What causes postpartum headaches?

We all know that Chinese people attach great importance to confinement after childbirth. Since the pores all over the body are opened during childbirth, the body will be weak and prone to illness during the confinement period. During this period, you should pay attention to rest, manage your emotions, have proper nutrition, and avoid being exposed to the wind, so as not to suffer from postpartum diseases. But some women experience headaches during confinement. What causes this?

Why do you have headaches after giving birth?

Western medicine believes that postpartum headaches are most likely caused by changes in hormone levels. Another possibility is that if an epidural or spinal puncture was used during labor, it could also cause a severe headache. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that postpartum headaches are caused by excessive blood loss, insufficient qi and blood, blood failing to nourish the brain, or physical weakness and cold, cold evil invading the brain, or blood stasis entering the meridians, blocking the brain meridians.

1. Blood deficiency: Excessive blood loss after childbirth, insufficient qi and blood, empty brain marrow, and blood failing to nourish the brain, leading to headaches.

2. Blood stasis: After childbirth, lochia does not flow out, blood stasis rushes upward, brain vessels are blocked, and blood circulation is poor, causing headaches.

3. Cold evil: If a woman fails to rest properly after childbirth and is exposed to wind and cold, the cold evil may invade the brain and cause headaches.

What to do with postpartum headache

1. Ice pack

Place ice cubes in an ice bag or wrap them in a towel and apply to the painful area. Once the blood vessels in the cooled head constrict, the symptoms will naturally ease.

2. Lie down and rest for a while

If conditions permit, when a migraine attacks, you might as well rest for a while in a dimly lit and quiet room. Generally speaking, just half an hour of sleep will relieve the migraine.

3. Massage your head

Gentle head massage is an effective way to relieve migraines. The temple is an important acupoint for migraine massage. You can press it with your index finger, or you can use your fist to gently rotate back and forth from the temple to the hairline to massage.

4. Drink green tea

The substances in green tea are effective in relieving migraines, so you can drink green tea in moderation to overcome severe migraines. However, postpartum mothers should try to drink less tea during breastfeeding to avoid affecting the baby.

5. Meditation

Using yoga and meditation is a new way to treat migraines. Postpartum mothers can buy a CD of this type and when a headache occurs, they can close their eyes and meditate for a while to the music, letting the harmonious sounds of nature make them forget the pain.

6. Wrap a towel around your head

It may seem funny, but it's a great way to treat migraines. When you feel pain, use a towel or soft cloth strip to wrap around your temples with appropriate tightness. This can inhibit blood vessel dilation and relieve pain.