How to cope with seeing your child suffering because of their migraine
Make sure that you get the help you need
It can be very hard to see your child struggling with migraine.
If you have migraine too, it can be particularly hard to have experienced the pain, symptoms, and disruption to life that they are now going through.
It can also be hard to understand it, particularly if you don’t have migraine yourself or if you do but your type of migraine is very different from theirs.
While there are things that you can do to help your child with their migraine, it is important that you do the things you need to help yourself.
Acknowledging your feelings
Accepting how you feel is an important first step.
Your child has a long-term condition, which may change during their lifetime, but is something that they are likely to have to manage throughout their life.
It is normal for that to have a significant effect on you.
There is no right or wrong way to feel, and many parents can feel a range of things from powerless to depressed.
Many parents have to work hard to get help and support for their child, which can make what you are going through even harder.
"As a mum you feel like you’ve got to keep it together."
Getting the support you need
You might already have people close to you that you can talk to about how you feel such as family members and friends.
There are other people that can help too, particularly those who are aware of what your child is going through with their migraine.
This could be your doctor or someone at their school.
We have an Information and Support Service that can answer your questions about migraine and its management, and give you the emotional support you need.
We also run regular events, both online and in-person, where you can meet and connect with other people affected by migraine.
The main thing to remember is that you are not alone. The migraine community is here for you.
