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Pregnancy Symptoms
11/29/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
Headaches During
Pregnancy
Many women experience an increase in headaches during
pregnancy. In the first trimester, this may be due to the
influx of hormones that the pregnancy creates. If you've had
migraines before, you may be pleasantly surprised when you have
less of them than you're used to. Other women don't get their
first migraine until they are pregnant. As the pregnancy
progresses, hormone-related headaches will decrease in
frequency.
Headaches can also be caused by many other factors during
pregnancy.
• Stress
• Dehydration
• Lack of sleep or fatigue
• Hunger or low blood sugar
• Caffeine withdrawal if you've given it up because of the
pregnancy
• Sinus congestion or allergies
• Muscle tension or poor posture in the third trimester
If you find yourself suffering from headaches during pregnancy,
check with your caregiver. They should know if you are having
frequent headaches. You must also be careful about what you
take to treat a headache. Ibuprofen, which you can find in
Motrin, Advil and other common pain relievers is not a safe
drug during pregnancy. Neither is aspirin. Acetaminophen, which
you can find in Tylenol and similar remedies, is a headache
reliever that is typically safe during pregnancy.
If you prefer to try remedies that do not contain drugs, there
are several you can try. Learn what triggers your headaches so
you can try to avoid them. They may be foods, or certain
stresses. Keep a journal so you can try to pinpoint these
causes. Be sure to include everything you ate, what activities
you did, and when you had a headache.
When a headache strikes, lie down for a rest in a quiet,
darkened room. Keep your eyes closed. A warm compress may help
relieve sinus headaches. For tension headaches, apply a cold
compress to the back of your neck. A simple compress can be
made by rolling a towel and wetting it with either hot or cold
water. Be sure to wring out any excess water.
Exercise can actually help you reduce your headache frequency.
Low-impact exercises along with relaxation exercises can keep
you calm, cool and collected.
Eat healthy foods. Eat smaller meals more frequently throughout
the day to prevent low blood sugar and an empty stomach.
Get enough sleep. Try to keep the same schedule and go to bed
and rise in the morning at the same time every day.
Get a massage. It doesn't matter if you get one from a massage
therapist or from your partner. Just having someone massage
your neck and shoulders to reduce tension can stop a headache
waiting to happen. Massaging the temples feels really good too,
and can relieve a lot of tension.
Practice good posture. As the pregnancy progresses, your center
of gravity will change. Keeping your back in alignment is
important for your comfort. If you need to, visit a
chiropractor. They can adjust your back and hips safely during
pregnancy. This will make you feel terrific, and they can
relieve tension in your body that has built up do to being out
of alignment.
If you add all of these methods of caring for yourself to your
daily regimen during your pregnancy, you'll feel much better,
and if a headache does strike, you'll have the tools at hand to
deal with it.
At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try
to provide you with all of the latest information about going
through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first
years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest
quality books and products to help you through that time.
Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/headaches-during-pregnancy.html
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