Headaches?

[kellikans]

Pretty much from the day after I found out I was pregnant, I've had this dull headache that won't go away. It's been all over, but recently has been in the lower back of my head. Acupuncture didn't do anything. I broke down and took Tylenol the other day and it helped (I was okay for the day yesterday) but now it's back.

I'm 5w6d today. Did anyone else experience this? I'm scared to take too much Tylenol. And I am prone to headaches anyway, so is this just something I have to deal with?

[boiler717]

It's fine to take Tylenol! I had a lot of headaches in the beginning, mostly from dehydration. I needed SO much more water than I thought.

[ivy]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this kellikans! I started getting them around 12 weeks, and I've consistently had 2-3 every week since then.

Here are a few things I've been able to do to help:
-Epsom salt baths, or even a hot shower helps
-Massage (my neck and shoulders are very tight), though you can't get a prenatal massage until after first tri
-Chiropractor - I go 1-2 times per week. IVF bonus - since I've hit my OOP max for the year, it's "free"
-Peppermint and lavender essential oils. My nurse suggested this, and I thought she was crazy, but it really does help. Mix a few drops of each in your hand and apply to your temples and the base of your neck.

If all else fails, I'll take Tylenol. It is fine to use, but I don't like taking it multiple times a week for weeks on end. There have been a couple of studies to come out in the last year or two that ties high Tylenol usage (27+ days) in pregnant mothers with elevated risk of ADHD, slow motor development, or behavior problems in their children. There are problems with the studies, the root cause of the increase can't be tied solely to Tylenol usage, more research is needed, etc. But I don't have to time to wait on them to figure it all out, so my comfort level is to use it as a last resort.

I hope you find some relief soon!

[jessnpaul]

Oct 2, 2015 12:50:25 GMT -5 ivy said:

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this kellikans! I started getting them around 12 weeks, and I've consistently had 2-3 every week since then.

Here are a few things I've been able to do to help:
-Epsom salt baths, or even a hot shower helps
-Massage (my neck and shoulders are very tight), though you can't get a prenatal massage until after first tri
-Chiropractor - I go 1-2 times per week. IVF bonus - since I've hit my OOP max for the year, it's "free"
-Peppermint and lavender essential oils. My nurse suggested this, and I thought she was crazy, but it really does help. Mix a few drops of each in your hand and apply to your temples and the base of your neck.

If all else fails, I'll take Tylenol. It is fine to use, but I don't like taking it multiple times a week for weeks on end. There have been a couple of studies to come out in the last year or two that ties high Tylenol usage (27+ days) in pregnant mothers with elevated risk of ADHD, slow motor development, or behavior problems in their children. There are problems with the studies, the root cause of the increase can't be tied solely to Tylenol usage, more research is needed, etc. But I don't have to time to wait on them to figure it all out, so my comfort level is to use it as a last resort.

I hope you find some relief soon!

This exactly. I have to have a debilitating headache for me to even consider taking it. I might be extra cautious but you just never know!

Because as pregnants we don't have enough to worry about ;-)

[G22]

I got headaches often during 2nd tri. Tylenol was my friend those days.

[cactuscookie]

I've gotten headaches off and on the whole pregnancy, particularly in the morning. Usually they're minor, but when they get pretty bad, I'll take Tylonol. But since they don't happen regularly, I don't worry about the Tylenol.

[loira]

I had bad headaches in first tri. Not sure if it was from that thing someone mentioned about vessels dilating in preparation for more blood flow, but not actually having the extra blood flow yet. It might have been from all the puking I was doing, too. In any case, I vote normal, drink lots of water, take a tylenol if you need one, and try to rest when you can.

[kellikans]

@cookiemonster03 I have cut out caffeine almost entirely, but I never had a lot of it before. I'm a tea (iced tea and tea lattes) drinker, but usually stuck with decaf coffee because a lot of caffeine always made me jittery. But I've cut it all out, so that probably contributes some. Adding it back in scares me.

[Muddled]

It's normal. It's from your blood volume increasing. Adding in caffeine helped me.

[KB]

I still get them fairly regularly, but I was a migraine sufferer before pregnancy. Drink water until you feel like you're going to pop. You can take the tylenol and add a bit of caffeine. It will help.