How To Deal With Headaches During Pregnancy
By Jackie G. Maxwell, Fri Dec 9th

Headaches are one of the more unpleasant “side effects” thatcome with pregnancy. All women will have some, but most willexperience them in the first and last trimesters. In the firstthree months, this is thought to be primarily due to suchfactors as increased blood volume, the initial stresses, andhormonal changes. In the final three months, the causes are morelikely to be poor posture, which can result in pressure on partsof your body that communicate their discomfort to the brain, andalso from the discomforts of carrying extra weight.

Oddly enough, women who experience migraine headaches, may havefewer during a pregnancy, while a small percentage of suffererswill have more. These patients should discuss relief for themigraines with their doctor, as soon as a pregnancy isconfirmed, if not beforehand while they are planning to start afamily.

The best idea for dealing with headaches during pregnancy, is toavoid the “known” triggers, or those that are most likelyresponsible. The food preservative MSG, cheeses, spicy foods,caffeine, chocolate, and other elements of our normal diet, arebest eliminated while expecting a baby.

A healthy, balanced diet, eaten in several small meals a day ifnecessary, with plenty of fluids, and lots of rest, is yourfirst line of defense against headaches. Being tired,dehydrated, and unable to eat “normally”, can all work togetherto start your head pounding.

When you do get a headache,

try and identify the cause and dealwith it accordingly. If the is from your sinuses, awarm compress around your nose and above your eyebrows mayrelieve some of the pressure. Stress or tension headaches canbenefit from cold compresses to the back of the neck. Usingthese while lying down in a darkened room, will help toalleviate some of the tension that builds up from the pain, andmakes the worse. Depending on your preferences, somewomen may also benefit from using aroma therapy and soundtherapy techniques at the same time.

While most pregnancy headaches are from “benign” causes, youshould call your doctor if they get worse, become more frequent,are debilitating, or are accompanied by swelling of the hands,feet or face.

About the author:Visit http://www.MalcolmsWeb.com and sign up for free weeklytips that will take the mystery and fear out of pregnancy.