Headaches??

adoubleu12 · February 2011

I have never posted on this board before, but I had twins 2 and a half weeks ago at 35 weeks. They spent 2 weeks in the NICU and while they were in there, I mostly pumped to get my breastmilk to them. I just got them home this week, and while they are getting the hang of BF, I am pumping and bottle feeding after they nurse. This last week I have started getting a kind of chronic headache. It has been manageable, but is getting worse and worse. I have been monitoring my BP, and that is fine. I was just blaming it on stress, but I have kind of started noticing a pattern. It gets worse after I pump, and tonight it got really really bad and I have been having cluster ice pick like headaches in my left temple that hurt enough to make me cry!! I even thought about packing up the twins and heading to the ER! Idk if it really has anything to do with pumping or not, but has anyone else experienced anything like this? and if so is there anything I could do? TIA

LTrap12 · February 2011

Congratulations on your beautiful twins And I give you a ton of credit for breastfeeding 2 babies at once! I breastfed my older daughter (she's now 2.5) for a year, and am currently breastfeeding my 2 month old. I don't remember headaches the first time, BUT, lately I have been experiencing them quite frequently, and it seems to be especially at night after I nurse, and I also pump a bottle at night for my DH to feed her. A week ago I went for my follow-up appointment with my OBGYM and she suggested that headaches (as well as night-sweats, which I also get) can happen while nursing due to elevated levels of estrogen. She said it's similar to symptoms you would encounter during menopause. I also attribute mine to stress, exhaustion and to be honest, I don't think I hydrate enough! Are you drinking a ton of water? Once I start drinking I don't realize how thirsty I really am, especially after a feeding, and that seems to help.

If they continue to be really severe, obviously you should check with your doctor But, you're not alone with the headaches! HTH! Good luck and feel better!!!

MamiJam · February 2011

I would get headaches in the early weeks of BF as well. I noticed it was due to dehydration. Make sure you are keeping yourself hydrated and eating plenty of nutritious foods. If that doesn't help, talk to our OB. Hormones may also play a role in this as there is a surge of hormones during the first few weeks postpartum.

Annyong · February 2011

I've noticed a pattern too. It started with BFing and pumping. I think it's because we're probably not drinking enough water to make up for what we're putting out but I could be wrong. I found no solution. I just try to up my water intake and when it gets pretty bad take 2 tylenols. GL.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug · February 2011

Yikes!

My first thought is dehydration, too. I don't know for sure, but it seems logical to me that you'd need an extra 24-30 oz of water on top of what a mom nursing just one baby would need to stay hydrated. So increasing your water intake even more would be one thought.

I don't get cluster headaches, but I've had migraines for 15 years, and I know that when my posture isn't great, my headaches get awful. Could you try paying attention to how you're sitting while feeding and pumping, and see if sitting up straighter with your shoulders back and neck at a natural curve helps? I know it's hard to sit well with only one nursing, but I notice a huge difference in how I feel when I pay attention to how I sit.

I hope you get it figured out quickly!

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