A question for the ladies who have had babies

WitsEnd Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:43 pm

I've read on here several times that the vast majority of us get through pregnancy migraine free, or almost migraine free! I had a baby two weeks ago and was fortunate enough to have only one migraine in the 38 weeks I was pregnant.

I'm now wondering, how long after giving birth did it take for the dreaded migraines to come back?

I'm constantly on edge at the moment, just waiting for them to hit and I'm trying to decide when I should go back on beta blockers.

Thanks for any input Smile

Kem10 Mon Feb 24, 2014 5:07 pm

I remember having a number of migraines during my first pregnancy but it was before I even knew that they were migraines. I just thought I had very bad headaches. The second pregnancy did not produce migraines for some reason though I had severe nausea during both pregnancies.

Migrainegirl Mon Feb 24, 2014 5:48 pm

The reason you did not have migraines while pregnant is the much much higher levels of progesterone in your body. They will come back as your levels decrease. You might want to try taking natural bio- identical progesterone supplements when that happens. It has helped me a lot.

Seaine Tue Feb 25, 2014 9:09 am

I have not been pregnant myself, but have been told this by many people. My friend even told me she knows someone whose migraines NEVER came back after her child. Anything can happen I suppose.

Jewishmother Tue Feb 25, 2014 12:01 pm

I have had 2 children and both times my migraines pretty much disappeared when I was pregnant and breastfeeding. It was a nice break especially when dealing with a baby!

migrainingmama Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:36 pm

I had migraines daily from weeks 8 through 18 with both of my kids. After I had my daughter, the migraines did not come back for 4 months. They came back within a week of having my son. I guess you never know what may happen.

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:53 am

Thank you ladies.

Well, 6 weeks after giving birth and 2 weeks after going back on the pill and they're back. I've had 2 migraines in 4 days. I can't live like this with a small baby to look after Sad

I swear it's the mini pill that's doing this to me. It's too much of a coincidence. I think I need to give it up for good.

Seaine Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:15 am

Just a note, I take the mini pill and here in the US at least there is only one brand without food coloring - Nora-BE. It's not generic so it's more expensive. However, it's the one I take since every single other one had food coloring. Just a thought, if food coloring gives you migraines then you may be taking a daily dose of it.

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:02 am

Thank you for this. I've just had a look at the ingredients and E171 is listed.

I need to get off this pill.

I've been stuck in the aura stage for hours so I've called the doctors surgery as I really need help.

I need to attempt to feed the baby whe I can't even see. Wish me luck

Mini Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:11 am

After my second baby I went on the pill and gradually, my M began to get worse and worse, and over the years getting quite out of control, until I went to the new gyno who was very honest and told me that the pill is likely to be the cause and changed me to another form of birth control.

After that my M were much more manageable, but I still got them around my PMT period.
Then after my menopause they got worse again, so I wondered if this was due to going on HRT. But when I stopped the HRT, even for longer periods, it did not seem to make any difference, so I went back on it.
Still, after my menopause my M is never quite as bad as they were when I was younger.

AS to the new baby adjustment, I find that wheneverf I don't get enough sleep, I always wake up with M, and of course with the baby we never, ever get enough sleep.

And your hormones are still adjusting and will be for some time.
There is a very strong connection between M and hormones, so I wonder if you went on the pill a little too early. Perhaps it is best to try to use some other contraceptive methods (have a word with your Dr, what might suits you best) before your body has a chance to adjust properly to all the changes, before going back on the pill again.

You don't mention if you are breast feeding or not, because if you do, this gives you already much protection, but of course you would not want to relay on it exclusively for your contraception.

Migrainegirl Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:38 am

It's the pill that is the problem. The artificial hormones really screw with your body. (It has a different molecular structure so that it can be patented, which exact duplicates of what the body produces cannot be.) Get off them immediately if you are taking them and use a different form of birth control.

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:51 pm

Mini wrote:After my second baby I went on the pill and gradually, my M began to get worse and worse, and over the years getting quite out of control, until I went to the new gyno who was very honest and told me that the pill is likely to be the cause and changed me to another form of birth control.

After that my M were much more manageable, but I still got them around my PMT period.
Then after my menopause they got worse again, so I wondered if this was due to going on HRT. But when I stopped the HRT, even for longer periods, it did not seem to make any difference, so I went back on it.
Still, after my menopause my M is never quite as bad as they were when I was younger.

AS to the new baby adjustment, I find that whenever if I don't get enough sleep, I always wake up with M, and of course with the baby we never, ever get enough sleep.

And your hormones are still adjusting and will be for some time.
There is a very strong connection between M and hormones, so I wonder if you went on the pill a little too early. Perhaps it is best to try to use some other contraceptive methods (have a word with your Dr, what might suits you best) before your body has a chance to adjust properly to all the changes, before going back on the pill again.

You don't mention if you are breast feeding or not, because if you do, this gives you already much protection, but of course you would not want to relay on it exclusively for your contraception.

Thanks for your thoughts. The lack of sleep also crossed my mind but I managed through the worst of it migraine free. The baby is sleeping through the night already and NOW the migraines kick in. This is why I'm so adamant it's the pill.

I am not breast feeding, I chose not to so I could get back on migraine meds as soon as I needed to.

Thank you again.

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:54 pm

Migrainegirl wrote:It's the pill that is the problem. The artificial hormones really screw with your body. (It has a different molecular structure so that it can be patented, which exact duplicates of what the body produces cannot be.) Get off them immediately if you are taking them and use a different form of birth control.

I am with you on this. I am taking no more. Today has been the worst day I've had in years and I cannot live like this with a tiny baby to look after.

My other half agrees 100% that I should stop taking it.

Thanks also for your thoughts.

Kem10 Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:57 pm

Nothing to add to this except to send a hug. Hopefully that migraine will go away very fast.

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:58 pm

Just as a side note, doctors have told me that the mini pill couldn't do this to you!!!!

If I hadn't got pregnant and been off the pill in the first place, I'd still be none he wiser.

Scary thought!!!

WitsEnd Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:59 pm

Kem10 wrote:Nothing to add to this except to send a hug. Hopefully that migraine will go away very fast.

Thank you

I'm very lucky that I have a relatively "easy" baby Smile

Kem10 Thu Mar 27, 2014 1:40 pm

Easy babies are a great blessing and can make you smile even with a migraine. Very Happy

Seaine Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:24 am

WitsEnd wrote:Just as a side note, doctors have told me that the mini pill couldn't do this to you!!!!

Did they mean the mini pill doesn't give headaches? If so, they might be saying that because the mini pill does NOT contain any estrogen. In the past I've heard, including from doctors, that it's the synthetic estrogen that causes migraines. The mini pill only contains progestin. However, the doctors don't seem to know about the food coloring issue...

Personally, I must take the pill because I get ovarian cysts, and when I was a child I nearly died, had to get a blood transfusion and emergency surgery due to them. So, even if it causes migraines, which I'll never really know until I try to have children, I must continue to take them due to the risk otherwise.

WitsEnd Fri Mar 28, 2014 4:39 pm

Kem10 wrote:Easy babies are a great blessing and can make you smile even with a migraine.

So very true Smile

WitsEnd Fri Mar 28, 2014 4:41 pm

Seaine wrote:
WitsEnd wrote:Just as a side note, doctors have told me that the mini pill couldn't do this to you!!!!

Did they mean the mini pill doesn't give headaches? If so, they might be saying that because the mini pill does NOT contain any estrogen. In the past I've heard, including from doctors, that it's the synthetic estrogen that causes migraines. The mini pill only contains progestin. However, the doctors don't seem to know about the food coloring issue...

Personally, I must take the pill because I get ovarian cysts, and when I was a child I nearly died, had to get a blood transfusion and emergency surgery due to them. So, even if it causes migraines, which I'll never really know until I try to have children, I must continue to take them due to the risk otherwise.

Yes, that's what I meant. Sorry for being vague!!

Sounds like you had a very scary experience. To land up with migraine on top of that is just cruel

WitsEnd Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:17 pm

Well what do you know! Migraines have gone again.

I can't believe it's been that pill all these years!

Migrainegirl Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:22 am

So did the migraines go away when you stopped taking the pill?

WitsEnd Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:21 pm

Migrainegirl wrote:So did the migraines go away when you stopped taking the pill?

They have. Completely. Daily headaches have gone too.

I did have one a few days after I stopped taking it but it would have still been in my system at that point.

I can't believe it.

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