Migraines and pregnancy often come hand in hand due to the hormonal fluctuation in pregnant women's bodies. Unfortunately, frequent migraine attacks during your term can severely impact your daily routine and even cause frustration, irritation, and stress.

Thankfully, besides doctor-approved pain relief medications like acetaminophen, you now have other options for pain relief. If you’re among the thousands of pregnant women who experience migraines, the eight natural remedies we listed below, such as aromatherapy and exercising, may provide you with much-needed relief. 

#1. Getting Enough Sleep 

Many pregnant women struggle to get good quality sleep at night, especially during the last two trimesters. This sleeping problem may stem from all kinds of things ranging from increased urination at night time to breast pain. Unfortunately, lack of sleep can trigger a series of chronic migraine attacks. 

If you’re having a tough time getting enough rest at night, you can try the following tips: 

• Avoid drinking too much water before bedtime
• Invest in a comfy C or U-shaped pillow for pregnant women
• Minimize exposure to blue light at night by skipping your usual TV and your mobile device routine

#2. Aromatherapy

Some believe that essential oils can be dangerous to pregnant women. However, this is not the case. Doctors explain that essential oils for aromatherapy can benefit pregnant. It can improve mood, lessen muscle pain, migraines, and headaches, and enhance sleep quality. If you frequently struggle with headaches, it’s a good idea to use aromatherapy essential oils like peppermint and lavender. 

#3. Drinking Enough Water

Statistics from the American Migraine Foundation say that about a third of migraineurs experience an attack during dehydration. As an expecting mother, you will need to drink at least ten glasses of water each day. It would help if you drank extra glasses to aid in producing fluids like the amniotic fluid and blood. If you don’t meet the minimum dose, your body will likely react adversely and trigger problems like a migraine attack. 

#4. Exercising

Exercising is good for migraines and pregnancy. According to a study, lack of physical activity can result in worse migraine attacks and headaches. You can choose from various physical activities to keep your migraine and headaches at bay, such as yoga, pilates, walking, and water workouts. Besides helping you enjoy a pain-free pregnancy term, exercising may also come in handy in reducing your risks for complications like pre and post eclampsia and gestational diabetes. 

#5. Laughing 

Did you know that laughing can help increase the oxygenation of your brain and the production of endorphins? Both of these side effects can help you significantly reduce the impact of a migraine attack. Additionally, laughing can reduce stress levels, another crucial factor that can affect the frequency and severity of a migraine episode. Find things that make you laugh, like a comedy movie or a sitcom. 

#6. Taking Supplements

Certain food supplements like vitamin B and magnesium can help with migraines and pregnancy. Vitamin B helps reduce the risks of a few congenital disabilities and enhances the abilities of your neurotransmitters. Magnesium, on one hand, helps your growing child develop strong muscles, bones, and teeth. Regular and proper magnesium intake is also effective in reducing migraine attack occurrences by up to 41.6 percent. 

Be sure to consult with your physician or OB-GYN before taking supplements like magnesium and B vitamins. Excessive consumption of these two supplements can cause adverse side effects such as diarrhea, increased blood sugar levels, and vomiting.  

#7. Improving Your Posture 

Good posture is essential for coping with migraines and pregnancy. That’s because even the slightest pressure on the spine, especially the neck bones, can result in the compression or irritation of your brainstem. Consequently, this can trigger a myriad of problems which include severe bouts of migraines and headaches. 

However, it’s no secret that the growing child's weight can sometimes trigger posture problems like slouching. It would help if you try the following tips and tricks to maintain proper spinal alignment even when you reach the last trimester:

• Opt to use shoes that will provide you with enough arch support when you walk
• When working at your desk, be sure to dedicate enough time for walking breaks
• Choose ergonomic chairs complete with comfy armrests and sturdy back support when you work for long hours
• When resting, avoid sleeping on your back because the weight of your child can press on your blood vessels and spine
• Avoid standing for long hours by changing your position from standing to sitting position throughout the day
• If you can’t avoid standing for a long time, raise one of the legs on a small step or stool to ease the pressure on your back

#8. Upper Cervical Care 

There are plenty of reasons why upper cervical chiropractic adjustment should include in your prenatal care. For starters, it’s a great way to fight off chronic migraine episodes. By restoring your normal neck bone alignment, you can also fix your body and the brain's communication pathway. It also relieves pressure on the affected nerves and muscles and helps your brainstem perform its crucial functions, such as regulating heart rate and sleeping. 

If you’ve tried several remedies for migraines during pregnancy but experienced little to ZERO improvements, you can check out upper cervical chiropractic. It’s an all-natural and gentle procedure that can help you cope with your migraine attacks effectively, 

Find a local upper cervical care chiropractor today for your migraines and pregnancy. You can call one for your questions or book a consultation appointment.

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