After having a baby, you expect to feel all kinds of aches and pains as your body recovers, but how do you know what’s normal, and what should warrant a call to your doctor? Postpartum headaches are one of those symptoms that could mean nothing or could be a sign that something bigger is going on, so it’s important to monitor when they are occurring as well as their intensity. There are a handful of reasons you may be experiencing postpartum headaches, and they range from something as simple as dehydration to rare diagnoses
:Causes Of Postpartum Headaches
The first clue for what is causing your postpartum headache is typically when you’re experiencing it — whether it’s immediately following delivery or in the days and weeks following your baby’s birth. “For women who have an epidural, sometimes a new postpartum headache can be due to a spinal puncture with a leak of cerebral spinal fluid,” Elizabeth G. Livingston, MD, a maternal-fetal specialist at Duke Health, tells Romper in an email. Livingston further explains that the pain from these types of headaches will intensify when mom is sitting up.
Another reason a new mom may experience a headache soon after they deliver the baby is postpartum preeclampsia. “Persistent or postpartum preeclampsia is not that uncommon,” says maternal-fetal specialist Andre, James, MD, MPH, though in this case, the headache would be one of several possible symptoms including swelling, nausea, and shortness of breath, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation. Other serious postpartum complications that James says can result in headaches include cerebral vein thrombosis or stroke, however, she points out these are incredibly rare:
Headaches that happen in the days and weeks following delivery are more likely to be caused by things other than your body’s recovery. “Sometimes dehydration and/or lack of sleep can cause headaches,” OB/GY N Tamika C. Augusta MD, FAC OG, tells Romper in an email, “[and] stress can also cause headaches.” All of these causes are totally understandable for new moms because it’s an incredibly stressful time, sleep is limited, and taking care of your own needs (like hydration) often gets put on the back burner when you’re trying to master keeping an infant happy.
Postpartum Headache Treatment & Safe Medications.
Treatment options for postpartum headaches vary based on what is causing them. If the issue is dehydration then water is the key, and if it’s sleep deprivation than the headache may ease up with some rest (though that’s hard to come by). There’s not a whole: lot., You can do to eliminate stress during the postpartum period, in which case over-the-counter medications may help. “Medications used to treat headaches such as Tylenol and NSAIDs are considered safe,” says James, however she says new moms should always contact their healthcare provider before taking any prescription headache medication (such as for migraines).
For the more serious headaches that come on immediately following birth, they typically need medical intervention. For example, headaches caused by a spinal puncture may get better with some IV fluid hydration. Or they could require help from the anesthesiologist. “[These headaches] can be treated specifically with hydration and occasionally a ‘blood patch’,” explains Livingston, “[this is the] insertion of a small amount of the patient’s blood into the epidural space.”
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