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Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by theosteomum
If you’ve recently given birth and are experiencing a lot of headaches, you’re not alone. Having postpartum headaches everyday can range from plain annoying to outright life-threatening, so you need to know when to take them seriously.
This post will discuss:
- Exactly what is a postpartum headache
- What are they caused by?
- Why some women have them more than others
- How common are postpartum headaches
- What are the risk factors?
- Does breastfeeding cause postpartum headaches?
- When you should be worried about having postpartum headaches everyday
- Strategies to help postpartum headaches
What is a Postpartum headache?
Postpartum headaches, as the name suggests, are headaches experienced at any time in the days, weeks or even months after giving birth.
Given the huge number of changes your body is going through in this time, it’s not surprising that you may feel some extra aches and pains.
What many women do find surprising though, is the sometimes intense headaches they can feel in the postpartum period.
You may or may not have suffered headaches during pregnancy, and these postpartum headaches may feel the same, or quite different.
For the purposes of this post, I’m talking about headaches you experience in the first few weeks post birth.
What is the postpartum period?
The time after a woman gives birth is known as the “postpartum period”.
There are a number of definitions as to exactly how long the postpartum period is.
These range anywhere from 6-12 weeks, anywhere up to 6-12 months.
What causes postpartum headaches?
There is a stack of evidence to suggest that by far the most common causes of postpartum headaches are migraines and tension-type headaches.
If you usually suffer from migraines, you may be aware that swings in oestrogen levels can be a trigger for them.
Wanna know what happens to oestrogen levels once you’ve given birth?
They drop dramatically. Cue migraine trigger if you’re susceptible to them!
Why do some women experience postpartum headaches every day?
As we’ll get into a little later, there are a number of possible causes of postpartum headaches.
Some of the more simple reasons you might be experiencing postpartum headaches everyday are things that go hand in hand with being a new Mom.
Things like:
Sleep deprivation
Put your hand up if you’re tired!
Bone-achingly tired!
This alone can be a trigger for headaches.
Unsurprisingly, one study has confirmed the first three months are particularly gruelling when it comes to sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to decrease your body’s pain threshold. This means that you’re just flat out more likely to feel pain when you’re tired. So even a little nagging headache will feel much bigger than it usually would.
Hormonal changes
The days and weeks postpartum are a whirlwind of hormonal changes.
The sky-high levels of oestrogen and progesterone your had during pregnancy plummet in the days after giving birth. At the same time, prolactin and oxytocin go through the roof.
This is part of the reason you’re crying over your burnt toast or the diaper commercial.
It’s also partly to blame for those postpartum headaches everyday.
Dehydration
The process of giving birth, especially when it’s a vaginal birth, involves a lot of fluid loss.
Giving birth can be sweaty work!
You’ll also likely lose some blood, which your body will need to replenish.
Add in breastfeeding, and it’s a recipe for dehydration.
Unlike sleep deprivation and hormonal changes, dehydration is often a relatively easy fix.
Postpartum women are encouraged to drink around 3L (roughly 100 fluid ounces) per day. Ideally this should come from water, but all liquids and foods containing fluids (such as fruits and vegetables) are included.
A practical and easy way to ensure you’re getting enough water in is to have a drink bottle handy at all times. This is one of my favourites- the 1 Litre capacity means it can hold a good amount, while the fact that they’re insulated means your drinks will stay cool for hours.
How common is to to experience postpartum headaches everyday?
Studies have shown that nearly 40% of women experience headaches in the first week after giving birth.
The good news is that most women are still able to take care of themselves and their baby despite these postpartum headaches. Unfortunately, around 4% of women will experience pain so intense that it affects their ability to look after themselves or their baby.
Most commonly, the headaches occur within the first three to six days after birth, but they can occur at any stage of the postpartum period.
So many things are changing during this time.
You’re sleep deprived, recovering physically from birth, adjusting to a new role of motherhood, as well as experiencing hormonal, fluid and weight changes.
It’s actually surprising that more women don’t report postpartum headaches everyday!
What are the risk factors for postpartum headaches?
Just like you would if you hadn’t just had a baby, postpartum women are prone to suffering from some pretty “standard” headaches.
Migraine and tension-type headaches make up around 65% of all headaches suffered by postpartum women.
However, there are a few additional risk factors that postpartum women need to know about regarding their headaches.
Some things in your medical history can mean that it’s more likely you’ll suffer postpartum headaches than other women.
The 4 known risk factors for developing postpartum headaches are:
1. Lumbar puncture pain relief during labour:
Epidurals are widely used for pain relief in labour.
They involve an injection of a local anaesthetic into the lower back area.
Studies have shown that epidurals may reduce pain during labour more effectively than any other form of pain relief.
However, a possible complication of this type of pain relief can be a “dural puncture”.
Dural punctures are tiny holes that are accidentally made into the tissues around the spine.
Dural punctures can cause headaches in some women.
They occur in around 1.5% of women who use this type of pain relief, with more than half of these women experiencing headaches in the days afterwards.
Headaches with this cause are called “postdural puncture headaches”.
Postdural puncture headaches usually begin within 1-2 days of the lumbar puncture procedure.
However, they may start as long as 12 days later.
Most cases resolve within 2 weeks of the lumbar puncture.
They are usually felt at the back and front of the head, and are dull and throbbing in nature.
They are nearly always made worse by sitting and standing, and relieved by laying down.
If this does not happen with your headache, it’s unlikely to be caused by a dural puncture.
Postdural puncture headaches are 5 times more likely than other types of postpartum headaches to cause incapacitating pain.
That means that often the pain is so intense that it really impairs your ability to look after yourself or your baby.
Postdural puncture headaches are more common in the following groups of women:
- Younger age
- Vaginal deliveries
- Low body mass index (BMI) – i.e. “underweight” women
- Being a non-smoker
Yes, this is one condition that you’re less likely to suffer if you’ve got a higher body weight or if you smoke.
This is thought to be due to increased pressure in the system of obese patients, and the higher chance of blood clots in smokers which can actually help heal the hole that causes these headaches faster.
If you think you’re suffering from a postdural puncture headache, you could try:
- Bed rest- to allow the body to heal, and minimise headaches in the meantime
- Hydration- either by drinking a lot of water, or if need be, via an IV drip in hospital
- Have some caffeine- which has been shown to narrow the blood vessels that supply the brain, which can lead to a reduction in pain.
If you’ve tried these tactics and you’re still experiencing the postdural puncture headache, you may need to speak to your Doctor.
Some women experiencing this type of headache require treatment with an epidural blood patch, which can help to heal the hole that is causing the pain. This patch is a procedure that works in a similar way to the original epidural, and has been shown to be the most effective method of treating this condition if more conservative measures (such as those above) don’t work.
2. Previous headache history:
Having a history of headaches prior to pregnancy and delivery is the most common cause of postpartum headaches.
Usually, this means you’ve previously suffered from migraines or tension-type headaches.
Typically, migraines will have at least 2 of the following symptoms:
- one-sided pain
- throbbing nature
- moderate or severe intensity
- nausea or vomiting
- sensitivity to light or sound
Migraines may also have the following symptoms:
- visual symptoms such as black spots in your vision, or “squiggles” on the outside edges of your vision
- tingling in your face or arm(s)
Tension-type headaches usually have the following symptoms:
- pressure or vice-like pain around the head
- mild to moderate intensity
- tenderness of the scalp
- you may have neck pain or pain at the base of your skull
| Symptom | Migraine | Tension type headache |
| Location | One side of head | Pressure around head |
| Intensity | Moderate to severe | Mild to moderate |
| Nausea/vomiting | Possible | No |
| Sensitivity to light +/or sound | Possible | No |
| Visual symptoms (e.g. seeing black spots) | Possible | No |
| Tingling in face or arms | Possible | No |
| Neck pain or tenderness | No | Possible |
Women who usually suffer headaches when they’re not pregnant are 1.5-2 times more likely than women who don’t usually suffer headache to experience them in the postpartum period.
For tips on how to manage these types of headaches, check out my post on headaches during pregnancy .
All of the management tips will still apply in the postpartum period.
3. Having at least one child already:
Having at least one child already, as well as a newborn, makes it more likely that you will suffer postpartum headaches.
The evidence suggests that if these women experience headaches during pregnancy, they’re more likely to get worse throughout the third trimester.
At this stage, there is no conclusive evidence as to why this occurs.
One theory is that women with more than one child have more complicated lives than those with one child.
One theory is that women with more than one child have more complicated lives than those with one child.
They simply do not have time to implement some simple self-management strategies such as adequate sleep and stress management techniques.
Although I was lucky enough not to experience any significant headaches in the postpartum period, I can certainly attest to the fact that life was a whole lot different after the birth of my second child than it was after the first. There just wasn’t enough minutes in the day sometimes! Thankfully for me, my girls are older now and I’ve found some pockets of time to myself, but those early days are hectic!
4. Increasing age:
Older mothers are more likely than younger ones to suffer postpartum headaches.
This fact ties in with what we know about women and headaches in general.
Even in women who are not pregnant or in a postpartum stage, headaches tend to peak in frequency at around 40 years of age.
So it may be an unlucky coincidence that you’re postpartum and also your likelihood of suffering headaches is increased during this time.
Does breastfeeding cause postpartum headaches everyday?
Breastfeeding itself does not cause postpartum headaches.
However, it’s not uncommon for breastfeeding women to become dehydrated.
Between 1 and 6 months of age, babies will drink up to 900mL (30 oz) per day! And that’s just what you need to produce before your body has looked after itself.
This is why it’s recommended that breastfeeding women drink around 3L (roughly 100oz) per day.
It’s recommended that breastfeeding women drink around 3L (roughly 100oz) per day
“When should I worry about postpartum headaches? What should I look out for?”
The vast majority of postpartum headaches are caused by relatively harmless things. They may be uncomfortable, but they are unlikely to lead to any major consequences for you.
However, in a small percentage of people, headaches can be a sign of a more serious underlying condition.
Some “red flags” that mean you should seek urgent medical attention include:
- decreased urination- i.e. you don’t need to pee as much or as often
- swelling in your legs or feet
- changes to your vision
These symptoms may indicate pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, which can be a life-threatening condition.
In addition to these, some other signs or symptoms to be aware of with any headache are listed in the graphic below.
What to do if you’re having postpartum headaches everyday:
1. See an Osteopath or Physiotherapist
Headaches during pregnancy affect around 40% of Mums-to-be, often because of the postural changes that occur during this time. For the same reason, headaches can occur once you’ve given birth, as your body adjusts to no longer having to carry around an unborn child.
Osteopaths or Physiotherapists/Physical Therapists are trained in identifying individual factors that may be contributing to your headaches. They’ll be able to help with hands-on treatment, and prescribe specific stretches or exercises that may help.
2. Get some (gentle) exercise
It’s easy to be overwhelmed in the early days of becoming a Mum.
You’re sleep deprived, your baby doesn’t know day from night, and you have no idea what you’re doing.
Exercise is the last thing on your mind.
But there is significant evidence to show that regular exercise can help prevent headaches and migraines. It’s also a great mood-booster, and can help you start to shift any extra weight gained during pregnancy.
But, keep it gentle.
Be kind to your body- it’s been through a lot.
Most medical professionals recommend only very gentle exercise like walking and some body weight exercises for up to four months after giving birth.
Remember that regardless of whether you’ve had a vaginal birth or a C-section, your pelvic floor has taken a beating over the 9 months of your pregnancy.
You may be keen to get back into running or another form of high-intensity exercise ASAP, but you’ll thank yourself later if you give yourself enough time to recover.
No one wants to deal with pelvic floor issues, or conditions such as prolapse.
Many babies are soothed to sleep by pram walking, or by being held in a carrier such as this one while you walk. The great thing about this is that baby gets to sleep, and you get some exercise with the added benefit of a little extra weight or resistance. It’s a win win!
3. Have a coffee
As if you needed any encouragement!
Coffee contains caffeine, which has been shown to help some types of postpartum headaches. This effect is most obvious in women who are suffering from postdural puncture headaches.
If coffee is not your thing, you could try a cup of tea, or other caffeinated beverage.
I realise that many postpartum women try to limit their consumption of caffeine, as it can have an effect on their breastfed infants.
However, according to the Australian Breastfeeding Association, it’s usually acceptable to have drink at least one coffee per day.
If you’d like more specific information, you can click here.
I’ve seen a number of women in my clinic who’ve sworn that this has done the trick for them.
4. Try some medications
Simple medications such as paracetamol can be helpful in postpartum headaches. Paracetamol is generally considered safe for breastfeeding mothers. Follow the dosage instructions on the packaging to ensure you stay within the safe dosage.
If you have been previously prescribed medications for headaches, they may also be effective.
Breastfeeding mothers will need to check with their Doctor or Pharmacist first to ensure that it’s safe to take them during this time.
If you haven’t suffered headaches in the past, and your postpartum headaches don’t settle with the other remedies listed here, you should see a Doctor. They may prescribe medications that can help with postpartum headaches.
5. Lie down, and drink a lot of water
Many women find that having a rest can help reduce their headache symptoms. Especially in the postpartum period, it’s easy to become exhausted. Sometimes having a lay down is all that you need.
However, postdural puncture headaches are also known to be relieved by laying down. This is because this type of headache is caused by a small leakage of the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord. Laying down means that gravity has less of an effect on this leak.
Ensuring you drink plenty of water can also help to keep you fluid levels up. Once again, this helps to minimise the effect of any loss of fluid around your brain. Try keeping a drink bottle like this one nearby both for convenience and as a reminder to actually drink!
“OK. I’ve tried these things and I’m still having postpartum headaches everyday. What now?”
If you’ve tried all of the suggestions listed above, but you’re still experiencing postpartum headaches everyday, you should speak to your Doctor.
Your Doctor may prescribe medications that can help with postpartum headaches, or order more specific tests to determine their exact cause.
If your Doctor diagnoses you with a postdural puncture headache, they may also suggest a procedure to repair the cause of the problem. An “epidural blood patch” has a success rate of 70-98%. If a blood patch doesn’t help resolve your symptoms after the first attempt, it can be repeated.
Postpartum headaches everyday- wrapping up:
The postpartum time is a complex and challenging time.
No matter whether you’re a first-time Mum adjusting to round-the-clock demands, or already have older children who also need your care, this is not an easy time.
Headaches can sometimes be a normal part of this process.
However, postpartum headaches can have a number of possible causes.
As a result, there are also a number of possible solutions.
I encourage you to try the strategies outlined here, and see if they can help relieve your postpartum headaches.
If they don’t, speak to your Doctor to help determine your next steps.
