drinking lots of fluids — this will help you feel better and help with your milk supply when you are breastfeeding. drinking warm drinks with lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat or cough. saline (salt water) nasal spray — this can help clear mucus (snot) from your nose and sinuses.
Rest and Hydration: Getting plenty of rest and staying hydrated are key to combating cold and flu symptoms. So ensure you're getting enough rest and sleep and drink plenty of fluids like water, herbal teas and clear broths to keep your body hydrated and support your immune system.
Management and Treatment
When diagnosed early, your healthcare provider may prescribe an antiviral medication. While antivirals don't cure the flu, they can stop symptoms from getting worse. Many providers prefer the oral antiviral oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) for pregnant women.
It is best to avoid cold medicines, if possible, especially during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy. The best self-care steps for taking care of yourself when you have the flu include rest and drinking plenty of liquids, especially water. Tylenol is most often safe in standard doses to relieve pain or discomfort.
Fever from the flu early in pregnancy may be linked to birth defects, like neural tube defects, and other problems in your baby. Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain and spinal cord.
An uncomplicated course of the flu usually lasts anywhere from three to seven days, though a cough and general feeling of being sick can last two weeks or more. However, Watkins says that during pregnancy these symptoms may last a little longer, especially if complications of the flu, such as pneumonia, come up.
How can I treat a cold when pregnant?
Paracetamol can be used for pain and fever if necessary. For more information, please see the Bumps leaflet on paracetamol in pregnancy. Ibuprofen and decongestant nasal spray, drops or tablets should be avoided in pregnancy. Please ask a pharmacist as some over the counter flu remedies contain a decongestant.
For a pregnancy-safe sore throat, focus on hydration, rest, and home remedies like gargling with warm salt water, sipping honey and lemon tea, and using lozenges with local anesthetics (like benzocaine) or antiseptics (like menthol). Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) are generally safe, but always consult your doctor before taking any medication, avoiding NSAIDs like ibuprofen and decongestants in the first trimester.
Cough
Try these remedies:
Colds are not dangerous for you or your baby, and will usually get better in a few days.
When used as directed, Vicks VapoRub is safe to use during pregnancy.
Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Hot Lemon can be used during pregnancy. You should use the lowest possible dose that reduces your pain and/or fever and use it for the shortest time possible. Contact your doctor or midwife if the pain and/or fever are not reduced or if you need to take the medicine more often.
If you have a severe infection or are at high risk of complications from a flu infection, your healthcare professional may prescribe an antiviral medicine to treat the flu. These medicines can include oseltamivir (Tamiflu), baloxavir (Xofluza) and zanamivir (Relenza). You take oseltamivir and baloxavir by mouth.
Though colds are not more severe when you're pregnant, your immune system works differently, and you'll experience many physical changes. So, colds might feel worse while you're carrying a baby. Some cold symptoms, such as a fever, can increase your risk of complications.
Conclusions: The use of Kalgaron® or Strepsils® during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of malformations, spontaneous abortions or decreased birthweight. However, larger studies are needed to confirm the safety of these medications during pregnancy.
There are several steps you can take to alleviate the discomfort of nasal congestion or allergies during pregnancy.
If you have a sore throat with a fever you should check in with your doctor. Your doctor will give you a “strep test” (culture collected by a swab to the tonsils) to determine if it is a strep infection.
Paracetamol remains the recommended treatment option for pain or fever in pregnant women when used as directed. Importantly, untreated fever and pain can pose risks to the unborn baby, highlighting the importance of managing these symptoms with recommended treatment.
Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water, herbal teas, and clear broths to prevent dehydration. Ginger tea: Helps soothe sore throats and ease nausea. Warm salt water gargle: Relieves throat pain and irritation. Honey and lemon: Mixing honey and lemon in warm water can calm a cough and soothe a sore throat.
If you have flu while you're pregnant, it could cause your baby to be born prematurely or have a low birthweight, and may even lead to stillbirth or death.
However, troubling signs include fever and chills, shortness of breath or an increased heart rate, and symptoms that linger more than 10 days or become more persistent. In those situations, a pregnant woman should seek the care of a doctor.
Influenza can also be dangerous for your unborn baby. In early pregnancy, the illness can cause miscarriage while in later pregnancy, it may lead to stillbirth (the baby dying inside the uterus). The flu can also cause you to give birth earlier than expected (premature labour and birth).
For generations, women have praised the power of ginger to ease “morning sickness” and other queasiness associated with pregnancy. Even the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology mentions ginger as an acceptable nonpharmaceutical remedy for nausea and vomiting.