Pregnant and Sick!

I'm sorry you are sick. i developed a horrible upper respitory infection when I was pregnant, on top of the normal pregnancy sickness...it was one of the worst weeks of my life!! I too was told sudafed was safe and I took it for a few days. I also relied on benedryl. My daughter is now 18 months old and she is fine, so both are safe.

Seemed like I was always congested and stuffy when I was preg. I didn't want to take any kind of medication so I stuck with saline drops and vicks vapor rub. Hope you feel better.

I had really bad colds with both of my pregnancies. I was nervous about taking sudafed too even though my doctor said it was okay so I didn't use it (although I know lots of people who have and their kids turned out absolutely fine). I did take tylenol though because I figured that newborns can take that so it should be okay. I used saline nasal spray and kept a humidifier going. Also, try putting a warm wet washcloth (you can microwave it to get it nice and warm) right over your nose and eyes. That felt really good for me and loosened things up. Also, I've heard that if you are going to take cold meds, get the kind in a nasal spray because it gets the most medicine to you where you need it and the least amount to your baby since it doesn't go through your digestive system. It is aweful being sick when you're pregnant, I hope you feel better soon!

My doc said Sudafed too. I get very ill when I take it so they suggested a saline nasal spray and blow my nose frequently. I thought about hot soup too and some tea (like when your sick during the winter). Though I didnt ask about the tea (caffine), but who wants to eat and drink hot stuff when its 90* outside!!!!
Good luck
S.

I can't remember what kind of Robitussin was OK to take, but the only symptom it was for was a cough (it's an expectorant (sp?))

I would ask the pharmacist. Just remember you don't want to take anything that is for a symptom you don't have. That's just putting more into your body than what it needs.

I used Sudafed, the red tabs. Just make sure you drink lots of water too, they dry you out so easily.
Try a vicks vaporizer in your bedroom.

sudafed is fine...actually only thing I would take besides tylenol

Yep, Robistussin was what I was allowed to take too!

S.

K.,

I know exactly how you feel, I have been sick with colds in my pregnancies and did not want to take anything for it, but there is no reason for you to suffer. I know Robitussin (the DM, I believe) is safe to take, it doesn't have a certain ingredient, one that you're not supposed to take while pregnant. You can ask a pharmacist, he should be able to tell you what is safe for you to take. Hope his info helps. Good luck.

Trisha

I took sudafed once while I was breastfeeding and it sure knocked me down and out. I couldn't stay awake to save myself, and had two small children at home! I'm sure your doctor is right, but if you take it, make sure your husband or someone else is at home the first time just in case! I always took tylenol and just hoped it'd be over fast. God Bless, hope you feel better soon.

I had the same thing happen with my second- my dr said sudafed and tylenol but the most important thing is to really drink ALOT of fluids and get plenty of rest (easier said than done with a baby I know:) but nap when he does, also something that is always safe that will help with the stuffies is saline nose spray- I recommend using it in the shower- because it will clear you out :) good luck I hope you feel better!!

Hi K., i had the same thing this time last year when i was pregnant. you are limited with what you can take but i was also told sudafed was fine. the sudafed nasal congestion, if you ask the pharmist for the sudafed that is safe for pregnancy that is what i did. my stepmom is also a ob nurse and she said the robitussin cough is okay but only the cough. it is hard because when you are pregnant your estrogen levels can make you feel more congested, i had alot of congestion each morning and clogged ears (eustachian tube problem). hope you feel better! but as always you should consult your doctor first about taking anything.

Trust your doc. You may want to have him clarify sudafed (old formula only available by going to the pharmacy counter and signing your life away) versus sudafed pe (the new formula which I frankly think is a placebo - never works for me) I also suffered one or two miserable colds during my pregnancies and my doctor also told me that sudafed was safe. You can probably find a website telling you why you shouldn't drink water, leave the house, or even have sex during pregnancy - you have to trust your doctor :-) Hope you feel better.

H.

Hi Kristin,
I took sudafed while pregnant with twins and my doctor advised it. I constantly had a stuffy nose and could not breathe when going to sleep. There are two kinds of sudafed now. One, you purchase over the counter which is the one my doctor and pharmacist recommended. The other one is behind the counter at the pharmacy and they did not recommend that one. Take medication in moderation. If you take it every four hours for extreme cases, it can elevate your blood pressure which I had to watch. Claritin over the counter is also okay according to my doctor. I was high risk due to twins so they did watch the medications closer than normal. Hope this helps.

hello there, when i felt this way my doctor suggested robitussin DM. He told me that was the only thing that i was aloud to take. Good Luck with the rest of your pregnancy and i hope that this helps!

The "Breathe-right" nose strips and saline nose spray worked well for me.

I got sick when I was two months pregnant so I know about your concerns. You can take sudafed but be sure you get the original, not the newer formuation. This means you have to go to the pharmacy counter and ask for it there. You can also take Tylenol for pains and fever. Do not take ibuprofin or any other NSAID (Aleve), aspirin is not recommended either. For decongestants you can take Benadryl or Chlortrimetrin or their generic equivalents. For an expectorant, Gustafsin is OK. Hope you feel better soon!

K.,

I have always had to take a type of tussin when i was preg. it has been two years but i dont think they have added anything different in it.

good luck and feel better

I took sudafed while I was pregnant, I remember being able to take, claritin and robitussin too.