Awful cold/cough please tell me what I can take?

[Lucinda15]

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I've caught an awful cold/cough. Shivers, aches, pains, banging head, runny eyes & nose, terrible chesty cough, sooo breathless. I've barely been able to move from the bed for 24 hrs.

I'm on the honey and lemon, I've not taken paracetamol and I think I may have to soon. But I really need something to ease this cough, which is so painful. It hurts my throat and chest, and my tummy too which tenses every time I cough. I also end up peeing my pants every time as well. I just feel wretched.

I really need some relief. Is there anything I can take besides honey and lemon and paracetamol?

Really, apart from the honey and lemon and paracetamol, sadly, no

Try steam inhalation it often helps. You could also try a humidifier in your too at night, they're useful once baby arrives and they have colds too!

I wouldn't hold off taking the paracetamol, it's perfectly safe and will hopefully help a bit.

Back in 2013 when i was pregnant with dd1 my doctor said it was perfectly safe to use Buttercup syrup, so I did and we were all fine. I'm pregnant with dd2 and with a different doctor this time, Ive had terrible coughs and colds all winter and doc again said Buttercup is fine said so again I've been using it and it really does help.

Thanku. I will try the steam. Feel ghastly.

Lots of vicks vapour rub. Olbas oil inhalers or maybe the saline sprays you can get for babies. That, paracetamol and sleep where the only thing that helped me.

Vicks!! Try it on your feet, chest back and under nose.

Try some manuka honey a spoon of a morning and night i was the same as you at christmas and it sorted me out straight away!

Thanks ladies. I've taken paracetamol and am hunched over a bowl of Vicks steam as we speak. Beginning to feel a touch better but still rough. Hope I can get some sleep tonight. Thanks for the tips xx may try to get some Manuka tom xx

After 4 dc I cant believe im going to ask this, but can you take co-codamol during pregnancy? Codeine is a cough suppressant!

Ive just had a cough for 4 weeks, a humidifier did help a little

No you can't take co-codamol I'm afraid! Nothing but paracetamol. It's rubbish.

Rest, tea, fluids, steam, Vicks and more rest!

Oh and that 4head stuff for headaches! I had hideous headaches when pregnant, got through buckets of the stuff!

Apple cider vinegar (has to be from the mother) couple of teaspoons in boiling water and drink it. Coconut oil in with honey lemon and ginger tea, I had the cold a couple weeks ago and it cleared up from doing this withing 3/4 days. Awful being pregnant and ill Hope you feel better soon x

Morrisons/ £land do a hot lemon paracetamol drink- I have it and pretend it's Lemsip!

@ReginaGeorgeinSheepsClothing are you sure your paracetamol and lemon drink doesn't also contain pseudoephedrine/phenylephrine or other similar decongestant as well as the paracetamol? They're often also in these lemsip-alikes and are not safe in pregnancy

Definitely steam!

@TuddlesandSisses def not- I'm actually taking it due to bf, was recommended it as it doesn't have the phenylephrine that could reduce milk supply- it's literally just lemon flavoured paracetamol powder!

A clove of raw garlic first thing in the morning, a couple of chews then swallow it down, then follow it with a large glass of water. You will really feel it drying your sinus' as it goes. Once I get a cough and a cold, this is the only thing at shifts it.

Lots of olbas oil inhalations plus lukewarm honey and ginger ans/or honey and lemon tea to sip all day. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks ladies. The steam and paracetamol before bed really helped! Strangely I spent an hour or so very sweaty and hot in bed had to shake covers off complete contrast to where I've been shivering and wrapped up all day, but after that I had a full night's sleep, didn't even get up for a wee (which is a nightly occurrence now bump has got bigger!) banging head has gone this morning, cough still here but less painful. Dnt feel so shivery. Think I'm on the mend.

It's amazing how lousy colds can be when you can take the usual medications!! Will never underestimate the power of a lemsip again!! X

(Good tip about the garlic but don't think I can stomach that one just yet! Was one of the first things I had a strong aversion to in first trimester, dnt think I'm quite over that one )

And will deffo look out for the paracetamol lemon drink from Morrisons 👍🏻

Do you think it might be a chest infection? The swearing and shivering sounds like it could be. See your GP if you don't feel any better

Is a bit blurry lucinda but this is what I've been using !

It had crossed my mind tubby but DH is being rather stubborn and insisting it's 'just a bad cold' so i feel like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill I certainly don't ever recall feeling this unwell/shivery/sweaty or had such a painful cough. I could barely open my eyes yesterday. I was going to call 111 today if not improved but I do feel I've turned a corner. Still confined to bed really (just had a bath and I'm whacked) but the cough is much less painful and head so much better. Thanks for the advice and support!

(If DH goes down with it I may hide all the lemsip/day nurse/night nurse & see how he copes with a bad cold then!! )

Are you getting enough fluids down though?

Cocodamol/codeine is fine when pregnant as long as you don't take mega high doses. I was prescribed it for back pain, you just can't take it when breast feeding. You can buy the lowest strength (8/500) cocodamol in pharmacies if you find the paracetamol isn't strong enough!