If you’re pregnant with a cold or flu, then you must be wondering what the right medications to take for recovery are. You’ll find yourself making deliberations, just like when you’re looking for the best basal thermometer. But first, you need to understand that most of the treatments you took before pregnancy may not be safe for you when you’re expecting. Therefore, any expectant mother should seek professional medical advice to determine how to treat a cold while pregnant. With that said, several treatments are known to be safe, and which you can expect your doctor to prescribe to you when you’re sick with a cold and pregnant.
Before we look into that, let’s get the difference between being pregnant with a cold or being expectant and having the flu.
Are you pregnant with a cold or flu?
Most people may confuse a cold with influenza, popularly referred to as flu. However, there are several differences between these two, and here’s how to tell whether you’re pregnant with a cold or flu:
A cold is generally milder than the flu. It happens gradually, while influenza symptoms tend to appear all of a sudden. Women dealing with a cold while pregnant will experience slightly increased body temperatures, but not as high as those observed with the flu, which can be range between 100°F to 104°F.
A sore throat resulting from a cold normally lasts for a day or two. In contrast, one that occurs due to the flu may last longer, usually intensifying after the second day. If you’re pregnant with a cold, you may experience mild fatigue. With the flu, however, this may manifest as intense body ache, weakness, and fatigue.
Now that you know how to differentiate these two let’s look at how you can treat either of them safely when pregnant.
How to treat a cold while pregnant (or flu):
If you have the flu and you’re wondering how to deal with a cold when pregnant, the following tips will be useful:
Eat well
When pregnant with a cold, eat foods with immune-boosting nutrients such as Vitamin C. Raspberries, blackberries, oranges, kiwis, tomatoes, spinach, and pineapples are excellent sources of such vitamins. In addition, ensure that your diet is rich in zinc, which you can get by eating eggs, lean red meat, broccoli, and pumpkin seeds.
Drink fluids
Symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose, and fever when pregnant with a cold or flu lead to dehydration in the body. To combat this, drink lots of fluids to replace the lost water. This will also soothe a sore throat. Ginger tea, water, hot soup, cold juices, and vegetable smoothies are all excellent sources of fluids when pregnant with a head cold.
Use nasal sprays
To clear a stuffy nose when pregnant with a cold, use steroidal nasal sprays or plain saline drops. Seek your doctor’s opinion about the correct dosing. Your doctor can also recommend the best drug-free nasal strip to use.
Take fever medication
Control your flu fever if pregnant with a cold by taking medications such as Tylenol, drinking a lot of cold beverages, and wearing light clothes. Tepid baths can also help mothers who are pregnant with a cold to regulate their body temperature.
Get antivirals
If you get sick with a cold while pregnant, you should call your doctor right away to get a prescription for antivirals. Antivirals will relieve most symptoms when you’re expectant with a cold, and reduce your risk of developing complications such as bronchitis.
The sooner you call the doctor, the better. That’s because antivirals work better when taken within the first two days of developing the flu.
More suggestions for how to treat a cold while pregnant:
Use cough medication
You’re bound to experience a dry cough when pregnant with a cold, and more severe coughing with the flu. Cough medications such as expectorants will help by thinning the mucus in the airways, thus clearing congestion and reducing coughing. Cough drops, vapor rubs, and cough suppressants are also useful medications when you’re pregnant with a cold.
Take honey
A spoonful of honey is as effective with cough suppression as over the counter drugs. You can mix it with warm water and lemon if you’re expectant with a cold.
Rest
When you feel fatigued due to cold or flu, take enough rest. Ease your breathing by elevating your head with pillows for better sleep.
Maybe you’ve heard that it’s okay to rest on the floor. Read this guide to find out the benefits of sleeping on the floor while pregnant.
Safe treatments
Ensuring that any medication does not compromise you and your baby’s health should be a priority when deciding what to do when pregnant with a cold. Always seek your doctor’s opinion, even when you want to use herbs when pregnant with a cold. To keep yourself protected, get a flu shot before the influenza season begins.
Which of these treatments have you tried when pregnant with a cold? How well have they worked for you? Let us know in the comments below.
About today’s writer
Rachel Burns is an experienced copywriter and photographer with a design diploma. She works with startups, entrepreneurs, bloggers and companies from around the world. In addition to writing articles and promotional materials, she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking and spending time with her family.