A Simple Minded Kat: Pregnancy and the Nasty Cold

I lasted more than seven months.

Seven lovely months of not being sick - well not with a virus or a infection anyway. I've had my share of morning sickness and tiredness, but nothing contagious. Last week I broke one of the great Mom Rules and I got sick. Moms aren't really allowed to get sick, we are the ones that keep the house and family running smoothly. So when Mom gets sick, the family has a few different reactions: outright panic (you mean I have to do what?), denial (you're not that sick, are you?), or, if you are lucky, pity (here mom, you go to bed and we'll make supper and do the dishes).

Early last week I woke up with a full fledged cold. A sinus headache, sore throat, achy muscles and a scratchy cough were the symptoms, and I felt awful. I had a doctor's appointment for that day, but - to my husband's bewilderment - I cancelled it and stayed home. I am a believer that drugs are just not necessary to "cure" a cold. Rest, fluids and time are all that is needed to cure a cold as far as I am concerned. So what would I have gained by going and sitting in a waiting room full of healthy pregnant women and women with newborns? Likely a lot of enemies!

With my two previous pregnancies, and now with this one, I have avoided taking medications. I have been fortunate not to ever become seriously ill, so I've never needed to take antibiotics or other more serious medications. I have been told by my doctor that Tylenol is fine to take while pregnant, but I just don't feel right taking it when I know I'm not the only one going to feel the effects.

So what do I do when I catch a cold when I'm pregnant? I stick to a few simple tricks.

Firstly - lots of fluids. I try to drink lots of water, and I also find hot drinks more soothing to?a sore throat than most cold syrups even when I'm not pregnant. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, anything warm and wet is my friend. Very warm water (not too hot) with half a lemon squeezed in and?glop of honey is a natural alternative to medicated drinks like NeoCitran and gives a good boost of vitamin C with the throat soothing benefits of honey.

Vicks Vaporub. To help me sleep with a sinus headache I spread Vicks on my feet, put on socks and go to bed.?I'm not too sure why it works, but I have used it on my little ones as well and it seems to help. Once, when I was at a hotel and could not sleep because of severe sinus pressure, I soaked a pair of my socks with icy cold water, put them on, and then put a pair of my husband's dry socks over top and went to bed. While that doesn't sound pleasant, it works! I was able to sleep the rest of the night.

Steam. Another thing that is soothing for a stuffed up head is to pour boiled water into a bowl, throw a towel over the bowl and stick your?head under the towel and breathe in the steam. (Be careful not to tip the hot water onto yourself!) Its got all the advantages of a steamy shower for the sinuses without increasing your overall body temperature.

Sleep! This one is tricky when you have little ones, but try and sleep as much as you can. Even if you have to plunk your kids in front of that infamous sitter (the TV) and lay on the couch and doze, do it. Send your kids to play at someone else's house, or have Grandma come over and watch them while you sleep. (If you're lucky perhaps your laundry will get folded too!) Go to bed the second the kids are in bed, even if that is 7:30 at night. If your kids are older this is a good time to teach them to have consideration for others and they can play quietly while you rest.

And that's about it. Time will take care of the rest. The worst of my cold lasted three days, and I have been slowly but steadily getting better ever since. The house fell apart, and the family might have eaten convenience food for supper three nights in a row, but colds don't last forever!

This post was linked up at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Source: http://simplemindedkat.blogspot.com/2012/08/pregnancy-and-nasty-cold.html

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