You’re pregnant, you’re glowing, and then, you catch a cold, a flu, a random bug. When I was pregnant, my husband and I went to the doctor together for miserable colds, and my husband got a whole slew of palliative prescriptions. I got nose drops. There are a lot of medications that haven’t been tested well enough to know if they’re safe for pregnancy, and obviously, you don’t want to take anything that could hurt your baby unless it’s absolutely essential. On the other hand, it’s important not to neglect yourself. Here are some tips to get you through sickness when you’re pregnant:
- Make sure that every doctor you see knows you are pregnant, and knows how far along you are. Even if you have an eye infection, or something else seemingly unrelated, treatment may differ during pregnancy.
- If you have a fever, get it down. Fever can hurt your baby. You can try a lukewarm bath, but if it doesn’t bring your temperature down, take acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol) right away. It’s safer than the fever.
- Stuffy nose is really common in pregnancy. Saline in your nose is a good solution. It’s best to use sterile saline or, if you’re using a neti pot or similar, use sterilized water, because amoebas in some local water supplies make tap water unsafe for nasal use.
- Generally, nasal sprays are less likely to affect your fetus than oral medications. If you have allergies, you can ask your doctor for nasal antihistamines or steroids. While these may be the same medications you’d be taking orally, less of them gets into your bloodstream, meaning that less penetrates the placenta. This is GENERAL. Some nasal sprays do affect the fetus.
- Don’t trust everything you read online. It’s best to look for the FDA category of a medication. There are very few Category A drugs. If a drug is Category B, it is considered safe. Basically, there haven’t been enough studies to rule out possible risks.
- Just because a drug is Category C doesn’t mean it isn’t safe. You should talk over the risks and benefits with your doctor before taking or discontinuing any medication during pregnancy.
- If your doctor recommends antibiotics, take them. Take the full dosage until you’ve completed the course of treatment. Taking part of the course could leave you and your fetus exposed to immune strains of the bacteria.
- Look to non-drug conventional interventions like physical therapy or using an elastic bandage or brace for painful joints.
- Be aware that not everything natural is safe for your baby. Some natural remedies are more dangerous than their conventional counterparts, since anything sold as a drug has to be weighed and measured by meticulous standards, while ‘food supplements’ are subject to less rigorous screening. Remember that arsenic and cyanide are natural, too.
- Your health matters. If you’re not well, neither is your baby. Don’t let a condition worsen or go untreated out of concern for the baby. Go to a doctor, get a second opinion, make sure that you are well cared for!
