Pregnant with cold and feeling miserable, any magic remedies I am allowed to take

[Tillysmummy]

Hi ladies.

Have been feeling sorry for myself all week with a stinking cold. Feel exhausted and so low. It's pretty petty really I know, it's only a cold just hadn't realised how dependent I was on medicines with a cold. Now don't know what to take. Any suggestions ? Am reluctant to take any paracetamol although I know its supposed to be safe because don't want to risk anything (what with baby's lung problem / deformity), probably wouldn't hurt at all but do feel nervous about it.

Hi - nothing constructive to suggest other than a hot lemon drink (I know, what's the use if it hasn't got paracetamol and whiskey in it..?!). Maybe you could phone NHS direct for some advice? I did this when I wasn't sure about being able to take stuff for a muscle spasm and a doctor phoned me back. Sprinkling some Olbas oil or peppermint oil around your bed/wherever you're sitting might help aswell. But try and get lots of sleep..!

Take care and hope you're feeling better soon!

have you tried burning some eucalyptus oil in a burner - it will help you breathe easier. And I second the hot water with honey and lemon - at least that tastes medicinal!
Hope you feel better soon

Stay in bed with a hot water bottle and some light reading. Drink hot Ribena (my drug of choice when ill) and eating buttered toast. Use Karvol or some such on your pillow for a blocked nose and when you feel strong enough, decamp to the sofa under a blanket to watch the black and white afternoon movie.

Whwn I am run down I always get a cold without fail, only just got over one. I take one paracetamol if I am am in real pain. But normally, I will ride it out with a hot water bottle, honey, lemon and ginger with hot water. Olabas oil in some boiling water and towel over the head job. Plenty of rest which I know can be tough if you have other children like me, but resin the evening if dh is there.

Thanks ladies, I am going to curl up with some inhalation and feel sorry for myself. I have some help with dd this afternoon so hopefully can sit on the sofa for a couple of hours. I really hadn't realised how dependent I was on lemsip and other remedies until now when I can't take them !

Chocolate is the best magic remedy I know to make you feel better. Teamed with a copy of OK magazine
Hope you are feeling better soon.

Make some fresh tea (any sort you like, herbal or real, but no milk) in a thermos and add some fresh ginger, roughly crushed coriander seed and plenty of honey. It's really soothing, especially if you're chesty or coughing, and the longer it steeps the better it tastes. You can have lemon in it too.

Actually, I like it so much that I'm going to make myself some now - and I've not got a cold!

Oops, sorry, baby hit the keyboard and posted! Meant to go on to say 'Feel better soon '

Chop half an onion roughly and plonk it in some boiling water add dessert spoon of suger boil for 10 minutes then drink. Add more sugar if you need to. It works.

Dear Tillysmummy, I know what you're feeling (pregnant with a bad cold myself at the moment!). I have avoided paracetemol so far, but am taking hot honey and lemon and using eucalyptus oil (eg on a tissue under my pillow) sparingly (wasn't sure if was ok to use eucalyptus oil but it doesn't seem to be one of the oils that you should definitely avoid in pregnancy).

Just got through the flu with a few paracetamol spread over a week. Ye Gods, what a stinker this bug is. Hope you're getting better Tillysmummy. Also drank lots of orange juice and propped my pillows up at night so I didn't get quite so blocked up. And a cold flannel really helped the sinus pain.

Hi everyone, I've just logged onto Mumsnet for the first time in ages, knowing you'd have some ideas for a stinking cold while pregnant! I have taken paracetomol over the last 3 days - is that really bad?? Also, that onion drink with sugar - do you actually eat the onion?!
And last of all is Olbas Oil defo ok to use?
Many thanks....

My doc said paracetemol is fine, but aspirin isn't.

Don't know about the other things!

isn't mumsnet great!!! was just surfing mumsnet just to see any advice for cold and preganant!!! and here it is... feeling absolutely horrible bunged up and very dry lips (hate putting anything on lips!!! so dry they will have to remain!!!)... and it seems like the only alternative for me is some honey and lemon!!! dh does talk rubbish though! he thinks that if i'm preganant i should have the greatest immune system in the world and i should be fighting everything off!!! if only i was that strong!!!!

Yes I to have a nasty cold and I posted on this thread about a month ago. Feel awful, back of throat and roof of mouth itching like mad. Bunged up, can't breath and sniffing like a St. Bernard!!! Feel yucky!!!
But I am sticking to my honey, lemon and ginger routine really don't know if it will do me any good and a big dose of albas oil tonight on a tissue. Woke up with tissue hanging out of my right nostril to stop my nose from running and ds looked horrified at this white thing flapping from my nose. Get well to whoever feels as sh*!y as me.

Garlic is brilliant for zapping colds (also great for chest/throat infections). Anything with loads of garlic in will help (chilli, garlicky spaghetti) but I think raw is best - crush up a couple of cloves and spread on toast then use your new found energy to breathe on your enemies.

Chicken broth (home made) is allegedly very good for colds!

I'm also afflicted at the moment and have done some research. paracetamol is ok, but no aspirin or ibuprofen. No cold remedies with decongestants unfortunately. More information here . I've found inhaling steam with a few drops of Karvol in it has worked wonders.

Bea - your dh is indeed bonkers and quite often a sick boy!!! Get him to serve you honey and lemon in bed, with some magazines and chocolate thrown in!

Bea, tell your silly dh that when a woman is pg her immune system is much less strong - the immune response is reduced because otherwise there would be a risk you'd reject your foetus which is, after all, a foreign body. Why on earth would it be stronger??

hi, i am 25 weeks pregs and have the most awful cold as well. Its awful not being able to take any lemsips etc..i am up all night coughing..felt better seeing its not just me...get well soon everyone!

Hi everyone, I am just 5 weeks pregnant and have a cold and extremely dry lips! I took a paracetamol last night but I was a bit worried that this early on it might not be a good idea? I think I better stick to the lemon and honey. Apparently fresh ginger and boiling water is very good.
The problem is that with some average cold symptoms like stuffy nose and sore throat, add into the mix pregnancy symptoms of feeling sick and easily flushed it feels like full on flu! Im a bit of a wimp though...
Bea my Dh also think that my imune sytem should be super strong what with all the healthy eating and pregnancy vitamins Im taking! Oh well...
Hope we all get better soon!

Ruby,
I too have been suffering with a cold and blocked sinuses, i'm 10 weeks. Feeling better now but steaming my head over hot water with a few menthol crystals coupled with lots of hot ribena seemed to help, that and rest as much as possible. Hope you feel better soon.

This is going to sound really really disgusting, but it does actually help alongside the honey and lemon drinks to sooth an itchy burning throat,

Stir a teaspoon of sugar into a teaspoon of butter and mix well then add about half a teaspoon of vinegar and mix it into a paste....then the grim bit, eat it - like I said it does sound foul but it coats your throat really well so that when you cough it doesn't hurt as much.

Aaah me too! ive just been smothering, and i mean smothering, myself with vicks vaporub really thickly onto chest neck and back just before bed, and then hot water with honey and lemon, it's miserable! i have horrible pelvic pain too so everytime i cough it hurts my back! pharmacist said vicks is safe til about 37 weeks as (very rarely) can be associated with starting contractions!