Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen: pregnant
Showing posts with label pregnant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnant. Show all posts

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Dealing With A Cold or Flu While Pregnant

UGH! Getting a cold or flu while pregnant is THE WORST! You can't take anything, and you just feel miserable the whole time. But we can survive! I PROMISE YOU! Sadly it just takes a little time and patience and a whole lot of rest. The past few days I have been battling a cold thanks to my 5 year old who brought the back to school crud home with him and infected me and Collin. Poor little Collin is worse than I am but I still feel awful. Headache, stuffy nose, cough, and more aches and pains. So not fun. Here are my tips to helping you feel better if you are sick while pregnant. And hey, cold and flu season are upon us/coming up very soon.

1. STAY HYDRATED
Staying hydrated while pregnant is KEY! If you are not drinking enough water it can actually put you into labor. So it is key, but while pregnant and sick, make sure that you are getting enough fluids. Drink some water every time you have to go to the bathroom. Water out, water in. If you are drinking enough water you will be using the bathroom enough. Keep that mindset. If you can't stand water, drink some warm tea that is ok while pregnant. Right now I am drinking 3rd Trimester tea to help me prep for labor. Even just some herbal tea would be great. Read the labels and avoid anything that says do not drink while pregnant. Lemon, ginger and honey tea are a great remedy too!
Honey Lemon Ginger Tea Recipe: 

Ingredients: 
About 1 inch fresh ginger root (no need to peel it)
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon honey, plus more to taste

Directions: 
Grate the ginger root into a tea pot, medium bowl, or large measuring cup. Best case scenario: Grate the ginger on a microplane zester. Next best situation: Grate the ginger on the fine holes of a four-sided grater (or similar). Go ahead and put it all on the pot—you're going to strain it out anyway.

Pour 1 cup boiling water over the ginger and let it steep for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the lemon juice and the honey in a large mug. Strain the ginger tea into the mug.
Stir to dissolve the honey, taste, and add more honey or lemon juice if you like.
Want to mix it up?
Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg or cardamom at the end.
Or, use a cinnamon stick to ​do the stirring to dissolve the honey 

2. REST
Make a baby is already hard work. Making a baby and fighting a cold or flu is even harder! You are going to be exhausted. The past 2 mornings I was passed out for a nap by 11am and slept until 1 or 2pm. I am thankful that I was able to do that and that Collin needed just as much rest as I did but man, I have just been exhausted! Even if you are feeling ok, just make sure you rest your body to let it heal and take care of itself. if that means you have to miss a workout or 2 that's ok. You don't want to overexert your body too much.

3. EAT
Even if you don't feel like eating, you need to eat. I actually threw up yesterday but I still forced myself to eat. Try to eat what sounds good to you, and what looks good. A big green salad might be the last thing on your mind, but pasta might be that comfort food you were looking for to help you feel better. IT'S OK! Tip: If eating pasta or other carb heavy food, just make sure that you are eating a smaller portion. You don't need a lot of pasta to feel satisfied. And try to add some veggies to it so that it is a healthier type of pasta. I made spaghetti casserole as a freezer meal but I doubled the veggies in it. So lots of hidden green and some pasta.

4. RELAX
One of my favorite things to do while pregnant is to take a nice warm bath. And the same holds true for while sick. I have aches and pains from pregnancy but even more while sick and the bath helps to soften those pains. Plus it helps to clear up my sinuses so I can actually breath better, at least for a little while. Pull up a good Netflix movie while you watch too just to relax even more!

5. ASK FOR HELP
Know that this is only temporary. Even though you might feel like death, the more you take care of yourself the faster the cold or flu will pass. But while you are not feeling well, ask for help. Ask your partner to help around the house. Clean, make food, take care of the kids a little more. This morning I asked my hubs to just let me sleep in until 8am so I could get a little extra sleep. And since he has military training today, I needed that extra sleep to help me get through the day with my 2 boys at home! Ask friends to help out too if you need it. You are pregnant. Don't think you have to do everything. It's ok!

Hope these tips help you feel better in no time to welcome your baby into the world! I have less than 2 weeks left until my due date and I want this cold GONE! So I am sticking with these tips as much as possible! After 2 days of rest I am already feeling so much better, but I still have just a little bit more to go before I am feeling back to normal!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!
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