Pregnant, sleepless and coughing guts up every night :-(

[beansmeansbooks]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this (both mumsnet and pregnancy), so not sure whether I'm just being a wimp, but could do with a bit of reassurance!

I'm due to give birth in about three weeks and just getting over a cold. For the past six nights now I've had no more than 3-4 hours interrupted sleep due to a cough that won't shift. I tried all sorts of home remedies (steam, inhaling, Olbas oil, various herbal teas, onion juice [!], hot lemon and ginger....), then finally got linctus on prescription yesterday. None of it works.

I either can't get to sleep at all because of the crackle in my lungs when I lie down - it's loud enough for my OH to hear it clearly too, so not just in my imagination - (and needing to lie on side makes using an "elevated position" pretty impossible), or I do drop off, then wake up in a storm of coughing a few minutes or maybe an hour later, which won't abate for ages. Tried sleeping with radio on to drown out the lung crackles, but to no avail.

Since yesterday ahem the coughing has also made clear that I've neglected my pelvic floor exercises too...

During the day the cough is less of a problem; what really grinds me down is the lack of sleep, as I'm a walking zombie and have a constant headache due to coughing - and I'm worried sick that I'll go into birth already exhausted. I'm desperate and in tears already, and we haven't even got our baby yet; how am I going to cope with the lack of sleep then?

Go to the dr and get antibiotics, they are safe in pregnancy and I had something similar which wouldn't shift without them in early pregnancy.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Strawberry - Dr just read out a list of side effects the antibiotics might have on baby, didn't sound all that tempting - but there must be others...?

Try a different doctor? Sounds like you need something. I had a horrid cough in early pregnancy and found my best sleep was when I was propped up, but see that's not working for you. Could you try lying on the sofa rather than bed? So sorry.

The doctor is an idiot. I had a chest inf in pregnancy and had a course of penicillin no problem. What does he think will happen? The baby is near term/term and if born now could be given antibiotics. Today go back, see different gp get antibiotics. Crackles are serious and this needs treating. Poor you.

Also see if you can get an inhaler (ventolin). They're safe in pregnancy, will increase the oxygen reaching your baby and should help reduce the coughing.

Thanks everyone! :-) I've tried inhaling again and also used some vapour rub. I haven't yet got back to the GP - it's a small village practice, so I'm unlikely to get to see anyone else, but talked to the midwife, who told me to get what rest I can during the day.

I was planning to get back to the doctor's today, but am very pleased to report that last night I finally got to sleep and, despite the cold, slept for ten hours straight - can't begin to describe how much better I feel! Hopefully that'll have been it for now...

Thanks again for all your help!!