Severe headache after pregnancy: what to know

Interrupted sleep, missed meals, muscle tension, and dehydration can cause head pain after delivery. However, postpartum pre-eclampsia can occur after birth and may cause severe headache, visual changes, swelling, breathlessness, or pain beneath the ribs. A headache that is worse when sitting or standing and improves when lying flat can occur after spinal or epidural anaesthesia. These patterns cannot be diagnosed safely from symptoms alone.

Contact your maternity team, obstetric clinician, or urgent care service today. If available, check your blood pressure and write down the reading, timing, severity, position, vision changes, medicines, and fluid intake. Rest, eat something light, and sip fluids while arranging advice. Use only pain relief that your clinician has confirmed is suitable, particularly if you are breastfeeding or have high blood pressure.

Call emergency services for a sudden severe headache, seizure, fainting, confusion, weakness, difficulty speaking, severe visual disturbance, chest pain, breathlessness, or heavy bleeding. Go urgently if the headache is accompanied by very high blood pressure, repeated vomiting, fever with a stiff neck, or worsening pain after an epidural or spinal procedure.

Could this be related to blood pressure or my epidural? Should my blood pressure, urine, or blood be checked? Which medicines are compatible with breastfeeding? How long should I monitor symptoms?