Being Sick While Pregnant

Hi,

I'm sick with the flu right now and in the early stages of pregnancy as well. I am so scared that the strain of this cold will make me miscarry because its just really bad. High fever, hacking cough, I haven't eaten real food in days, etc. I am expecting my third and really want this cold to be over with but when one is sick...we all are sick.

Trying taking a teaspoon of honey several times a day. I recently read that it can help quiet a cough better than most over the counter remedies and it is safer for you an baby

Yucky. I feel for you. I hope you get well soon but I would still go to your doctor. As far as the baby and enough nutrition I wouldn't worry. I had a friend who could barely eat anything during her pregnancy and the doctor told her not too worry too much about that. Good Luck. Get Well.
www.greensthewaytobe.com

Sorry you feel so yucky... If I were you I wouldn't worry about your calorie intake. I was so sick my first trimester I hardly ate anything and my son was 7Lbs 4oz when he was born.
The cough is what would bother me. I know how it feels when I'm NOT pregnant, I can't imagine what you must feel like. I have to agree with the other moms. Go see your Dr. either family or gyn. That's what they're there for... you and the baby.
Don't worry, you'll feel better soon (hopefully). Take care!!!

HI C.,

Don't worry too much;) That little embryo has attached itself good and strong. No amount of coughing is going to damage it in any way. It really sucks being sick in the early stages of pregnancy, though it isn't uncommen - your immune system sometimes goes into hyper drive when you become pregnant - I wouldn't worry too much. Also as far as your calorie intake, don't worry about that right now either. You really don't need to start thinking about that until the second and third trimesters when your baby is developing its organs, bones and brain. Right now, he/she is still the size of a grain of rice - just focus and healing and getting better.
Hope you get well soon and have a wonderful pregnancy.

H. M.

I feel so bad for you and totally understand! I threw up a couple of times a day, every single day for a little over the first half of my pregnancy and had a cold every other week it seemed! Tylenol didnt' really work for me, but I kept taking it.
First, which I am sure you've done, is call your OBGYN they might have some tips for you. I was worried about eating when I was under the weather too. I would say keep doing what you're doing-- plenty of fluids, broth, toast-- anything that remotely appeals to you. And, keep taking your vitamins. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you will feel better! Hang in there!

Hi C.
sorry to hear that you are going through this. I had the same thing with my fourth pregnancy coughing so bad that I would pee, and then a sinus infection. my idvice is stay away from the meds- take your prenatals, vitamin c and there is this great immune system booster called elderberry extract-look into it. of course get your rest. gatorade is not the best either as it is loaded with sugars. to help your upset stomach try some ginger either adding it to some applesauce or some ginger tablets that are found in natural food departments for upset stomachs- i took these with my second pregnancy for morning sickness, they worked really well. good luck. C.

#1 stop taking over the counter cough remedies. They do not work and they are drugging your baby for no reason.
#2 Get yourself to a natural health food store- Sonnewald's is the best for this. You'll want to talk to the extremely knowledgable staff- Willa knows her stuff. They can tell you what herbs and other NATURAL remedies will help your problem. I would recommend Solaray Brand Respiration Blend. It is a great one for lung support. (my 6 yr old has been taking it for 4 yrs when her asthma flares up and she has never had to be on an inhaler or nebulizer) They'll also tell you what to take for a healthy pregnancy.
#3 Do Prenatal Yoga. Trust me. This will help stretch, strengthen, and alleviate abdominal pain. Border's has a nice selection of Prenatal Yoga Videos. Get one that has several stages of pregnant women doing yoga. They will say in the video that if you are in the 1st trimester to follow what one of them is doing- Inthe 2nd to follow a different woman, and another if you are in the 3rd. Even though you are in the 1st trimester- you should follow the 3rd trimester woman until you are gaining your strength back, then move to 2nd trimester. by the time you have regained enough strength- you maybe too late to ever do the 1st trimester level.
#4 Do KEGALS! You shouldn't be peeing when you cough- not even if the cough is really hard. Strengthen that pelvic floor muscle. It's as low impact as you can get and it really works.

I was very sick during my 3rd pregnancy. I weighed 92 lbs at 6 months pregnant. My doc had put me through the ringer. I threw up and had diarhea for 6 months. They monitored my baby closely and she was growing noramlly. I was wasting away. The docs put me on lots of prescriptions. Nothing helped. Until I went the natural route and started doing prenatal yoga (because I had no muscles and it was the only excersize I could do). Within a week my throwing up and diarhea were gone and I began to gain weight. This is how I know.

A.

C., I'm a labor and delivery nurse and to answer your questions, Yes, you need to get more calories in. While being sick is temporary if you're losing weight it's not helping you grow that little one and with poor nutritional status it will take you longer to recover. Have someone get you some Ensure (the 350 calories/can) you can get the generic at walmart near the pharmacy. It's thick so you can water it down with juice or just water so you can get it down easier. Try and get at least 3 a day into you, keep it cold and sip it. Also, call you doctor and ask for a cough medicine with codeine -it's safe to use during pregnancy and we give it to moms for post-partum pain even while their breastfeeding. You also need to thin the mucous and a product with just Guifinesin will help. If you feel you need IV fluids because you're dehydrated, let your OB know. Just because you're pregnant does not mean you have to suffer miserably! Take care. A.

My girlfriend who is sick just called me and said they gave her medicine to help her out. She is in the same situation as you, so you might want to try your doctors. I don't believe in medicines let alone will take anything while I am pregnant. So I would have you go old school. Boil some water and put some mint leaves in take a towel put it over your head and the steam and get it in your lungs or try out a little hotsauce maybe a teaspoon and then drink some tea with lemon and honey. Basically loosen up the mucus in your lungs. But check your pregnancy book to make sure you are still able to take some of those things because I think you might not be allowed to have honey.

Call your doctor. When I was 7 1/2 months pregnant this past summer with my son (now almost 6 months old), I got sick with a virus that then turned into bronchitis. It sounds like you are trying to cough out congestion in your lungs. Have it checked to make sure that your oxygen levels are up. Also, if it is congestion in your lungs they can give you an inhaler (like albuterol) to help break it up and clear your lungs.

In the meantime, keep you fluid intake up. Make sure you take your vitamins. Also, a home remedy which is safe for you and that our family has used for congestion for years is an onion broth. Peel an onion and put it into a large pot full of water. Boil it until the onion is soft. Then let it cool a little and drink it like a cup of tea with a little sweetener. It doesn't sound great but it doesn't taste bad and it really does help to break up the congestion. If you have a hard time with onions, instead of drinking it like tea, try adding some chicken or beef bouillon to it to make it into a broth. It will also give you some needed calories. Lack of calories and carbs may be part of what is making you tired, also. It's kind of a catch 22 when you are sick. Eating may make it worse or it may make it better or both to a certain degree (clear up some symptoms and make others worse).

Anyhow, good luck. Get plenty of rest and talk to your doctor.

Hi C.,

I know this is going to sound really weird, but please trust me - it really does work. Take 3-4 garlic cloves and cut them up. Put the garlic pieces in 1/2 cup of olive oil and let it sit all day. When you are ready for bed, apply the olive oil to your feet and put some socks on and go to bed. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and by doing this, it will open up your lungs. I do this all the time for my family. You can also try rubbing OLBAS oil (whole foods) on your chest and burning some in the house. Oh – and sleep with a humidifier.

This will be great practice because once the little one arrives, you will want some alternative methods for treating colds since they can not take medicine.

I hope you feel better soon and if you want to e-mail me about alternative methods please do 

J.

I got a bad stomach flu and couldn't keep anything down while in my final month with my last baby-and the doctor assured me that if you can't eat, your body doesn't need food, and not to worry-the baby will take whatever stores you have-and yes-women have been violently ill while pregnant since the beginning of time. Apparently a lot of women are so sick during morning sickness they barely eat for weeks, and supposedly that' OK. You;ll probably get super starving all of a sudden when this blows over. If your doctor says don't worry-don't worry!!!! Get well soon!
a m y

Hi C.,

I had an unusually case of morning sickness. I vomitted profusley through the entire pregnancy. I had to be hydtated intraveniously throughout my pregnancy. I took in very little and my daughter Kelly was fine. One thing I learned was that my doctor was always happy to answer my questions. I called her frequently. She told me to call her with any and all concerns. I sure your doctor is the same.

Good luck

P.

Its no fun being sick and pregnant. Lucky for you that if you get an rx from your dr for codeine, its one of those drugs that does not cross the placenta at all, and is used in pregnancy for pain, headache and cough.
hope you feel better.
L. S.
Retail pharmacist

Hi C.,
When I was pregnant I never had morning sickness but I had a very small apetite. I also had a bad cough and had severe pains on the right side of my lower stomach which ended up being growing pains. It always eventually goes away it's unfortunately something that has to run it's course. Try to sit up when you sleep sometimes that helps. Like I stated before though you need to just let it run it's course through your body.
Good Luck

I also was sick with the flu twice for 2 weeks at a time when I was pregnant last spring(stomach flu on top of morning sickness - ugh!). I was not able to keep anything down either. I also pulled my abdomen muscles and had that same sharp pain - strange. Anyway, I drank broth as much as I could and also pedialite (which isn't too bad when you mix the grape flavor with sprite or ginger ale) to put some calories in me even though I knew in about 1/2 hour I would throw it up. I lost 10 pounds with each flu. I couldn't convince myself that what I did was worth it the second time I got the flu and I didn't do all of that the second time around and I had to go to the hospital for fluids (TWO BAGS!). That was scary. So, I guess what I'm saying is keep drinking anything with sugar and calories and I didn't enjoy the pedialite, but I swear it kept me hydrated. Also, the calorie intake, remember that your baby gets first dibs on ANY calories you are intaking, so whatever you are getting in you is going straight to your baby. Don't worry about that too much. As I said before, I lost 10 pounds with my first flu and gained 5 pounds back quickly, then lost 10 pounds with the second flu and gained 5 pounds back quickly, but lost a total of 10 pounds my first trimester. Also, along with your prenatals, take DHA supplements to help brain, eye, and nervous system development if you are worried. I'm still breastfeeding and I still take it.

The pain in my left side my doctor said was one of those ligaments that hold your uterus in place. Your growing uterus is really only held in place by two ligaments only about the thickness of a small person's pinky finger and is stretched even thinner as you grow, so any extra strain on the ligaments can be painful (that's why you aren't suppose to lift something really heavy or fall). So don't worry about that too much - you will notice that it feels that way whether or not you strain it throughout your pregnancy just because you will take growth spurts. Unless you bleed and cramp, you're fine.

I'm sorry you are ill. Hopefully by the time you read this, you will feel better.

Hi C.!

Sorry to hear your not feeling well...especially when this is supposed to be such a happy time for you! I sympathize with you as I had two pretty trying pregnancies myself. I can't really comment on the cough thing but I had kidney stones during my second pregnancy (no pain meds for me!!!) and you just learn to tolerate the discomfort for the sake of the baby after awhile! The best thing to do for your cough is to get it to loosen up so that you don't feel the pulling in your abdomen and uterus. Try some flavored herbal tea-just sip it warm and it really does work to soothe a cough. My 7 year old has been sick since last weekend and it really helped her alot. If you don't like herbal tea you can try some regular tea with some honey and lemon too.

As far as the not eating during pregnancy goes, this is definetly my area of expertise! I had severe hyperemesis (basically it's morning sickness that lasts for 24 hours a day-in my case for the entire pregnancy [2 for me]. If I drank a sip of water (or anything liquid), I vomited gallons or had the dry heaves for hours. And forget food! I was dehydrated more times than I could count and had lots of hospital stays to get iv fluids and rest.

If you are holding food down, count your blessings! It doesn't sound too severe...just a case of morning sickness. I was told to keep some saltine crackers on my nightstand and try to eat one or two as soon as I woke up. In most cases, the nausea will pass once you pass your first trimester so keep the faith!

I, too, was a bit nervous about how my baby would get sufficient nutrients to grow! I was really concerned as I had lost 46 lbs. with my first pregnancy and 37 lbs. with my second. My OB/GYN reassured me that my child would take from me whatever it needed to sustain itself-basically it would live off the fat of the land. Both of my children were born very healthy and weighed 8.12 lbs. and 8.4 lbs. (surprise!!!-2 c-sections for me!). Anyway, don't stress about food, just eat whatever you feel you can handle-once you get rid of your virus you will most likely be able to eat without feeling so nauseous! Keep eating light for now and get yourself better and trust me, your baby will be just fine!

p.s.- I don't know how true this is but my OB/GYN was convinced that mothers who are carrying girls were more likely to get morning sickness, etc. He believed that since I had two girls, I was on overload of female hormones which caused my nausea/vomiting both times! My sister on the other hand, who was pregnant at the same time I was pregnant with my second, never had a day of morning sickness-lucky her!!! She had a boy! Good luck to you and please keep us posted!

don't worry about the lack of calories- in the first trimester, your baby needs very little calorie wise to survive. the main growth going on right now is the building of your placenta and your body can do that with little help from you calorie-wise. i was very sick during my first trimester as well, as much as it sucks just wait it out. the sharp pain may be some stretching in your uterus- often a cough of sneeze will set that off. call your doctor if it is persistent or painful enough to make you worry!

Ugh! You just brought back that memory while I was pregnant. I was coughing horribly for like a week. I think I pulled every muscle in my stomach. I couldn't sleep, it was awful! I was afraid to take anything so I was just looking on line for home remedies, etc. I ate alot of oranges for vitamin C and sucked on Halls cough drops, and the Dr. said Vics Vapor Rub was okay to use, so I rubbed a little of that on my chest and back. Definitely use a Humidifier and I even took a warm bath. I feel so sorry for you. But, "This too shall pass". I hope you feel better soon.

I wouldn't worry too much about the loss of appetite. When I was pregnant with my daughter I didn't want to eat anything my entire pregnancy and forced food down my throat (and I didn't suffer from morning sickness so I couldn't use that as an excuse). My daughter came out healthy and at an average weight eventhough I only gained 17lbs during the 9 months.

I would talk to your gyn about the cough - I know I have a similar cough but not worried because I'm not pregnant. He/she should be able to prescribe you something that's safe to take while pregnant. I hope you feel better soon!

I don't think you should worry about the calories...there are lots of moms out there that would be thankful to keep down the fluids. I was one of them. I got dehydrated and had to go to the hospital for an IV. Just make sure that you are hydrated, that is the most important thing. As for the strain, I say call your doctor just to be sure. Hope you feel better soon!

So sorry you are feeling so bad! I think everyone in the US has had this virus the past few weeks.
I totally understand your concern. I actually had the same problem when I was about 8 MONTHS prego! I was cauging so hard that I was afraid that I was going to put myself into labor...break my water and push the baby out!!! I'm not kidding either..I went to my gyno about it. She prescribed a cough med for me that was safe to take while prego, and I must say it was the BEST relief ever!!!! As far as your calorie intake..at least you are only 8 weeks along. Most women are still so sick with morning sickness at this time that they can't keep food down, and actually lose weight anyway..so As long as you are feeling better in a few days (I pray you will be...) then you should be fine.
Check with your gyno...they don't mind the concerned moms questions...and they should be able to give you something much better than what you are taking now...and they what's safe to take!!! (don't see your family Dr.)

Good luck!!

-Mommy of 2 toddlers in pa

Not sure, check w/doc, but Mucinex helped me the last time I was coughing crazily. I am not pregnant, but had the same symptoms in my lungs. I finally went to doc and he told me to continue with the Mucinex. I found the 7 days wasn't enough, probably more like 10 for me. Hope this helps.

Hi C.,

I got very sick with a respiratory infection in my 3rd trimester. It was so bad I ended up hospitalized for a full week at 39 weeks pregnant. They discharged me the day before my due date.

I would keep the lines of communication open with your doc. Mine didn't fully realize the magnitiude of my condition until my pulminologist intervened. Once in the hospital, the guys who gave me breathing treatments told me that it is VERY common for women to get respiratory infections while pregant and that they see a lot of pneumonia.

One thing you can take that helps is steroids - they are safe for the baby, so it may be something you want to discuss with your doc. I coughed so hard that I cracked a rib, which was really no fun.

Also, discuss the pain with your doctor. Tell him/her how much you are worrying and stressing about it - stress is not good for you or your baby, so maybe they will pay better attention.

As far as not being able to keep anything down - my doctor explained it this way. It's a horrible way to say it, but babies are like parasites. They will take and get whatever they need from you to survive, even at the expense of you. So while you may end up really depleted, your baby will continue to use what your body naturally has in reserves as far as nutrients.

Please don't worry and keep doing what you are doing - keep drinking as much as you can, eat what will stay down and keep pushing your doc on the respiratory stuff.

I can tell you that despite almost three months of horrible illness and MASSIVE doses of steriods, I have a healthy, smart, beautiful baby girl.

C.

I feel your pain. I was much further along, about 28 weeks when I had the same thing. If the cough lasts more than 2 weeks, you need to see your doctor. Mine turned out to be bacterial and turned into walking pneumonia and I needed antibioitcs and an inhaler to stop the cough. I would suggest if the tylenol and robitussin is not working, don't take it. Take warm steamy showers, that should break up the mucus in your lungs and make it easier to breathe/cough. As far as calories, make sure you are taking your multivitamin and drink plenty of fluids. The cough hurts you but the baby will be ok. Call your doctor though and see if they have any other suggestions. Good luck!

Hi! Sorry your feeling so sick! You really should see your family dr. at this point. If you have an infection you really need an antibiotic. They will give you a low dose that is safe for baby. I had terrible morning sickness that lasted all day with all 3 of my pregnancys. I actually lost weight. I'm happy to say all my babys were born quite healthy at 10 lbs. each. With my last 2 pregnancys they perscribed a med. called Zofran that worked great on the nausea. DOn't worry about eating. Just don't get dehydrated! Your baby will take from you what he/she needs. It's amazing what your body can do! Hope I was of some help! J. S.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I wouldn't worry about the amount of calories you are taking in, I was basically sick my entire pregnancy and didn't have an appetite at all. I only gained 9 lbs the entire pregnancy and my son was 7lbs, 3oz when he was born and a month early. I always worried that he was ok since I was hardly eating for nine months and the Dr's told me that the baby doesn't need much, especially that early. I also had the flu 6 months in with a fever of 102 for 5 days, lost 7 lbs and everything was fine. It's hard being sick, but I'm sure the baby is ok. I would contact your OB just about the pains to make sure it's ok. I know when I felt those, the Dr said it was just the uterus stretching and not to worry, but you should call anyhow. I think the most important thing is to stay hydrated, so make sure to drink lots of fluids. Good luck and God Bless you and your new baby!

Hi! This is my first time on here. I have two boys, I was sick with the flu during my first pregnancy and was worried sick. As long as your fluid intake is good so you're not dehydrated, and no fever, or keeping a fever down with tylenol, the baby will not suffer and doesn't know you're sick. Any nutrients he/she needs your body will provide as long as you can drink. As for the coughing, I'd double-check to be sure it's viral, and if it's that bad even with Robitussin, check with your doctor so he/she knows how uncomfortable the coughing is and that it's straining you. I'm sure again the baby is fine, but maybe something prescription would be better as long as it's safe for the baby. Have you tried a humidifier at least in your bedroom at night? It really helps and will ease the cough. I sure hope you feel better, but again, you're feeling everything, the baby is oblivious. Mint tea might help the cough too, and is safe for the baby. Good luck!

Congratulations on the new little one on the way! As long as you follow your doctor's advice, get plenty of fluids and rest, your baby will be fine. You have to take care of YOU to take care of your baby. It's not fun being sick when you're pregnant, but it is winter and sickness is all around us. Better days are coming and soon you'll be able to enjoy your time of pregnancy.

I'd call your Ob for this one ... just to be sure.

Hello C.,
If i were you i would talk to my gyn or doctor about what kind of meds that you might be able to take, many cough meds have aclohol in them, and since they aren't sure how much can cause fetual aclohol syndrome you always need to be carefull of it all, also they could give yousomething that will really help with the bad cough, i remember dealing with the same thing while i was pregnant with my daughter and the doctor gave me something that helped soo much. hope this helps good luck
S.

hi there,
One thing to try- stand in a steamy shower at least twice a day and let the hot water pound on your chest for at least 5 minutes. Put a little Vicks Vapo rub in a bowl of boiling water and breath it in before bed. Keep heat -hot water bottle or hot compresses on your chest when lying down.
Maybe try eating some Cream of wheat hot cereal. It is very mild but full of iron.
Get praying friends to pray for healing, and for the baby.
My daughter had many similar situations with her first pregnancy. By God's grace she gave birth to a healthy girl last May.
I will pray for you Chealsea. It is so hard to be so sick. Love Nan

Hi. I threw up for all nine months, incuding labor and delivery. Literally. A doctor told me that the fetus is a parasite in a sense, that it will take whatever it needs from your body, getting fed before you do. Not how we usually think of pregnancy, but there you go. I had every intention of eating well and exercising, but I could barely move and was later put on bed rest because of gestational hypertension. I lived on ice cream for months because it coated my stomach and didn't hurt so much if it came back up. I never really had cravings, just ideas of things that might possibly not make me sick. Anyway, my daughter arrived healthy and perfect, and I ended up twenty pounds lighter (but I started out really overweight).
Also, for what it's worth I remember having an odd pang in the beginning. I thought something might be wrong. The explanation had something to do with the body's holding on to the fetus until things were secured. A cyst of some kind? Ask your doctor for something more specific.
Hope you're feeling better.
Good luck!
Martha

C.,
Sorry to hear that you are so sick. I can't say that I was that sick while pregnant, but I did have that "morning sickness" for 4 months with my last pregnancy and did not eat much all day every day. I was concerned and my OB told me that "the baby will take what it needs and will be fine, but Mom is the one who will be somewhat depleted." I know that may not be helping you with the cough pain, etc but I hope it helps to know that not eating a lot of food is okay. Try to take your vitamins as they are a good source for the baby. Have you spoke to the OB about the cough and the pain in your uterus??

Hope you start feeling better soon!

Maria

Hi C.,

I'm sorry you are feeling so sick. I would say call your OB and tell them about the pulling pains that you are feeling in your abdomen. They may want to check you out. Other than that, the best thing you can do is to get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. As long as you getting lots to drink, I wouldn't worry about how much you are eating.

I hope you are feeling better soon!
J.

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Hi C.,
The deep purple grape juice does wonders for cleaning out the lungs. Airborne helps too, as does oregano oil, oregacyn is amazing. (Don't forget garlic!)

If you can get TNI Noni Juice, drink an ounce every two hours and I bet that cough will be gone by the end of the day.

(I had pneumonia and nothing was touching it, noni had me better within one day.)

Also check out homeopathic remedies, specific ones, not the general ones if possible.

There is also rubbing Vick's or some salve with eucalyptus on your feet, and putting on heavy socks at night.

I sure hope you are feeling better soon!!!!!

C.,

About a month ago I came down with a sinus infection and bronchitus and was 8months pregnant.

What you describe sounds pretty similar to how I was experiencing (My cough was bringing up stuff). I've had weekly appointments with the Ob since and the baby is doing fine.

If you haven't already you may want to go to the doctor. They may not tell you to do anything different, but they can determine if its an infection and give you antibiotics if needed.

If you don't have one already, a humidifier also helped clear my sinuses and chest.

I was told sudafed is safe and it does help you feel better, however if you tend to have high blood pressure do NOT take it. It raised mine and now I have to get NTS (non stress test)monitoring every time I go in. If you have high blood pressure it puts you into a high risk pregnancy category.

I hope this helps some. Good luck!!