What can my wife and I do to help her cough?
Asked by
auhsojsa (
2516
)
January 14th, 2012
Yes, I had the flu and now my pregnant wife has a dry cough. She’s on day 2 which is somewhat good news considering when I was on day 2 of my sickness I developed the fever right away.
At this point, she has a scheduled appointment next week, what can we do in the mean time to help her out? Any specific medicines she can only have? Our baby is near his 6th month and at the stage where he’s, “soaking in her antibodies.” Should she be avoiding anything? Like milk? (I read as a child that the body reads milk in the system as a bacteria and therefore creates more mucus but that was in the late 90’s) Any help appreciated.
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9 Answers
According to this site, mullein is a safe herb to use for cough during pregnancy.
Since she is pregnant I would call the doctor’s office and ask what to do for a cough. In the meantime, she should use cough drops.
Bed rest. Plenty of fluids, especially juice and have her gargle with salt water to loosen any phlegm.
Milk and cheese products do help create more phlegm so it wouldn’t be a bad idea for her avoid it for a little while.
She should also rinse her sinuses with saline.
I think zinc cough drops can also help with her cough.
If you want a homemade cough medicine that is harmless than try this.
Oh, she may want to sit up a bit when sleeping so nasal drip doesn’t drain to the back of her throat.
It could also be that she doesn’t have a cold or flu. She may be suffering from acid reflux. Its common to happen in pregnancy as the fetus pushes on the stomach. If the coughing is mostly when she is laying down, than its possible that is the problem.
Peel about 10 lemon skins (make sure you wash it first) and boil in 3 cups of hot water.
Once it is syrupy, let it cool down and add a half a cup of honey
Make lemon ade with the left overs of the lemons. Its good for her to drink as well.
Drink lots of water 48oz per day, at least. Stop talking so much. Give the throat time to rest. Follow @Pandora‘s suggestions. They will keep you busy and make you aware that you are treating the the cough full out.
Does she cough more when lying down or standing or both? If she coughs more lying down, it may be her sinuses tickling the bath of her throat. I have this quite often. I never drink milk before going to bed. It leaves a thick coating on the back of your throat and will cause one to cough, when lying down.
If none of the above applies, I would not suggest any medications to give to your wife, unless her doctor okays it.
Hot tea with honey, as @janbb said. Also, Ricola honey and lemon cough drops are both yummy, and effective!
Guafenisin, the most common OTC expectorant, is a Class C medication.
(Class A being the safest.)
I’d go the conservative route and skip the OTCs. Stay hydrated. Gargle with salt. Try to sleep in a more upright position. A humidifier might also help.
And be patient. Your immune system is down when you’re pregnant. Even though she may have gotten the same bug as you, it might drag out longer for her.
PS For future reference, people who will be around her (you) and the new baby (family who might want to help out) on a regular basis should get their flu shots.
Like @Nimis said, I also think a humidifier might help, if you haven’t got one, hang damp towels over the radiators to make the air a little more humid or turn the hot water on in the shower and let her sit in the bathroom a short whille, breathing in some of the steam.
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