I am now eight months pregnant and I have a cold, what should I do?

A friend of mine is now eight months pregnant, but due to the recent unstable weather conditions, she has developed symptoms of a cold. She is very worried. I believe that many pregnant mothers will also experience this situation. When this happens, especially first-time pregnant mothers, they are particularly nervous and afraid that their cold will harm the fetus. Today we will explain this issue in detail.

Common colds have mild symptoms, such as runny nose and sneezing, which have little effect on the fetus. You don't need to take medicine, and you will be fine after a few days of rest. However, in the early stages of pregnancy (5-14 weeks), it is mainly the time for the fetal embryo to develop and form organs. If you have influenza and the symptoms are severe, it will have a greater impact on the fetus, and taking medicine during this period will also have a greater risk to the fetus. After pregnancy, there are certain changes in the enzymes in the pregnant woman's body, which have a certain impact on the metabolic process of certain drugs. Drugs are not easy to detoxify and excrete, and there may be cumulative poisoning. In the early stages of pregnancy when fetal organs are formed, drugs have a certain impact on the fetus, so it is best not to take medicine for a cold. The impact of some diseases themselves on the fetus and the mother far exceeds the impact of drugs. At this time, you should weigh the pros and cons and use drugs rationally under the guidance of a doctor.

Medication should be used with caution during the second trimester. Drugs that are damaging to the auditory nerve, such as gentamicin, streptomycin, and kanamycin, should be used with caution, and it is best not to use them as much as possible. Generally speaking, taking medication in the late pregnancy will not have much impact on the pregnant woman or the fetus.

If a pregnant woman has influenza, she should follow her doctor's advice to see if she needs to terminate the pregnancy to prevent the virus from harming the fetus.

If a pregnant woman has a mild cold and the symptoms are not particularly severe, non-drug treatments such as massage, physical therapy, etc. can be adopted. And you should drink more boiled water, eat more vegetables and fruits, and keep your bowel movements smooth.

If you catch a cold or fever during pregnancy, you can follow your doctor's advice and choose some Chinese herbal medicines with fewer toxic and side effects. Isatis root, isatis indigotica leaf, forsythia suspensa, notopterygium wilfordii, honeysuckle, etc., which have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying and resisting viruses, have good therapeutic effects. Chinese patent medicines and their preparations such as Yinqiao Jiedu Pills, tablets, granules, Compound Isatis Indigo Leaf Injection, Yinhuang Oral Liquid, etc. can be taken.

To sum up, pregnant women must pay attention to preventing colds, have a balanced diet, strengthen their physical fitness, and keep warm when the weather changes from hot to cold. Winter and spring are the seasons when colds are more common. Pregnant women are advised to avoid contact with patients with colds, avoid crowded places, and reduce the number of travel and business trips. These are effective ways to avoid infection with infectious diseases such as influenza.

I hope that today’s sharing can help pregnant mothers eliminate tension and take appropriate medication according to their specific physical conditions. Of course, try to regulate your body without taking any medication, and also maintain a good mood to ensure physical and mental health. This will also provide the baby with a stable environment for growth. I hope all mothers can give birth to healthy babies.