Postpartum headaches: What's normal and what's not?

Hey moms,

I’ve been dealing with these chronic headaches for the last two weeks—the intensity fluctuates, but the pain is just... always there, even when I'm trying to sleep.

Baby is 6.5 weeks old now. Delivery went great—vaginal birth with induction, took about 2 hours. This is my second kid; my oldest son is 7.

The little guy is honestly such a good baby—nursing and sleeping well. We deal with some occasional colic, but he doesn't even cry through it—just kind of grunts. He eats roughly every three hours, wakes up at night to nurse and then goes right back to sleep. My husband handles the cleaning, my mom helps with laundry, and I manage the cooking, so I wouldn't say I'm totally exhausted or running on zero sleep, but yeah... I'm definitely tired.

I'm not getting more than three hours of sleep at a stretch (we did hit a 5-hour stretch a couple of times), but I try to nap during the day while he's down.

Since we're breastfeeding, I'm really trying to eat healthy and I'm drinking massive amounts of fluids—mostly just water. Otherwise, I'm pretty healthy.

Anyway, since this headache won't quit, I'm starting to get a bit worried. Just wanted to see if anyone else has gone through something similar or had any experiences with this?

Then again, like I said, I have a really sweet, easygoing baby—maybe it's just the exhaustion catching up to me? I've never really had issues with headaches before this.

Did you end up getting an epidural? 🤔

edit: According to this site, they link those pregnancy headaches and postpartum ones back to hormone shifts—like estrogen or, less commonly, oxytocin if you're breastfeeding. It might be worth a look; there’s some decent advice 🙂in here.

edit2: On the other hand, this source suggests it could potentially be a neurological issue, so maybe it's worth seeing a neurologist just to check things like intracranial pressure and stuff like that.

electricscout15 said:did you get an epidural? 🤔

edit: this link links pregnancy-related headaches—both during and after birth—to hormone-driven migraines (estrogen or, less often, oxytocin since you're nursing). give it a read, there's some good advice in there 🙂

edit2: and this site says it could actually be neurological, so maybe worth seeing a neurologist to check things like intracranial pressure and stuff.

epidural—NOPE!

crazy, it never even crossed my mind that hormones could trigger this kind of pain...

definitely hitting up my primary care doc regardless.

I reopened this exact thread after giving birth... turned out to be migraines. Started maybe 3 or 4 weeks postpartum, if I recall correctly... throbbing head, ears ringing... anyway, to make a long story short, after literally banging my head against a wall and cycling through endless tests, antibiotics, and various painkillers, everything finally cleared up with Advil.😲😍😍...for me, the pain would intensify every 3 or 4 hours... just a constant, tolerable cycle. The Advil wiped the pain away completely, though I had to take it the second I felt an onset coming on... lasted about four days. They claimed it was just clogged arteries from stress and exhaustion—whatever... yeah, right.

I started this exact same thread after giving birth... turned out to be migraines. It kicked in maybe 3 or 4 weeks postpartum, if I recall correctly... throbbing head, ears ringing... anyway, to make a long story short—after literally banging my head against a wall and going through endless tests, antibiotics, and every painkiller under the sun—everything finally cleared up once I started taking Advil.😲😍😍...for me, the pain would spike every 3 or 4 hours... manageable enough, I guess, just a constant cycle. The Advil wiped the pain out completely, though I had to take it the second I felt an onset coming on... took about 4 days to pass. Apparently, they said it was clogged arteries from stress and exhaustion... blah blah... just a suggestion.

Amanda Hughes37 said:Supposedly their veins were just closed up from stress and exhaustion... blah blah... give it a shot.

Interesting—I guess anything can happen.

Saw my GP today, and she mentioned anemia might be the culprit. I'm heading in tomorrow to get a full blood panel done.

It’s definitely a possibility since I had a huge baby and dealt with some pretty intense postpartum bleeding for quite a while.

BTW, is it okay to take Advil while breastfeeding?🤷

You can take them every four hours if you need to.

It could be an iron deficiency, or maybe just low blood pressure—again, likely because of the blood loss.

I went through the exact same thing. No headaches for me, but I was taking iron supplements that absolutely wrecked my stomach. So, I started gorging on massive amounts of beet greens and drinking beet juice. It was honestly disgusting, but it actually worked. After a month, everything finally went back to normal.😁

I feel compelled to weigh in on this thread because I am dealing with these headaches myself.😢 To be honest, I dealt with them before pregnancy, but what I’m experiencing now is absolute madness. My head hurts almost every single day, if not every other. Sometimes it’s these intense, sharp bursts of pain, and other times it’s just this dull, heavy ache that won't quit. It’s driving me insane. On top of that, my back is completely wrecked from carrying the baby around. It’s been seven weeks since I gave birth, and the headaches haven't let up for a second. For what it's worth, I had a standard vaginal delivery—no epidural, no IV drip, nothing. My hormones were perfectly stable during the pregnancy, too. I’m breastfeeding currently. I’ve never struggled with anemia in my life, at least not until now. Should I go see my primary care physician to get some blood work done? Because I am honestly at my breaking point. Every time the weather shifts, I feel like complete hell.🙏🙏🙏

I found myself struggling with these relentless, pounding headaches following childbirth, which didn't finally subside until I started taking iron supplements...

Go see a doctor. Seriously.

You can actually manage or even dull those migraines just by tweaking what you eat. Diet matters more than people admit.

Massages help too, I guess... though personally, I didn't find relief until a chiropractor finally cracked my back into submission. After that? The headaches just stopped.

Amy Brown13 said:I had to jump in here because I’m dealing with the exact same headache situation.😢 I actually dealt with them before I had my baby, but now? It’s absolute insanity. My head hurts every single day or every other day—sometimes it's this sharp, intense burst, and other times it's just a dull, constant ache. I'm losing my mind. Plus, my back is completely shot from carrying the baby around. It's been 7 weeks since delivery and these headaches aren't letting up. I had a standard vaginal birth—no epidural, barely even an IV, everything went smooth. No crazy hormone issues during pregnancy either. I'm breastfeeding now. I've never struggled with anemia before, at least not until now. Should I hit up my primary care doctor to get some blood work done? I am seriously struggling. And as soon as the weather shifts, I'm totally screwed.🙏 🙏 🙏

Man, it’s like you’re describing my life... from A to Z. Only difference is, I didn't have any issues before I was pregnant...

My back is killing me too—honestly can't tell if it hurts more when I'm sitting, standing, or lying down... (
Go see your doctor. I'm actually heading in tomorrow to get blood work done, so I'll let you know what they find.

Ugh, guess I gotta sign up here too, unfortunately...
It’s always the same stories. I had a totally normal birth—no epidural, zero issues during the pregnancy itself...
But ever since the baby arrived, my head has been killing me. When it gets unbearable, I'll grab some Advil, but honestly, I really don't want to be constantly popping pills every single day, especially while I'm breastfeeding...
Does anyone know if there's any actual help out there? Like, am I seriously forced to go see a doctor, or will this just fade away once I finally get used to this crazy new sleep schedule? And on top of all that, I am sweating like crazy, seriously, more than I ever have in my entire life😕

I figured I’d jump in here because this topic really hits home for me. I’m dealing with the exact same thing—constant headaches, even though it’s been two years since I had my baby. Honestly, I don't think I ever dealt with headaches before pregnancy, but ever since, they've become a regular part of my life. They aren't all the same, either; sometimes it’s this sharp, stabbing pain right behind one eye, other times it’s a pulsing sensation at the base of my skull, and occasionally it’s just this dull, heavy ache that makes me want to crawl into a dark room and sit in total silence until it passes... and it goes on like that forever. My worst stretch was six days straight where I couldn't escape them; I'd go to bed with a headache and wake up with one. After those six days, I finally grabbed some Tylenol. I can't touch Aspirin or Advil because I'm overly sensitive to acetylsalicylic acid, so those are a no-go for me.
In the beginning, right after giving birth, everything seemed fine—I didn't have any issues during that first year—but these last few months have been absolutely unbearable, so I’m not even sure if I fall into that "postpartum" category. 😁
Oh, and I had an epidural during delivery. It’s just so strange to still be feeling the fallout two years later, if that's even what caused it in the first place.

Bringing this topic back up for a moment...
So, it’s been a week now, and I’ve been dealing with a killer headache for the last three days straight.
Since I wear glasses, I was wondering if this could be related to eye pressure? The pain is localized right behind my eyes, mostly on the left side. Two days ago, something really scary happened while I was changing the baby—my left eye just went blurry, and I couldn't see a thing. For about five minutes, I was practically screaming at my husband to turn the lights on and check my eye; it was late at night, and I felt like my eye was actually drifting out of place. He took a look, though, and said everything looked normal. My vision started clearing up once I tried focusing on something close by, and then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Has anyone else ever gone through something like this?
It hasn't happened again, but the headache is still lingering, sometimes getting so intense that I can't even sleep. Should I just stick to Tylenol?

vividhawk87 said:Bringing this back up...
Look, it’s been a week now, and I’ve had a killing headache for the last three days!!!!
Since I wear glasses, could this be eye pressure? It hurts right behind my eyes, mostly on the left side. Two days ago, while I was changing the baby, my left eye just went blurry—I couldn't see a thing. For about five minutes, I was screaming at my husband to turn the light on and check my eye (it was late at night), because it felt like my eye was drifting, though he said everything looked fine. My vision would clear up if I focused on something close by. Then it just stopped. Has anyone else dealt with this?
It hasn't happened again, but the headache won't quit. Sometimes it's so bad I can't sleep.... should I take Tylenol?

You can take Tylenol or Advil.
I wear glasses too, and whenever the heatwave hits, my head starts pounding.
Did you have a C-section or a vaginal birth? After a C-section, you can get headaches from the spinal anesthesia.
Regardless of how you gave birth, I had a one-sided headache behind my eye for a few days last week. Might be eye pressure combined with the heatwave.
If it doesn't go away, go to the doctor....

I had a natural birth, though they did have me on an IV drip and attempted to administer an epidural (which didn't end up working out), followed by some postpartum pain management.

So, I finally got my Epi shot and my head was absolutely wrecked for two weeks—it was brutal!😢 I couldn’t even lift my arms above my head without struggling; I was so stiff and achy, honestly felt like I had the worst case of the flu in history. My head felt like a giant balloon just waiting to pop, but then after those two weeks, it was like someone just flicked a switch and the pain vanished!🤣

I dealt with daily headaches for an entire month following childbirth—just constant, unrelenting pain from morning until night. At first, I blamed it on pure exhaustion and nerves—then I suspected the Pitocin, since a headache is listed right there in the side effects—and eventually, I tried to convince myself it was just the lingering stress and anxiety from my time at the hospital. When I couldn't pin down a single cause, I basically just resigned myself to the fact that my head was going to hurt every single day... I wasn't even taking any medication. Eventually, it just passed.

Make sure you’re actually drinking enough water, seriously. Dehydration will absolutely wreck you and give you a killer headache 😉

Between this heatwave and all the stress with the little ones... man, there are just so many things that could be triggering it.

Starting a new thread here... I gave birth about 1.5 months ago via C-section—after a grueling 12-hour attempt at a vaginal delivery involving an IV drip without an epidural (they tried, but it just wasn't happening) and some Dolophine. I lost quite a bit of blood during the surgery, so I was instructed to start iron supplements. Currently, I’m taking Floradix along with iron from Walgreens and some Vitamin C. Since the delivery, I've been dealing with these strange headaches—sort of a localized pressure at the base of my skull. They come and go throughout the day; they mostly subside when I'm lying down. I've also noticed they tend to flare up when the baby starts crying.
Has anyone else dealt with something similar?