You might be surprised to learn that headaches are very common in pregnancy. Nearly 1 in 5 pregnant women has a migraine at some point during pregnancy. Hormonal changes in pregnancy cause increased blood volume, including around the brain. This can trigger frequent, mild headaches. Headaches can also be caused by cutting back on caffeine, dehydration, fatigue, lack of sleep, low blood sugar and stress. The challenging part about headaches in pregnancy is that you can't take strong medications to alleviate them.

Here's what our Mommy M.D.s — doctors who are also mothers — do to handle pregnancy headaches, as well as other aches and pains.

"When I was 13 weeks pregnant, right around the time my morning sickness went away, my migraines started," says Kristie McNealy, M.D., a mom of four and a health care consultant in Salt Lake City. "I woke with a headache each day, which got worse as the day went on. It was hard to cope. I found that combining Tylenol and a nap was the best."

"Thank goodness, the migraines lasted only about three weeks!" McNealy adds. (Talk with your doctor or midwife before taking this or any medication.)

"I had a headache every day during my second trimester," says Ann LaBarge, M.D., a mom of four children, ages 6 to 16, and an OB-GYN in private practice at the Midwest Center for Women's HealthCare in Park Ridge, Illinois. "Taking Tylenol and Sudafed each morning helped. I don't have a history of migraines, so I didn't think they were migraines, just pregnancy-related headaches."

"I also found that when I was busy, I felt better," LaBarge adds. "Sitting home feeling sorry for myself wasn't the way to go! Working kept my mind off of my headaches."

"I get migraines, but fortunately, I only had one during my pregnancy. I took Tylenol and a medication called Phenergan that my doctor prescribed for me and gave me the OK to take," says Katja Rowell, M.D., a mom of one daughter, a family physician and a childhood feeding specialist in Washington state with a website called The Feeding Doctor. "It's an anti-nausea medicine, but it helps my migraines. I had suppositories, which are helpful when you feel sick. Your gut slows down with a migraine, so oral medications don't work very well. Suppositories aren't the easiest thing, but when you're really suffering, you'll try anything."

"Fortunately, the medicine also makes me sleepy," Rowell adds. "My husband got me a cold washcloth for my head, and I retreated to my bedroom. I was able to sleep and get relief pretty quickly. I was fine after a night of sleep. During my pregnancy, I also got a few regular headaches. I took Tylenol, and they went away."

"Before I got pregnant, I didn't realize the number of aches and pains that are typical of pregnancy," says Jennifer Kim, M.D., a mom of three daughters, an OB-GYN in private practice in Evanston, Illinois, at the Midwest Center for Women's HealthCare, and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. "Your body goes through tremendous changes — to your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen. Even my rib cage was achy; it felt like someone was poking me. Sometimes I felt odd, sharp pains out of the blue. These are all normal occurrences of pregnancy, but it's still good to mention these aches and pains to your doctor."

"I found that physical therapy was wonderful for aches and pains," Kim adds.

"Before I got pregnant, I was very surprised when my patients complained during their pregnancies," says Lauren Hyman, M.D., a mom of two and an OB-GYN at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in West Hills, California. "I thought to myself: 'You're so lucky to be carrying a healthy child. I don't understand why you'd complain about a few aches and pains.'"

"I imagined that when I got pregnant, birds would bring me ribbons, and rabbits would dance around my feet," Hyman adds. "When I got pregnant, I realized how really downright uncomfortable it can be!"

Jennifer Bright is a mom of four sons, founding CEO of woman- and veteran-owned custom publisher Bright Communications LLC, co-founder of the Mommy MD Guides team of 150+ mommy M.D.s, and co-author of "The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years" and six other books in the Mommy MD Guides series. She lives in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. To find out more about Jennifer Bright and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.