Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Getting sick while prego. ugh.

So, at 26 weeks I am sick as a dog. Stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, and general crappiness. YAY! But when you're pregnant you cant just pop some nyquil, suck on a halls and call it a day.... of course.

Even some daily aches and pains need special care while you're with baby. Here's some things I've learned so far....

NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE THE POWER OF HOT WATER AND LEMON!!!! Seriously, from a sore throat to uber painful gas to even lowered libido. I swear, I don't know why or how it works but you will see hot water with lemon ALL OVER this blog!

Cold/Flu:
-Always check with your Doc before you take any meds, but chances are Sudifed and Robitussin are in the clear. Tussin has diabetic friendly sugar free option which may be good if you're worried about your sugar intake (which you should be) but Sudifed has a lot more treatment options for your varying symptoms. Choose one, don't flip flop while you're sick. If you are sick for more than a week call your doc. If you have a fever call your doc and go straight to labor and delivery where they can help break you fever with minimal damage to your baby.
-Watch out for herbal teas especially in your first and second trimesters. Staying away from red raspberry leaf in your first and second trimester will prove beneficial as it's known to induce labor, which you may actually want come late in your third trimester. Basically if you can't pronounce it, can't identify the plant it comes from or the word "exotic" appears ANYWHERE on the label, don't consume it. Black, white and green teas are fine, but careful... some pre-brewed green teas have extra herbs like guarana and ginseng which add an extra kick, but can be dangerous for pregos, especially if you have to pay extra attention to your caffeine intake.  My advice? You guessed it, hot water with lemon. It will soothe a sore throat and help with you vitamin c intake :)
-Also, be careful with lozenges that may contain herbs and honey... well the jury is still out on the whole honey thing, so limit what you consume. Use them only when you REALLY need to.
-I can not stress enough how much a humidifier will come in handy while you're prego. You'll need one for baby once they're here so you mind as well get one and use it now. Plus chances are, if you're not already a snorer, you will be once you're pregnant due to all those awesome pregnancy hormones doing a number on your sinuses. A humidifier will totally help with ALL that :)

-Painful gas.
Ok, you can sit there with a handful of Tums and wait it out, but when it feels like a bunch of angry elves are trying to chew themselves free from your major organs, you might want to listen to me on this one.  Grab a mug, fill with hot water, squeeze lemon wedge and sip. Seriously. If you finished 2 mugs of hot water with no relief, go to the ER... it's not gas. Every time I have recommended this or done this myself, halfway thru the first mug I feel totally relieved. But the one time it didn't work (on a friend mind you) she had to have her appendix removed. Yea, no shit. ***SWEAR BY IT***

-Saliva.
So if you're not pregnant, you probably never want to be after getting this far in the blog..lol. Trust me I get it. But if you find yourself prego and drooling on everyone and everything and barely being able to sleep without drowning in your own drool or talking to someone without spitting on them... here we go.... BRUSH YOUR TEETH YOU NASTY BITCH! lol. Seriously, brushing your teeth more often and flossing will help tremendously. Also make sure your toothpaste has fluoride in it. Most of them do, but be sure... you'll thank me when all your friends teeth are cracked during their last trimester and your pearly whites are still in tact. Be careful with your dental health now too cause any little infection can severely hurt your baby. But back to drool.... if you can't excuse yourself all the time to brush your teeth lets say, at work, or while you're driving be sure to keep some peppermint gum or hard candies in your purse :) Plus, peppermint really helps if you're still in your nauseous state of your first trimester.

-Farting.
Well I don't really know what to say for this one. It's inevitable. There's really no cure, but to stare at the person who just caught you, shrug and say "hey, I'm pregnant." That's all I got on that one. Sorry...lol

Well I hope this helps :)

No comments:

Post a Comment