Congestion...

M.,

I experienced the same problem, but was afraid to take any medicine. I tried a normal saline mist that you can buy at any drug store and it actually seemed to help a lot.

I seem to remember that as I got into my later months, the congestion decreased quite a bit. Hope it is the same for you.

I used to run the humidifier on high all the time when I went to bed. I also used that saline nasal spray. Good luck! I remember that sucked! Good luck with the third one. I'm thinking about it and I have 2 girls (2 1/2 and 1) -- how is it being pregnant with 2 of them? Are you completely and utterly exausted?

Hello,
I had the same problem when I was pregnant. I bought a vaporizer and the medicine from walmart for about 15.00. It works great. I use it with my 9mth old dtr. when she is congested. Congrats on the family.

Hi M.,

Lots of good posts here. One other thing to consider--could you possibly be suffering from allergies? I am thinking of the "hay fever" type, which would add to any "pregnancy congestion" you're experiencing. If that's the problem, you'd want to minimize your exposure to the pollens while you sleep (wash your hair before bed, close windows if you can, etc). Just something else to consider.

I too am confused as to how you can have a 2 month old and be due again in December!

Good luck!

K. Z.

I would recommend a Nettie pot. Check with the herbalist at Whole Foods to see what you could put in it to help. I'm sure there is some kind of oil they would recommend. I usually try to stay away from meds during pregnancy.

Make sure you're taking the old sudafed (pseudoephedrine) the kind you have to sign for at the pharmacy - the new stuff does NOT work for me. The only other thing I can think of is saline and a cool mist humidifier. If it's really bad try sleeping in a recliner to encourage drainage.

With my first and second daughters I had nasal congestion. Which I get sinus infections anyhow. With my first one, it was much worse, the second baby wasn't so bad.
American BAby magazine, listed Afrin nasal spray as SAFE to use while pregnant, and believe me, I did use it!!!!!!!! I was so bad I couldn't breath at all sometimes.
When I was checking into the hospital, the nurses told me it was very common (more so if you have sinus problems to begine with) to have sinus problems the WHOLE time you're preg. Within 2 weeks of having my first daughter, it all went away and I could breath normal again.
Afrin is considered one of the safest nasal sprays to use. About 2 good squirts in each side, and within 15 min. you'll have relief, if not before that.

Hi M.,

I don't have any advice, but I have to ask how it is possible to have a baby coming in Dec. with a 2month old. I'm boggled!

Anyway, I hope you find some relief from your congestion because you definitely need some sleep with those little ones:)

My doctor doesn't allow sudafed during pregnancy, so you might want to check with him or her there! I use saline nasal spray twice a day. It's supposed to help the nasal membranes not be so swollen. It doesn't take away all the congestion, but does enough for me to get some sleep! I hope it helps.

Try fenugreek (as long as you check with your doctor). It is a drug-free, natural way to get rid of congestion and you can take is daily, several times, if you need to. We are drug free in our home, and that is what I use.

I experienced the same thing with both my pregnancies. I found a steamy shower/bathroom helped for a little while. As for sleeping, I tried to sleep on an incline (lots of pillows. I think at night all the congestion gets "stuck" in your nasal cavity and the back of your throat-making hard to breathe). I hope this helps. Good luck with your growing family and you cold :)

Hi M.!

I also suggest the saline solution, but I have a couple of other suggestions that I know will help.

First, there's a saline solution that 's made to flush out your sinuses. I can't remember the name of it right now, and I don't have any in the house to check. It's an irrigation solution, and it's very easy to use.

Second, try eliminating dairy and wheat from your diet all together. It sounds like an impossible thing to do, but it really isn't. Dairy and wheat are known irritants that can cause allergic reactions to other things. My best friend's sister is an integrative M.D., and she suggested this for me for years and years. I had a pretty big health scare last February, and went to see her. She put me on her special diet that is designed to bring the human body into balance, and it has changed my life. I wish I had listened to her sooner! She was right ~ avoiding dairy and wheat has made my allergies go away almost completely. I have no migraines (down to zero from 2 - 6 per month!), and the chronic pain of fibromyalgia is virtually gone.

Also be sure to drink lots and lots of water. Keeping the body hydrated helps to keep things flowing so congestion isn't a problem.

There's more to the diet than just stopping consumption of dairy and wheat, but if you avoid those two things and drink plenty of water, you will begin to breathe easily.

Good luck!

Try the nasal/sinus rinse (netti pot). It's just a warm salt water mix you can buy at the drug store. I am using it now and use it whenever i feel a cold coming on. I think it actually makes the life span of the cold shorter. It's easy to use though and clears the goop out of your head.
Put some vicks under your nose before you lay down for the night!!

Plain Robotussin, with no letter following it, is safe for you while you're pregnant. That's great considering it works really well! I wouldn't take the Sudafed unless you got it approved through your doctor. Robotussin was approved through mine, but nothing else really.

Hi,

Try with marine water, as you do with the baby when is congestioned.
You must to do it almost each one or two hours and you get well, it's a little slowly, but for to me it works.

HI M.,
I am currently 17 wks pregnant and having the same problem. I have been taking benedryl and it helps me sleep. My doctor said it was safe but of course you will want to check with your doctor.
Good luck

WHen I started having those type of problems,I usually started sleeping on a recliner.It was easier on my back and I could keep my head at the level I wanted. Vaporizers should work also. I would not use sudafed if I were pregnant.

Dear M.,

First and easiest thing to do is eliminate all dairy from your diet. That may clear enough of the congestion to allow you to sleep through the night. Second thing is try two cayenne pepper capsules before you go to bed. They are a natural decongestant and may give you enough of a head start to get you through the night. They have no known bad side effects. The last option is one I use when I have a cold. Sleep in a recliner VS laying down. Keeping your head elevated will change the way it drains and may allow you a better nights sleep.

God Bless,

S.

If you are pregnant, you need to stay AWAY from as many meds as possible. Try eucalyptus oil. You can put a few drops in some hot/boiling water and put a towel over your head and breathe it.

I recommend putting a couple drops on your pillow (about the distance apart as your head) so that you breathe it while you sleep. I recommend that ALL the time for children, too.

I've actually just breathed it straight out of the bottle of oil. My Abbie LOVES the smell and always says "it makes my nose feel better" if/when she uses it. I actually put it under her nose one time while she was sleeping last winter because she came from her mother's VERY congested. You could LISTEN to the changes in her breathing and tell within seconds that it helped open her up and obviously sleep better.

Try a Netti Pot. Everyone I know who uses them swears by them!

M.,

Try a humidifier in your room, prop up you pillows so your head is slightly elevated and I love the nasal strips that you can put on your nose at night. I'm congested almost year round and I love them. Just make sure your nose is clean and dry before you put them on or they'll fall off at night. Best of luck.

C.

When I was in my third trimester with my daughter, I was constantly congested. It wasn't a cold or sinus infection but it sure felt like it. My condition had a name and a diagnosis, but I can't remember what it was called. Nothing I did helped. I took medicine, used a humidifier, used Vick's...nothing helped. The only thing that even remotely helped was saline spray. The more pregnant I got, the worse my congestion got. It did go away a few days after I had my daughter. Sometimes it helped if I slept on an incline. Hopefully your congestion us just a run of the mill cold and not what I experienced. Talk to your doctor and see what he/she has to say.

When I was pregnant with my daugheter, I got the breath right strips that go across your nose. They worked really well for me. Good luck!

that happened to me as well with my first, and my mother in law told me to sleep in a recliner chair. it helped alot. and as soon as your little one is born that congestion should go away. hope all goes well :)

I love the vapor plug ins. They really helped me at night time and they actually smell really good. I know they have a Vicks brand and a pediacare brand that comes with refills.

I had that trouble. It was like my nose holes weren't big enough any more. My main doctor prescribed me Flonase which helped with the sweeling a lot!! It really did the trick for me because I didn't want to actually take allergy medicine. And that is just a nasal spray. My prego doctor said it was fine also.

Use the neti pot. It will clear out everything. You can purchase it from walgreens or cvs. It doesn't effect the baby.

I remember having the same problem during my pregnancies. I don't have a solution, but sometimes when I slept propped up, that would help. Also, I wanted to let you know that you should ask your doctor about taking Sudafed. When I was pregnant, that was on the 'No' list, so just check with your doctor before you take anymore.

I had pretty bad congestion with my first daughter.

There's a couple things you can try:
* Get a humidifier.
* Use a saline spray. It's safe to use pretty much as often as you want because it's just saline, there's no medicine in it to be worried about. I've used "Simply Saline" and even the generic stuff from CVS without any troubles
*You can take things like sudafed (Of course, check with your doctor) but keep in mind that products like sudafed can raise your blood pressure (it affects me that way)
*Ask your doctor about Rhinocort - it's a nose spray that has a corticosteroid in it to help reduce inflamation.
*Consider something like Mucinex (Guafenisen- spelling?). It's the "expectorant" in cough medicines that help thin out the mucous. Of course, ask your doctor about it too.

My OB/GYN was pretty receptive to me using things, but my sister's OB/GYN pretty much said no to everything on the premise that there's a lot of things that they just don't know what, if any, effects those products will have on the baby. That if something did affect the baby, and you're the type of person that will deeply regret it for the rest of your life, then you shouldn't take it - that with everything there's risk, and if you're willing to take the risk, then okay.

(I can tell you that I've taken those products when I was pregnant with both of my girls, and nothing happened. I don't know if that's the norm or the exception to the rule. BUT definitely ask your OB/GYN about it.)

Good luck!

Both me and my youngest son go through this, especially this time of year. I use a humidifier in his room. It helps to loosen up the congestion, and makes it easier to "expel". I hope this helps!

Hi M.

I was allowed to take both Sudafed and Robitussin, but like you, neither worked for me. I agree with the last response, the best thing for me was a humidifier and saline spray. Also, I loved Vicks. I was pregnant thru the winter and it got me thru a lot of colds! :) I hope these ideas work for you, it is very miserable to lose your sleep right now!

B.

I used a Netti Pot (SP?) while I was pregnant. Basically a small teapot that you pour saline through one nostril and out the other. It's a pretty weird experience, but was actually helpful. I really wanted to stay away from meds, and this was it. I think my mom bought it at GNC, but my sister said she saw it at Walmart. Good luck!

I had the same issue with my pregnancies! I snored so loudly that some nights my husband moved to another room during the night. I also woke myself up! One thing that I did, which helped, was sleep with my head and shoulders elevated on pillows.....like you are reading in bed. Honestly, it did not completely fix the situation, but it did definitely help.

Best of luck with your new addition!
T.

Hi M.
Good Luck what ever you find that will help you.
I do this and have always done this for our three kids. Get Vicks or Mentholem rub your chest, back, bottoms of your feet and of course put socks on also rub a little under your nose and a tad bit in each ear. Sometimes according to how bad I am I use a very little on my tongue all of this just before bedtime.
The deal of puting it on the bottoms of your feet came about to me when and elderly grandma said she did this for hier kids so I tried it and it worked.

Breathe Right strips worked well. If possible sleep at an upright angle which will help drain it.

Hi M.
It may be a reaction to one of many things and as you know you are way more sensitive while pregnant. I am a Shaklee distributor and now understand the importance of "good" nutrition and not to mention your cleaning products, which would also include your laundry products, that could definately and most likely contribute to these sort of conditions. If you would like to check me out more closely please let me know I will send you my personal email address.
Good Luck
S.

something you should know as a side note: Sudafed and other similair drugs will decrease you milk supply. not sure if you plan on nursing, but this is something you should know. My OB nurse and lactation consultant said they sometimes tell woman to take it if they're not going to nurse because it dries them right up.

good luck with everything. Hope you get the much needed sleep while you can. Oh, and when you feel you can't breath because baby is pressing on your diaphram, sleep with your arms raised up over your head. it frees up more room for breathing :)

Sounds to me like you have a problem with candidia. Look up the yeast connection book series. I had the same problem during my third pregnancy. Seems it is aggravated by stress. Well you have other kids and are in that stage of life. Stress is a given. Lay off the sugar foods and the white flour products. Try to eat a real food diet. A good referance is a book called "The How to Herb Book". There is a section on yeast, one on pregnancy, and another on cleansing diets. I was very sick the day after my delivery and no medicine worked. I then started changing my diet with the advice of a Dr. of neutritional medicine and began to ge better almost immediatly. It can't hurt. You are pregnant. A baby loves to eat and if you don't eat the right foods it will get it's neutrition from your body's storage and throw you out of balance. And all pregnancys are different because your body is different than it was before too. Just my advice. Good Luck.
p.s. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am 51 and have not been sick and tired since I changed my lifestyle 13 years age. Not the easiest thing to do but so worth it. Again Good Luck.