Spicy garbage. Hot death. Essence of onion. These are just some of the colourful terms I?ve used to describe my body odour since having babies.
I expected mom life to be a little on the smelly side, what with the dirty diapers and spit-up and all. What I didn?t expect was the most offensive stink to be my own. But between the hormones, sleepless nights, stress and baby-wipe sponge baths (we?ve all done it, right"), I am definitely more ripe than I?ve ever been in my life.
And, much to my annoyance, my certain je ne c?est quoi has lingered well beyond the newborn phase, when a shower was a luxury. My kids are in daycare and kindergarten, I bathe regularly and I have yet to find a deodorant that can keep up with my spice. At least I know I?m not alone, since finding a deodorant that works is one of the hottest topics in my Facebook mom groups, natural deodorants are all the rage among influencers, and #armpitdetox has four million views on TikTok alone. Welcome to motherhood! You stink now. The culprit is hormonal changes in pregnancy that can continue postpartum, says Toronto dermatologist Julia Carroll. The composition of your sweat changes during pregnancy, and may never change back to its exact pre-baby composition, Carroll explains. ?Based on my practice, and chatting with fellow moms, I would say it’s quite common.”
What can you do about it"
Stick it to your mom stink with a good deodorant (which masks odour but doesn?t block sweat) or antiperspira...