Pregnant and Sick? You Can Take It

There may be nothing worse than being pregnant and feeling terrible. Being sick with a cold, the flu or some other malady may be even worse for pregnant women, whose medication options are limited. If you have a cold while pregnant, then the symptoms can seem worse than if you weren't expecting - this is because your mucus membranes, including those in your nose, have a tendency to swell and get more irritated. That means a stuffy nose is more uncomfortable, and throat tickles may be more prevalent. The first thing to do is to check with your doctor or midwife to see what treatments she might recommend first and which are not OK to take. There are a few medications that are generally considered safe for pregnancy. If you have a cold, those include Sudafed, Tylenol, Halls and Robitussin DM. Natural ways to alleviate symptoms include gargling with warm salt water and using saline drops to help nasal congestion.