seasonal allergies

[nmcope39]

hello all,
not sure if anyone else is majorly suffering from allergies, but i am for about a month now. my midwife says i can take clarinex or benedryl. taking any medication makes me nervous with being pregnant mainly bc its my first. i used the neti pot but doesn't help alot bc i am so stuffed up. any thoughts or suggestions please throw my way.... thanks

[Cujobunny]

Mine are actually just winding down. Unfortunately there was nothing I took that helped. I didn't take any decongestants, just Claritin, straight antihistamine and it didn't help, I was SO stuffed up, my sinuses were totally plugged for about 6 wks. Tried the neti pot too, didn't help. I have an air purifier in my bedroom with HEPA filter that made it a little better and I sucked on Halls menthol drops and that would clear the congestion a bit. Those were the only things that gave me any relief. Sorry, it so sucks, I know.

[Tresa]

The neti pot only helped me when I'd been out in the yard, breathing fresh ick in. And you know to never use your neti pot when your ears are stuffed up, right? Can cause infection.

I took Benadryl when I couldn't sleep at night for wheezing and coughing and stuffiness. Just one, and only for a couple nights, I toughed it out when my symptoms got to be manageable again. At some point, I think that not sleeping and having trouble breathing is worse for the baby than taking an OTC medicine.

Drinking nettles tea is a natural therapy you can try, it helps your body flush/cleanse. Drink more water to keep your secretions from getting thick. It's usually preventative, but you can take two large spoonfuls of local (produced within 20 miles of where you live) honey, daily, to help your body arm itself against stuff in your area.

[Kim]

My allergies have been awful this year too. I've been toughing it out during the day and not taking anything except Nettle tea and local honey. LOTS of hot tea.

But at night, twice now, I've broken down and used a little bit of Sinex nasal spray. The 4-hour stuff, and 1/4 the dosage. First I use some straight saline nasal spray, then a bit of eucalyptus oil just under the nose. It helps, but it's the Sinex that allows me to sleep comfortably for a few hours.

[Twinklefae]

The Claritin really helped me a lot, so it's worth a try.