Becoming a mother is one of the joys in the life of many women. However, some newbie mommies report worse headaches and other migraine symptoms right after giving birth. According to the American Migraine Association, one out of four women experience severe migraines two to six weeks after delivery. In addition, AMA reports that five percent of women who never had migraines experience their first attack during postpartum.
As your leading source of Midland migraine relief, we decided to focus on this topic to help you understand how to care for yourself or a loved one who recently gave birth.
Migraine and headaches that occur after childbirth are pretty prevalent. However, not many women are aware of their postpartum migraines. Most women assume that their condition is no different from their pre-pregnancy migraines. Unfortunately, the lack of understanding and the misinformation surrounding postpartum migraines make it harder for new moms to experience lasting Midland migraine relief.
Here are some quick facts on postpartum migraines:
After childbirth, estrogen and progesterone levels drop dramatically. This causes several effects on the body, including increased risks for severe and debilitating headaches.
Quiet and calming nights can be elusive for first-time mommies for at least a few months. You might have to stay up longer than usual to breastfeed your child or sing lullabies. Sadly, this can contribute to the onset of worse migraine headaches in the morning.
Juggling household chores and caring for your baby can sometimes cause you to skip meals. This can lead to blood sugar level fluctuations – another risk factor for postpartum migraines.
Besides headaches, you should also look for signs like tunnel vision, mood swings, odd food cravings, vertigo, and nausea.
Secondary headaches in women who just delivered their baby can stem from several conditions. Some examples of these include preeclampsia, post-clampsia, meningitis, and cortical vein thrombosis.
While postpartum migraines can be pretty debilitating, you have several options to relieve your symptoms. Some of these include:
Because it can be tough to stay on track with your regular meal time, we recommend finding a compromise. Talk to your partner about taking turns caring for the baby while one of you eats meals. Additionally, you might find it helpful to snack on healthy treats like a bowl of fruits, granola, trail mix, and yogurt.
Drinking enough water, especially while breastfeeding, is a crucial step for every mommy. This helps maintain healthy levels of electrolytes in the body. As much as possible, you should drink up to 16 cups of water or other fluids each day to keep up with the demands of your body.
Small doses of caffeine can do wonders for people with debilitating headaches. So if you aren't sensitive to caffeine, we suggest taking a few sups of cocoa or coffee. Caffeine can help regulate blood vessel dilation and constriction, providing you with a bit of relief during an unexpected migraine episode.
Migraine triggers tend to vary from one patient to another. So, we suggest keeping track of yours and planning ways to avoid or manage them. For example, if your episodes worsen due to temperature changes, you might find staying in a cool and relaxing room helpful. If bright lights aggravate your symptoms, we suggest wearing protective eyewear or glasses equipped with transition or photochromic lenses.
Secondary migraine headaches also tend to affect newbie mommies. Hence, you might find it helpful to consult with your physician so you can seek treatment or other procedures needed to resolve health problems like meningitis, pre and post-eclampsia, and cortical vein thrombosis.
Neckbone misalignments are among the least suspected triggers of migraines. That's because they're not as evident as other migraine triggers. However, several case studies have shown that women who have just given birth are sometimes highly susceptible to neckbone shifting due to the changes in the body's physiology and the force needed to deliver a child.
If you have noticed increased or sudden migraine attacks after childbirth, you might find it helpful to explore upper cervical chiropractic. Several women with hormonal migraines have found significant Midland migraine relief after getting their C1 and C2 vertebral bones assessed and adjusted.
Being a mother for the first time can be tricky, and it can be more challenging if you frequently combat migraine attacks. We hope our discussion above has shed light on how postpartum migraines work and what you can do to cope better and experience lasting Midland migraine relief.
If you want to pursue Upper Cervical Care as a part of your postnatal care plan, we strongly recommend consulting with Dr. John Kowalcyzk for a chiropractor appointment. We want to help you check for neckbone misalignments and plan your neck steps to restore balance in your body. Don't hesitate to call Balanced Living Chiropractic’s Midland office at (989) 368-0361. If you prefer writing, you can send us a message online.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Kowalczyk, call our Midland office at 989-495-9003. You can also click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
