, headaches, or joint pains.
The hormonal shifts and weight and diet changes will begin to taper off sometime around the six to eight-week mark (3) - unless you continue to eat nachos for dinner which we totally applaud. However, the extra body odor due to nursing will stick around until you're done breastfeeding (2).
How long is the postpartum period? No matter how you delivered your baby, the postpartum recovery period is generally considered to be the first six weeks after childbirth. This doesn't mean that at six weeks you'll magically bounce back to pre-baby condition.