Home Remedies for Cough During Pregnancy

Home Remedies for Cough During Pregnancy – Cold and cough may be very annoying and exhausting even for people who don’t have extra loads on their bodies. For pregnant women, such health issues might be disturbing and dangerous for the unborn baby. While there are countless medications that can help you deal with a cough, few of them can be used in expecting mothers. What’s more, the intake of any drugs, whether over-the-counter or prescription, may still have an impact on the new life development.

To minimize any risks for the baby, some women refuse to take any medicinal treatments within the first trimester of pregnancy. Instead, they choose trying home remedies that are often similarly effective yet times safer than any item you can buy in a drugstore. Let’s have an in-depth look into the issue and find out what can be helpful as home remedies for cough. But first, we’d like to explain why pregnancy increases your chances of catching a cold.

Pregnancy and Risks for Catching a Cold

The truth is pregnancy doesn’t influence the risks of catching a respiratory infection. However, weakened immune system of an expecting mother is not strong enough to withstand those infections the way it would without the fetus growing in the womb. Due to this appear increased risks of complications and severe flow of the disease.

What can you do to avoid such a scenario? You should definitely pay more attention to preventing infections and your personal safety throughout this sensitive period in the life of a woman. Here’s what you can do to minimize your risks of respiratory infections and other respiratory problems:

  • avoid social contact with people having the symptoms of cold or flu;
  • minimize the time you spend in places where there are a lot of people;
  • always wash your hands before touching the face;
  • avoid having strongly smelling flowers at home (like lilies) as their aroma may provoke allergic rhinitis;
  • eat healthily to enhance your immune system with essential vitamins and minerals;
  • be physically active: swimming, walking, and stretching will do good for your physical shape as well as strengthen your immunity.

Another way to protect yourself from the infection and its possible complications is getting a flu shot. According to the CDC, vaccination reduces the risks of respiratory infection provoked by influenza by approximately 50%. Also, it reduces the risks of getting hospitalized by 40%. These seem like strong arguments in favor of vaccination.

And, please, remember that the fear of getting a cough or nasal congestion shouldn’t stop you from enjoying every moment of your pregnancy. Be positive and surround yourself with loving and supportive people who will help you overcome any difficulties. Besides, even if you do get the flu or cold, there are many ways to overcome the infection without using any medicinal treatments.

Home Remedies for Soothing Respiratory Symptoms

Depending on your symptoms, you may have several options of home remedies to choose from. We’ll speak about each of them in a bit more detail so that you know what you have at your disposal.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Boosting the Immunity

Apple Cider Vinegar is known to make our bodies more alkaline. How can a pregnant woman with a dry cough benefit from this? Scientists claim that an alkaline body can fight infections better and helps the immune system to work more effectively. Adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your favorite drink two or three times a day will allow you to cope with the cough better.

It’s essential to use this home remedy at the initial stages of your disease development. Unfortunately, it won’t make much difference if you start taking it already having severe symptoms.

Chicken Soup for Nasal Congestion

Although some people are skeptical about the health benefits of chicken soup, scientists have already proven that it is an effective remedy for localizing inflammation and preventing the shared inflammatory response in the body. Chicken soup possesses a mild anti-inflammatory effect, which makes it effective for nasal congestion and sore throats.

An interesting fact is that the benefits of chicken soup are dose-related, so the more soup you eat, the more visible its effects will be.

Saline Nasal Irrigation for Runny Nose

If you suffer from a runny or stuffy nose, saline nasal irrigation might be the best solution for the issue. Instilling it into the nostrils, you will wash out the secretions blocking your nose. Besides, the salt present in the irrigator will slightly dry the mucous to stop the running nose.

This remedy is absolutely safe for pregnant women as it doesn’t contain any artificial substances that may negatively affect the development of the fetus.

Honey for Fighting Cough

It seems like nothing can spoil the reputation of honey as a treatment for cough during pregnancy. This natural product works as a cough suppressant and anti-inflammatory agent for sore throat treatment.

You can add honey to warm milk to reduce the burning in the inflamed throat. The same effect can be achieved if you put it into warm tea.

Water for Fighting the Infection Easier

Drinking lots of water is the simplest, yet the highly efficacious method of dealing with upper respiratory infections during pregnancy. Inflammation, running temperature, and cough may significantly influence the levels of fluid in your body. If you stay hydrated, your organism doesn’t suffer that much and can concentrate on fighting the disease.

You can enhance the beneficial effects of water by adding lemon, honey, or ginger. Lemon will become a great source of vitamin C, honey will work for inflammation, and ginger is one of the best remedies for dealing with a dry cough.

Useful Tips for Treating Cough without Medicines

Cough may get dangerous if left untreated. But wishing to avoid medicines during pregnancy, you can use other methods of dealing with this health issue.

  1. Make sure the air in your home is moist. Humidifiers, facial steamers, and any other gadgets that can help you moisturize the air can be really helpful for soothing dryness in the throat and thinning the sputum so that you can expectorate it easier.
  2. Have enough sleep. Though it doesn’t look like an effective treatment, during sleep our body is under minimum emotional and physical load, which allows it to concentrate on fighting the infection.
  3. If you are a smoker, make sure you limit the number of cigarettes you smoke daily. If you don’t smoke, avoid passive smoking as it is a strong irritant for a sore throat and infected upper respiratory ways.

Home Remedies for Cough During Pregnancy – Summing up

If you don’t want to use medicines for cough during pregnancy, there are many alternative ways to fight the infection without harming your unborn baby. Still, most of them will help when you have only the first signs of the disease. If it gets worse, don’t delay a visit to the doctor. Stay healthy and good luck!

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