Pregnant mothers’ immune systems are weaker than normal people. Therefore, just a change in climate makes mothers susceptible to colds. Most importantly, to ensure the safety of the fetus, doctors advise mothers not to take medicine. So what should you do when you get a cold? Let’s learn the secrets with My Auris through the following article.
Why do pregnant mothers often get colds?
A cold causes symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, etc. For pregnant mothers, their health can also be impaired, they get tired easily, and if prolonged, it can also affect the fetus. The cause of colds in pregnant mothers can be subjective or objective.
Subjective causes
During pregnancy, hormones in the body change, causing the pregnant mother’s body to have a weakened immune system. At this time, it is easy to be attacked by external agents that cause disease.
Objective causes
Due to changes in weather and surrounding living environment, pregnant mothers are susceptible to colds. Besides, if pregnant mothers come into contact with people who have colds, the virus can spread and lead to illness. For people with strong resistance, they can fight the disease, but for pregnant mothers, their resistance is reduced, so getting the disease is difficult to avoid.
Distinguishing between flu and colds
Distinguishing the signs of a cold helps mothers find ways to care for and relieve the disease more quickly. Flu and cold both have similar symptoms, so mothers need to distinguish:
Pregnant women have flu
- Cause: usually caused by influenza virus. There are 3 main types of flu: A, B and C.
- Symptoms: signs often appear quickly, such as high fever, headache, muscle pain, sweating, fatigue, etc.
Pregnant women have a cold
- Cause: through the nose and mouth, bacteria enter the body. There are about 100 types of viruses that cause colds, but the most common is Rhinovirus.
- Symptoms: when you have a cold, you will have symptoms such as sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose.nose, sneezing and coughing. In addition, pregnant mothers also have a mild fever or headache, but these symptoms are not common.
What to do if you have a cold?
Pregnant mothers are often carefully advised by doctors during prenatal checkups not to arbitrarily take medicine even if they have a cold. Because using too much or incorrect medicine will be dangerous for the fetus. So what should pregnant women do to relieve a cold? Here are some ways to help pregnant mothers reduce cold symptoms during pregnancy while being safe for the fetus:
Blow your nose as soon as there are signs of a cold >
Moms use natural ingredients to prepare steam water at home. home. Some plants and leaves contain essential oils that help relieve colds such as lemongrass leaves, grapefruit leaves, basil, mugwort, mint, perilla, etc. Cook with boiling water. Next, use this water to steam your nose by holding your nose in and inhaling as the steam rises. This helps mothers reduce sneezing and stuffy noses.
Blow your nose with saline water
NaCL 0.9% saline water has a hygienic effect. anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, clears nasal passages, reduces mucus, etc. Therefore, mothers use this solution to drop and wash their nose every day if they have a cold.
Gargle with warm salt water – What should you do if you have a cold?
Pregnant women use warm water and mix 1 teaspoon of salt into it. After the salt dissolves, use this water to rinse and gargle before going to bed and in the morning when you wake up. Salt water has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, not only cleaning the oral cavity but also reducing sore throat and cough.
Apply cajeput oil under the nose
To reduce nasal congestion and open airways, mothers can use oils with peppermint essence such as cajuput oil to apply to the nose. Note that mothers should not overuse it and only apply a small amount under the nose.
Pay attention to rest and get enough sleep
When having a cold, a pregnant mother’s body easily gets tired and sluggish. Mothers don’t want the cold to get worseYou should pay attention to taking time to rest and get enough sleep. This helps mothers replenish energy and improve the immune system.
Keep your body warm when going out – What should you do if you have a cold?
When you have a cold, especially when you need to go out, mothers need to pay attention to keeping their bodies warm to avoid more serious cold symptoms. This requires special attention when it’s cold, windy, or changing seasons.
Use a mask every time you go out
To protect the body and avoid infection, pregnant mothers should wear masks carefully when going out. Not only does it limit infection, wearing a mask also helps mothers avoid wind, dust, rain, etc. From there, it limits the severity of cold symptoms.
Drink warm water, have a full nutritional diet
Mothers who have a cold should pay attention to adding warm water to warm the body and soothe the throat. Along with that is a nutritional diet diverse in food groups, full of nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals from fresh fruits and vegetables to enhance resistance and immune system for pregnant women.
In addition, mothers should supplement foods that fight colds such as citrus fruits, berries, black tea, green tea, onions, ginger, garlic,…
Sleep with a pillow elevated – What should you do if you have a cold?
While sleeping, mothers should elevate their heads in the most comfortable position. This will help mothers reduce nasal congestion and prevent phlegm from refluxing.
Limit bathing and use warm water to clean your body
If you have a cold during pregnancy, mothers should limit bathing too many times a day and should not use cold water. Instead, mothers use warm water to wipe their bodies and clean private areas. When preparing water, mothers can add a drop of cajuput essential oil to steam and relieve colds better.
The above measures are methods to safely protect the body and health of mother and baby. However, if there are no signs of remissiondecreased, mothers should go to the doctor for a health check. This ensures health, timely intervention, and avoids unnecessary risks.
In addition, before pregnancy, mothers who want to prevent colds during pregnancy can consult their doctor about getting vaccinated against colds. This is the secret to helping mothers stay healthy and their babies safe throughout pregnancy.
Hopefully sharing in the article about what to do when you have a cold will help everyone have more experience. To take good care of pregnant mothers, pay attention to strengthening their health and resistance before getting pregnant.
Anh Thy
