Favorite natural remedies while pregnant????

[swissmiss2584]

Hello!

With all the hype about the flu going on I was trying to get a list of natural remedies that I would be able to take while pregnant if I were to get sick. So far our home is healthy! What do you ladies like to use for congestion, cough, upper respiratory infection, etc?

[pokeyAC]

I use a neti pot for congestion. 

[Delgadomom4]

1 finely chopped ginger, 1 lemon sliced thinly with peel and 1 cup of raw honey. Put it all in a jar, leave it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. It will turn into a marmalade and add 1 tsp to hot hot water for tea. It's a old korean recipe, great for flu/cold.

[CrunchyMama19]

I was wondering about this. Does anyone know if echinacea and/or mullein leaf are safe?

[CoBabyMaker]

For congestion I I like to put  my head over a bowl of steaming water with a towel over my head.  If I am sick (and it's not stomach related) I typically consume as much raw (or close to raw) garlic  as I can handle.  I take coconut oil.  I have a friend who swears by manuka honey but I keep forgetting to buy it.

I am also a huge fan of prevention.  Since starting vit.d, cod liver oil, and astragulus we have been sick much less.  Just two bouts of illness that were short-lived so far this winter as opposed to being sick what felt like all the time last year.

[BaileyB]

My DH and DD keep giving each other different things and I have been trying to use as many natural remedies as possible. They both had 2 bouts of "Stomach Flu" and now they each have a sore throat that may or may not be strep. It just hit them today so we don't know for sure what it is. We have been doing lots and lots of honey, some garlic tincture since I already had that on hand, probiotics, lemon and honey in hot water, and the one thing that totally kicked the ass of DD's lingering "Stomach Flu" was a ginger bath. She rebounded in a few hours after not being able to keep anything down for nearly a week. It is 2 TBSP ground ginger for an adult and 1 TBSP for a child mixed in a very warm bath. Soak in it for 20 minutes and then wrap up really warm afterwards and take a nap. You can also add a sprinkle of ground ginger in a spoonful of honey to try and get it from the inside. The last thing that I tried today for DH's sore throat was gargling salt water (1/4 tsp salt in 1/4 cup hot tap water) and put vapo rub on your neck around your lymphnodes.

Edited to add: I have been keeping up with taking an emergen-c packet everyday and my prenatals and haven't been sick at all. Maybe just a stuffy nose at night sometimes.

[swissmiss2584]

Originally Posted by Delgadomom4 

1 finely chopped ginger, 1 lemon sliced thinly with peel and 1 cup of raw honey. Put it all in a jar, leave it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. It will turn into a marmalade and add 1 tsp to hot hot water for tea. It's a old korean recipe, great for flu/cold.

I made that today!

[Delgadomom4]

Originally Posted by swissmiss2584 


I made that today!

I hope you enjoy it. Some might like it sweeter or less lemony. you adjust it to your liking. when it starts to get low just keep refilling. Have you ever looked up the benefits of lemon alone? man, combining all three ingredients its packed with cold fighting agents. 

[CrunchyMama19]

I have a garlic tea that I use pregnant or not to fend off cold and flu. I isn't the most appetizing thing in the world but it works!

Crush a clove of garlic and mince fine as possible.

Add it too a teacup with a tbsp or two of honey (raw and unfiltered if possible), and a dash of lemon juice. You can also add herbal extracts safe for pregnancy (elderberry, astragalus, I am not sure if echinacea and mullein leaf are ok for pregnancy).

Pour boiling water over it, mix and steep for 5-8 minutes.

Drink the whole thing, even the bits of garlic. Repeat 2-3x a day.

This has cut the length of cold and flu in half for us.

[augustashley]

D-mannose for UTI!

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by pokeyAC 

I use a neti pot for congestion. 

Yes to the neti.  I use the squeeze bottle though, not the pot.  I was using it twice per day for congestion, and am now using it once per day every day.  2 reasons: First, this can prevent you from getting sick from airborn bugs because the pot/bottle rinses them from your sinuses and two, the saline solution can decrease swelling in the sinuses that is just a general symptom of pregnancy.

Originally Posted by BaileyB 

My DH and DD keep giving each other different things and I have been trying to use as many natural remedies as possible. They both had 2 bouts of "Stomach Flu" and now they each have a sore throat that may or may not be strep. It just hit them today so we don't know for sure what it is. We have been doing lots and lots of honey, some garlic tincture since I already had that on hand, probiotics, lemon and honey in hot water, and the one thing that totally kicked the ass of DD's lingering "Stomach Flu" was a ginger bath. She rebounded in a few hours after not being able to keep anything down for nearly a week. It is 2 TBSP ground ginger for an adult and 1 TBSP for a child mixed in a very warm bath. Soak in it for 20 minutes and then wrap up really warm afterwards and take a nap. You can also add a sprinkle of ground ginger in a spoonful of honey to try and get it from the inside. The last thing that I tried today for DH's sore throat was gargling salt water (1/4 tsp salt in 1/4 cup hot tap water) and put vapo rub on your neck around your lymphnodes.

Edited to add: I have been keeping up with taking an emergen-c packet everyday and my prenatals and haven't been sick at all. Maybe just a stuffy nose at night sometimes.

I'm going to try this ginger bath idea!  I've also found emergen-c really helpful when I am starting to feel run down.  It is also a really good way to get rid of a headache!!

I have also been making sure to take vit D. daily (2400iu total) for prevention, and an extra 1000iu if I start to feel something coming on.

My naturopath told me about this trick to get rid of colds/congestion: http://www.greenhealthspot.com/2007/12/get-rid-of-your.html

I also second gargling with salt as a preventative measure against sore throats.  If I do have a sore throat, I'll drink a mix of hot water, honey and lemon juice.  Soothing and yummy.

For insomnia, my MW recommends 3mg of melatonin if the sleep issue is anxiety related.

I had a cold over the holiday season, and found a warm mist humidifier with Vics vaporizor stuff very helpful.  The list of ingredients includes several different essential oils (lavendar and eucalyptus and something else) so you could do your own at home without having to buy the commercial product.  I am sure there are good recipes online.

Oh, and for stomach bugs I really think that good 'ol flat gingerale is tough to beat to deal with nausea.  Just make sure it's real ginger!

[Quinalla]

Love my neti pot, I use it all the time pregnant or not. It takes a bit to get the hang of, but once you do it is so awesome! It really keeps the lower sinuses clear of gunk. I tend to use it right after my shower so everything is already loosened from the steam.

I also gargle hot salt water for any sore throat issues.

I'm also big on prevention with vitamin D & vitamin C and taking extra if I do get sick.

Humidifiers are great too in the winter when the air in the house is so dry from being heated by the furnace.

I need to do more with garlic and honey though, great suggestions in this thread!

[CookAMH]

Chestal cough syrup (homeopathic), gargling with warm salt water, elderberry syrup, homeopathy, cod liver oil, vitamin C, bone broth, kefir, probiotics. I have quite an arsenal but rarely need to use it personally as I don't get sick much!