Cold in pregnancy

Cold in pregnancy: causes

Pregnant & cold? This causes concern for many pregnant women. Basically, a cold during pregnancy is not dramatic. It even occurs more often than normal during pregnancy. Because then the body has to protect not only you, but also your child. The immune system is already stressed anyway and viruses or bacteria have an easier time breaking the protective barrier of the body.

Nest protection of the unborn child

Many pregnant women fear that a cold during pregnancy and lactation may spread to the baby. This is very unlikely. In the case of a cold, the viruses predominantly affect the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa and the upper respiratory tract. Before they penetrate deeper into the body, the immune system has usually formed enough antibodies. In addition, the baby is protected by the so-called nest protection, which it receives from the mother, in case of a cold during pregnancy from pathogens.

Attention to secondary infection

The mucous membranes normally form a natural barrier against invading substances from the outside. During a cold they are weakened and other pathogens, such as bacteria, have an easier time penetrating the body. Doctors call this a secondary or superinfection. Infection with bacteria is more dangerous than a viral cold. In pregnancy, you should therefore pay more attention to the following things, so as not to catch a cold:

1. Try to keep distance from people with a cold or flu. Viruses, bacteria and other pathogens are transmitted through the air in the majority of cases via small salivary puffs that arise when talking, coughing or sneezing (droplet infection). Large crowds, especially in winter, pose a potential threat to infection.
2. Also pay attention to special hygiene. Especially wash your hands regularly. Viruses can survive on surfaces for a relatively long time. They can thus also be transmitted over contaminated hands or surfaces (for example door handles or railings) (smear infection). If you or someone in your family becomes ill, do not leave used handkerchiefs lying around. Do not use dishes with a sick person.

Cold in pregnancy with fever

If you have a fever with the cold during pregnancy, you should be careful. If the temperature rises above 39 degrees Celsius for several days during a cold, there is a risk of early contractions and premature birth. If abdominal pain occurs together with the fever, a premature rupture of the bladder may occur. So you should consult with a feverish cold during pregnancy at the latest after two days, a doctor, if the temperature does not drop by itself.

Medicines for cold in pregnancy

Common cold is often used to combat drugs such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. These have a soothing effect on sore throats or headaches and body aches. In addition, lower a possibly occurring fever. To date, however, these drugs are still under investigation. So, not all possible effects and side effects on you or your child are known. Basically, therefore, you should better avoid medication during pregnancy – even on “light” medicines for cold. Early pregnancy up to the first three months of life of the child represents a particularly sensitive phase. During this time, the organs develop in your child. Substances such as alcohol, drugs or medicines often have a damaging effect on this development process.

Certain diseases, such as a severe bacterial infection or chronic illness, can not be avoided in pregnancy. In a cold, the symptoms are usually not so strong and can be well-controlled even without drugs.

Home remedies for a cold during pregnancy

You can relieve a cold in pregnancy but also with various home remedies. Home remedies are gentler than medicines. You reduce the symptoms of the cold without worrying that it will affect your baby.

Especially fresh herbal tea helps against sore throat in case of a cold during pregnancy. You can take, for example, sage or lemon balm leaves and pour hot water over them. Seawater nose sprays can help clear the headache. You can also make yourself a salt water steam bath. Boil some water in a saucepan, add salt and inhale the mixture. As a result, the nasal mucous membranes swell and the mucus is loosened. Alternatively, you can make steam baths with thyme or chamomile flowers.

Most important during a cold during pregnancy is, above all, that you drink a lot. Liquid dissolves the mucus out of the throat and can be coughed off. This is important because the mucus provides a good breeding ground for a secondary infection with bacteria.

Cold and breastfeeding?

During a light cold, you can continue to breastfeed your baby. A cold or flu is usually not passed on from the mother to her child. If you breastfeed your child, it will protect you from the various pathogens.

Cold medications while breastfeeding

For medicines used during breastfeeding generally the same recommendation as during pregnancy: you should take them only when absolutely necessary. First, you should try to combat the symptoms as best you can with home remedies.

However, should it ever be necessary for you to take medication, there are several recommendations: Prefer two equally effective medications, the one that has been on the market for some time. These are more known about possible side effects than newer drugs. You should also use single-drug preparations and not combination drugs.

You should also be aware of the time to effect on the medicines you are taking. Medications that work fast should be taken immediately after breastfeeding. In this case, then the amount of active ingredient in the body has reduced again until the next breastfeeding and it is less passed through the breast milk to your child. Accordingly, you should take medications with a long-term effect (sustained release medication) before breastfeeding. It takes a little longer for these to spread throughout the body. He reaches his maximum concentration only after breastfeeding.

If you have a cold and are worried that you need to take medication, you can also freeze a few servings of breastmilk. These can then feed you safely while taking medications to your baby.

Cold in pregnancy: prevent

In general, you can not prevent a common cold during pregnancy. But you can reduce the risk of catching a cold. Pay particular attention to a varied and balanced diet. By contrast, taking individual vitamin supplements does not help much. You should also try to reduce stress as much as possible. Sleep well enough and also take daily rest breaks during the day.

In addition, exercise supports a healthy immune system. You can also play sports during pregnancy. Of course you should refrain from high performance sports. Instead choose endurance sports such as swimming or cycling. Also gymnastics or yoga are doing well. However, if you have a cold during pregnancy you should refrain from doing sports. As a result, the body is only additionally burdened and the risk of further infections increases. You can also go for a daily walk during a cold during pregnancy, for example.

In general, a mild cold during pregnancy and during breastfeeding will not harm your baby. You should make sure that you spare yourself enough. So lower the risk for further infection and reduce the duration of the disease. In most cases, one is Cold in pregnancy within a week at the most.