Coming down with something like a cold or the flu during pregnancy is probably the last thing you want.  Since you are likely already dealing with annoying pregnancy symptoms likes morning sickness, exhaustion, back pain, heartburn, you name it having a cold can just make you feel down right terrible.  And, because you are pregnant it isn’t as easy to treat your cold either.  You can’t just pick up any old over-the-counter cold medication to help alleviate your symptoms.  When you’re pregnant you have to be careful and only take medications that are safe to use during pregnancy.

There are a few things you can do to help get you through bug and feeling better again:

• Get lots of rest.  It is something you should be trying to do during your pregnancy anyway, but when you are feeling under the weather it is even more important to get enough rest.
• Drink plenty of fluids.  Keeping hydrated will help your body fight the cold virus.
• Eat a healthy balanced diet.  Chicken soup can do wonders for a cold since it provides a lot of nutrition and added fluids.
• If congestion is a big problem be sure to sleep propped up at night to help your sinus drain.  You could also try using a saline solution to help clear out your sinuses, some people swear by it, but it doesn’t work for everyone (you should not use over-the-counter nasal sprays).  You could also try Vick’s Vapor Rub or something similar.
• Stay home from work.  If you can, take a few days off to make sure you can get plenty of rest and aren’t over doing it.
• Take a hot shower or a warm bath to help relax your aching muscles and clear out your sinuses.
• If you feel like you need to take over-the-counter medication to help alleviate your symptoms call your doctor to find out which medications are safe to use.

There isn’t a lot you can do other than ride out the bug.  It will go away eventually.  The most important thing to remember is to rest and drink plenty of fluids, they are the best thing you can do for your body to help it fight the infection.