Emma, 41, from Coleraine, experienced a migraine attack during labour after being migraine-free for 42 weeks of pregnancy, battling intense pain from both the attack and childbirth.
A Co Derry woman has detailed the relentless pain she endured throughout labour as she battled both intense contractions and an agonising migraine.
Migraine is a complicated neurological disorder, characterised by symptoms that may include severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, alongside heightened sensitivity to light and sound.
Hormonal fluctuations can affect migraine experiences, with many people observing that hormonal shifts throughout the menstrual cycle can provoke an attack. During pregnancy, however, hormones such as oestrogen increase, and for many this leads to a reduction in migraine symptoms. In fact, as many as 9 in 10 women report an improvement in their migraine by the final stages of pregnancy.
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Emma, 41, who has experienced migraine since the age of 11, initially found relief from her symptoms when she first fell pregnant.
“During my first pregnancy, my migraine attacks vanished into oblivion from the outset of those pink lines appearing; an unexpected but very welcome bonus to an already exciting time,” she said.
“I began to relax into it and appreciate the reprieve – almost 42 weeks with no head pain, dizziness, eye pain, aura. I then learnt an important lesson: a migraine-free pregnancy does not always guarantee a migraine-free birth.
“I headed to the hospital to be induced, and before long the familiar dizziness and bright dancing squiggles that mark the start of the migraine aura stage for me moved across my line of sight in the delivery room.
“It hadn’t dawned on me just how overwhelming the environment would prove; the heightened anxiety of being in hospital, combined with the harsh lighting, constant noise, and sheer number of people crammed into such a confined area. For someone living with migraine, it was an absolute nightmare scenario.”
Staff dimmed the lights to create as dark an atmosphere as possible, whilst Emma was provided with both a hot water bottle – as warmth can ease tense neck muscles – and a fan to maintain a comfortable temperature. She struggled through the relentless pain of the migraine attack alongside the extraordinarily intense ordeal of childbirth.
“Following over 24 hours of labour, my gorgeous baby boy arrived at 03:09, and the overwhelming joy momentarily eclipsed both the head pain and accompanying migraine symptoms; every moment of agony had been worthwhile.
“Regrettably, complications after delivery left my iron levels dangerously depleted, which extended the duration of symptoms – and the unexpectedly prolonged hospital stay, with its noise pollution, fluorescent lighting, frequent medical observations and severely restricted sleep, only intensified migraine’s impact. Fortunately, once discharged, the attack subsided, and the episodes ceased once more whilst breastfeeding – the additional respite was particularly appreciated, especially during the postnatal period.”
Since then, Emma has welcomed two more children, and fortunately her later labours weren’t impacted by migraine, though she approached them far better equipped, drawing on insights from her initial experience to inform her birth plan and what she packed for hospital.
“Sadly, one of those children is now a teenager who also experiences migraine, meaning I’m now learning to support the condition from a different perspective,” Emma added.
“For anyone else managing migraine whilst preparing for childbirth, my recommendation would be to consider which tools and support mechanisms you might want available, should they be required. I remain eternally grateful to the exceptional midwife who did absolutely everything possible to make the experience as bearable as she could (even facilitating a dimly lit room throughout, right up to delivery).”
Debbie Shipley, Head of Information and Support Services at The Migraine Trust, explains: “We know there is a strong link between hormonal changes and migraine, and during pregnancy, key hormones oestrogen and progesterone rise. Quite often, this results in an improvement in migraine, as we don’t see the sharp pre-menstrual dip in oestrogen that can be a trigger for many.
“But we know that not everyone experiences migraine in the same way, and as well as the hormonal changes occurring during birth, there is the additional exposure to factors that can trigger migraine (like harsh hospital lighting, being in a high stress situation a and exhaustion).”
Should you require assistance or information regarding migraines and pregnancy, The Migraine Trust offers a wealth of resources, including a helpline. You can get in touch either by phone or online.
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