I've been getting really bad headaches since Shoopy was born. At first I just put it down to my back and neck being strained from the birth, feeding in a less than comfortable position for the first couple of days and the extra weight of my boobs. However the last couple of days I've noticed that the headaches always come on while breastfeeding. Dr Google tells me that this can happen due to a surge of hormones while feeding and that aside from staying hydrated and trying to relax, all I can do is take paracetamol and that it may last a few weeks or may last until Shoopy weans.
Has anyone else had this? And does anyone have any other suggestions for dealing with the headaches?
How old is your little one now? She must still be very young? It is more likely that your headaches are related to the birth and will ease up as you recover. Is this your first baby? How did the birth go?
do you see a chiropractor? Might be worth a check up. Do you feel comfortable when you are breastfeeding? Are your nipples cracked or grazed?
Even in rare cases where hormones cause headaches, levels even out over the early weeks so this is unlikely to persist.
Yes, she's still quite new. 9 days old. The birth was quite quick especially given she's my first. Just over 3 hours, but it went quite well and on the whole my body seems to be recovering pretty quick. I actually saw the chiro yesterday which was fantastic as my upper back was giving me some grief. The first couple of days I was focussing so much on getting her attachment right that I paid no attention to my posture. I'm being much more aware of that now and make sure I'm feeling very comfortable when we feed. The biggest issue I was having was feeding in bed and struggling to be comfortable with my back but now that I've worked out how to get her attached laying down, that's no longer an issue. My nipples are still a little cracked and the grazes have just about healed. Its still quite painful for the first few sucks but after that everything feels fine except for my head.
even though the headaches seem to coincide with breastfeeding, I would say they are related more to the birth. It would be very helpful to sit with a lactation consultant and check that everything is comfortable. it will get batter! Pretty soon you will be feeding painfree (even your head!) You might want to keep a little notebook and at each feed not the severity of the headach (draw up a little painscale where one == not bad and 10 = really hurts) Are they worse in the day or the night? Any time of the day?How long do they last for? Make sure you are sitting comfortably in a chair, and leaning back a little (so the chair support you) Have a little snack and a drink with you.
I haven't really noticed when they are particularly worse or how long they last for but I'll take note of that. I'll see how we go over the next few days and go from there. Thanks
Registered User
Headaches when feeding
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks