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Brainstorm.

Woke up. Rolled over. Headache persists.

The lavender essential oil I rubbed all over helped a bit last night, but here’s defense #6:

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French press, 2/3 caf, 1/3 decaf 

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Headache is certainly less throbbing than it was yesterday, so perhaps this did help some. Maybe it will be totally gone in a few more minutes.

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All the energy I had for breakfast went into a 1 minute bowl of cereal:

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Fortunately, it was also delicious!

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Uncle Sam, Puffins, strawberries, banana, milk.

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Work, coffee, work!

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Unlike the past few days, I’m planting myself at home today. I’m speaking about nutrition + real food at 3 places in the next few weeks and have been working on a presentation. Plus, BERF needs some attention! I will resist the urge to nursery shop until my presentation is ready to go!

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Comments

  7. I had strawberries with my breakfast (overnight oats) this morning, too – such a treat first thing in the morning! Sorry to hear that you’ve still got a headache 🙁 I really hope the coffee kicks it to the curb!

    Reply

  8. Ohhh coffee sounds fantastic right now! I always find coffee helps a headache. You can use nursery shopping as your motivation to finish all of your work 🙂

    Reply

  10. I’m pregnant with my first as well and cold compresses seem to help with the headaches…that and chugging water but it looks like you already do that. Feel better!

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    • Matt actually surprised me with ANOTHER prenatal massage!!! I’m saving it for the week after next when life calms down a bit though

      Reply

  12. I’m sorry about the headache! I totally understand; I suffer from chronic migraines. Have you tried an ice bonnet? Cold can help constrict the blood vessels to make the intensity lessen or to make it go away entirely. Feel better 🙂

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  13. Hopefully the coffee will help your headache! However, there is a pressure point between your thumb and pointer finger, that pad in between, and if you pinch it with your other hand it helps relieve the pounding! Try it!

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  17. Coffee always helps my headaches. One that is persisting like this could be hormonal. The day before my period, I always get s hormonal headache. The next day, yup, it came! Hormones can be trickier, they also say pollen is really affecting people right now. I know women who only developed allergies when they were pregnant. If it is, try some local raw honey and bee pollen if your doctor says if okay.

    Hope you feel better!

    Reply

      • It’s totally an old wives tale but “they” say that if a woman has lots of headaches when pregnant, then she must be growing a girl! The old wives believe it has to do with the balance of hormones your body produces for a girl as opposed to a boy… but I don’t think that makes one bit of scientific sense hahaha.

        Reply

  18. Hey Kath! Have you tried massage for your headache? There are some great head massage techniques that I use on my boyfriend and myself that work to relieve my headaches. Try you-tubing for some instructional videos. There is also a pressure point on your hand that can relieve headaches – it’s the space on top of your hand, between your thumb and your pointer finger – use the thumb and pointer finger of one hand to apply intense, direct pressure to that point on your other hand for about thirty seconds or so…repeat on the other hand. It’s worth a try! Sort of hard to explain in writing but hopefully it made sense.

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  19. I’m so sorry your headache is persisting…they really are the worst! Aleve is actually the same medicine that is prescribed for migraines…I’ve found that taking 1 Aleve can be better than tylenol for particularly aggressive headaches!

    I had cereal this morning too, but alas, no strawberries, which I was definitely craving…. Can’t wait to hear more about your presentation–it sounds great!

    Reply

  24. Sorry your head still hurts. 🙁 I notice if I have too much caffeine (not your case), too little caffeine, or just not enough hydration in general, then I get a major headache that just never seems to go away. The only remedies I suggest are taking a slow stroll around the neighborhood, nap, and lots of water!

    Maybe the baby is pressing on a nerve that is causing the headache? Not sure if this can even happen yet, but you never know. Acupuncture/ chiropractic care/ massage? 🙂

    Reply

  25. Hey Kath,

    I’m sure you’re getting tons of readers suggestions for your headaches, but I figured one more can’t hurt. I am going through IUI and my medication causes me incredible headaches that never seem to go away. Since you are pregnant and can’t take anything but Tylenol, I feel your pain because I was in the same boat. The ONLY thing that seemed to bring me any sort of relief was to drink at least a gallon of water. I am constantly drinking (which causes a few other issues. 😉 and the key is consistency but it really did work for me. Hope you feel better soon!

    Reply

    • Hey Lauren, Thanks for the suggestion – I’m guzzling!! And thanks for the update…I’ve been thinking about you

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  26. Where are you speaking at?? I had to do a presentation for the internship in February and talked about real food + nutrition + our food system and would LOVE to be able to eventually get paid to do so! Are the talks you are doing open to the public because I would attend 🙂

    Hope you feel better!

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    • They aren’t completely open, but one is at UVA for a class – maybe you could sneak into that? And only 1 of the 3 is paid 🙂

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      • I just might try and sneak into the UVA one, I think it would be great for me to see a seasoned professional speak 🙂 Hey if you can get paid to do what you love, even better! Let me know when/where the UVA one is and I’ll try to come!

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  29. I am definitely going to be trying the pressure point idea between the thumb and pointer finger mentioned a couple of times in your comments…sounds like a great idea…I know I have a pressure headache on its way! Good luck working throught the headache today on your presentation…I know concentrating and focusing at the computer through a headache can be headache producing in and of itself! Nursery shopping is way less taxing!

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  32. KERF, Can you talk about the use of coffee/caffeine in pregnancy on this blog or your baby blog? I’m interested in your thoughts. Love your blog and hope your head feels better!!!!

    Reply

    • The general recommendation is under 200mg /day. Most doctors would probably say 1 cup of regular is fine a day. It is slightly linked to miscarriage, but my guess (a guess) is that is most significant in the first trimester. I have cut out coffee as a daily consumption, but I’m fine with having a little every now and then.

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  34. Hey that looks a like what I had for breakfast! Hope those headaches go away, its just all those hormones. Same thing happened to me with both pregnancies…they still come and go unfortunately.

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  37. I feel your pain on the headache. Have you tried maybe, a 30 to 45 minute yoga session in dim lighting? Sometimes, the breathing and stretching can help!

    On another note, your breakfast looks colorful and delicious!

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  38. In your second trimester it is really common to get sinus issues! Something about the mucus membrane becomes thinner (i think), so maybe thats it – it can affect you even if you’ve never had sinus problems. I had bad headaches for about a week and 2 days… just ended this weekend – I was about 17 weeks – maybe there is just a time when blood increase could cause it??

    Who knows, glad you’re feeling better tho. I can’t give up my one coffee a day…besides keeping headaches away, lets face it… it keeps things moving!!!

    Reply

  41. hi kath, you need to use peppermint for headaches…origins.com has a wonderful peppermint headache product called “peace of mind on the spot relief”. you just put it at your temples, back of your neck and earlobes. i get horrible migraines and this sometimes at least soothes those, but for general headaches/tension headaches this really works great. it’s around $11. or $12. i keep it in my purse and have had several friends use it when they have goten a headache while we’ve been out and about. they all buy it now and keep it with them. good luck. i love your blog by the way! thanks, sandi in southern maryland

    Reply

  45. I’ve been lurking on your blog for ages now, but never commented, so hello! I just had to pile on to the headache remedy suggestions because I was in your shoes last year while pregnant with my wee Violet… A coworker gave me a BeKool gel patch-thingy one day when I was near blinded by a hormone headache, and the thing was amazing. Seriously. http://www.kobayashihealthcare.com/kids/index.html

    (I do not work for them, I swear. The things just saved my poor pregnant miserable self!)

    Reply

  50. I wonder if your headaches are allergy related with the change of seasons? I know with my first pregnancy, I suddenly developed allergy issues that I never had before.

    Hope the caffeine helps!

    Reply

  53. I’ve found that I have many more sinus headaches in pregnancy – probably all of the stuffiness/puffiness that just comes with the territory.

    I picked up a product called Blue Oil by Aveda at my hair salon early in pregnacy – you can use it on your temples and neck (or really anywhere, I suppose). I did ask my midwife about it, and she said it was safe to use (first pregnancy – lots of questions!). It has peppermint oil and seems to really work when I have either a sinus or tension headache. (I usually use it in combination with Tylenol when it’s a serious headache, but it’s great on it’s own for just those slight headaches.) My sister swore by Head On (like a large lip balm tube that you rub on your forehead) during both of her pregnancies. Hope you find something that works!

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  55. Hormone flucuations, I had them with both my pregancies I looked back at my journal and realized they came at the same time each month. Each time I increased my Omega 3’s and it took care of the headaches. Fast forward many years and I started to get migraines during pre-menopause and remembered back to my pregancy days and did the same, increased the O-3’s and again no more headaches. I have also read that increasing Omega-3 helps with postpartum depression. Just a suggestion, as always, you know your body the best so investigate it all.

    Reply

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