Getting a cold while pregnant

Take care of your body – A healthy body is a happy body. There are a number of reasons why it is always beneficial for you to keep yourself healthy, but pregnancy is a critical time to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This can mean a number of different things for different people.

A balanced diet – It is very important to make sure that you are eating healthy, and for a pregnant woman, this can mean a lot. Sure, this means avoiding the things you are not supposed to consume while pregnant (such as raw fish and alcohol, or too much caffeine). However, this means trying to avoid those unhealthy junk foods and eat all the recommended fruits and veggies.

Hydrate – Drink, drink, and drink! You need to avoid dehydration and give yourself all the water you need.

Exercise – Pregnancy may limit a lot of your physical activities, but this doesn’t mean you should eliminate your exercise completely (unless specified by a doctor). Keeping yourself in shape, through something like yoga, is a great way to stay fit, reduce cellulite, and even help you with handling your pregnancy (and labour) more comfortably.

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Get enough sleep – You are going to feel more tired when you are pregnant. You shouldn’t ever push yourself. Your body is just letting you know that you need to rest. Keeping your body well rested will put it in a better condition to fight off illness.

Avoid sick people – There is a reason that we say you “catch” something. It is pretty common knowledge that people can pass illnesses between each other. However, it is often not stressed enough that in certain situations you should avoid people.

This means friends and relatives too – A lot of people want to be touching your belly or visiting you when you are pregnant. This is not always a great idea and, even if it is difficult to stand up for yourself, you need to learn how to say no. If somebody is sick, tell them to hold off their visit until they are feeling a little better – especially if you know they are contagious.

Avoid public places – It can be difficult to avoid public places, however, if you feel that you are catching something, it may be a wise decision to stay in until you feel as though you are back to your normal self. There are some public places that are riskier than others. For example, avoid places where there are large crowds or sick people tend to visit. Try to have a friend or partner make that pharmacy trip for you or go out to the store during flu season.

Listen to your doctor – Your doctor is a trained professional. If they give you advice, take it. If this means they want you to get vaccines or take medication – do it. They only have your best interests at heart and have much more training in knowing what is right, especially if they are trained in prenatal care.

Wash your hands – It seems self-explanatory, but a lot of us overlook the importance of washing our hands. This is especially important during times where a lot of people are sick such as flu season.

Start treating yourself immediately – A lot of us can tell when we have a cold or sickness coming on. It makes us feel weird or extra tired – maybe we notice that we are in a bad mood. Don’t just shake it off and push through. Listen to your body and take the necessary precautions.

Don’t hesitate to seek medical advice – As soon as you notice you are sick (even if it may be nothing) it is wise that you speak with your doctor. If you can identify your symptoms early, it can make it much easier to avoid those really nasty symptoms that may develop later on or get medicine to avoid getting sick altogether. The earlier the better.

This also means that you should never try to wait something out. It is a much better idea to talk to your doctor and find out there was nothing to worry about than wait it out and see what comes from it.