Colds, flu and stomach bugs are probably the most common infections that pregnant women can catch, but they rarely affect your baby.

Your immune system is slightly lowered during pregnancy, to stop your body rejecting your unborn baby. You may well succumb to a cold during your pregnancy. If you do, don’t worry: your immune system may be slightly compromised thanks to all the work it is doing and so you might find you are more susceptible to coughs and colds than you would normally be. This is why pregnant women find themselves catching every infection floating around the office. You may also find that this type of mild illness drags on for a bit longer than normal, for the same reason. Annoying but not alarming.

Lots of medicines are not suitable for pregnant women, so ask your doctor, pharmacist or midwife what they can recommend. The same goes for a fever, but if you need to reduce a fever quickly try stripping off to your underwear and using a fan. Colds and flu are best treated with plenty or rest, fresh fruit and vegetables and keeping yourself hydrated.

The main difference with dealing with a cold during pregnancy is that you have to tackle it in another way than you might under normal circumstances. This is because you cannot take the same medications that you might usually rely on. Ideally it's best to avoid any medication in pregnancy. Paracetomol is believed to be safe in pregnancy but ibuprofen should only be used on doctors advice in pregnancy.

That is not to say you should panic if you have already taken this type of medication, perhaps without realising you were pregnant or just because you didn’t know it could be detrimental. The chances of those medications doing any damage are slim. As always, if you are concerned consult your GP or midwife for advice.

Being laid-up with a cold is far from ideal, especially if you are already dealing with none too welcome pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness or backache, but hang in there, it won’t last forever. One of the reasons that you may feel you have been hit slightly harder than usual is due to other physiological changes taking place in your body. The soaring oestrogen levels in your system mean your mucous membranes swell and produce more mucous so you might feel very congested. As your lung capacity is probably reduced thanks to your uterus putting pressure on the organs around it, you may feel a little more under the weather.

Make sure you get plenty of rest, keep your head raised with pillows when you are sleeping to help mucous drain properly, drink plenty of fluids such as water and fruit juice, gargle salt water to combat infections, eat well, drink hot water with honey and slices of lemon as an antiseptic and finally, get some chicken soup down you! This is an oft-cited wonder remedy for getting well after an illness. If you have a headache, or are very hot, holding a cold flannel over your forehead may help.

If you have a fever, are producing mucus that is yellow or green (indicating a possible bacterial infection), or feel like you can’t cope without a prescription, seek medical advice. As always, looking after yourself well is key to avoiding coming down with an illness. Here are some top tips:

•    Avoid sick people wherever possible! Keep away from sniffling friends and coughing relatives.
•    Make sure your immune system is getting all the help it can from you in the form of a great diet and nutrient intake.
•    Don’t try to do too much, as stress can make you ill. Try to take it easy on yourself. Punishing work schedules are a big no at this time.
•    Get TLC from those around you: relatives, friends and partners will want to help so don’t push them away because you are embarrassed about asking for help.

If you have a stomach upset, again, it’s best to ask your midwife or doctor which treatments are suitable for pregnant women. It unlikely to affect your baby and the best thing you can do is rest and drink lots of water.

Last Modified: 05/07/2007