What causes headaches after having a baby?

·         Post epidural

·         Poor posture

·         Excess sitting in a poor posture due to feeding requirements

·         Fatigue / Sleep disturbances

·         Stress and anxiety Hormonal changes

What can you do to ease your headaches?

• Check your posture, think tall.  Your shoulders should be relaxed, your chin tucked in and your head level.   Your neck should feel straight and relaxed.

• Check your sitting position, especially if you are in a sustained position for long periods.  You may need to stretch frequently throughout the day.

·         Correct feeding position:  see article on breast feeding.  Use breastfeeding pillow to support baby and you during feeding.

·         Check your pillow.  A memory foam pillow is best for most people.  Do not use more than one pillow. (see comforts section for the comfort tech pillow endorsed by the Australian Physiotherapy Association)

·         Relax:  watch that you are not clenching your teeth, or hunching your shoulders.  Learn to recognize when you are tense and learn how to relax. Taking deep breaths or applying a heat pack to the tense muscles may help.

• Exercise:  You need to keep your muscles and joints flexible and strong. Pregnancy Pilates will help you to strengthen the spinal support system. 

• Dietary factors can play a part, these foods have been shown to be headache triggers in certain people, talk to your doctor about this if you are unsure:

o   Caffeine

o   MSG (soy sauce, chips, tomato paste)

o   Preserved meats (eg. Hot dogs)

o   Food colourings

o   Citrus, red skinned fruit, honey, liquorice, almonds, wine

o   Cheese, chocolates, bananas, tomatoes, vegemite, wine, mushrooms

o   Low Magnesium  can cause headaches, boost your levels by eating plenty of green leaf vegies

Disclaimer

Tummies, Mummies and Bubbies have provided these articles for general information only and they should in no way be considered as a substitute for the advice and information your physiotherapist and or doctor will supply about your particular condition. It is recommended that you always seek professional advice.

While every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate, Tummies, Mummies and Bubbies accept no responsibility and cannot guarantee the consequences if you choose to rely upon these contents as your sole source of information.