20 Safe Ways How to Treat a Throat Infection While Pregnant
Pregnancy, it is probably one of the most awaited thing for couples, especially newlyweds. It brings joy, happiness, for those who have been longing to have a child. But no one should stop with the thrill, a special care is needed to finally give birth to a healthy baby.
There are a lot of things that a pregnant women should be aware of, there are special, specific care for disease too.
Throat infection can be categorized as the most obtainable sickness in every ages, gender, or season, including for pregnant women.
Although sore throat is not so serious as it will be gone naturally, strep throat should never be ignored. It’s better to understand bit and know bit of the treatment, anyway.
This article will give you the definition of throat infection, types of throat infection, symptoms, and of course, ways to treat throat infection safely during pregnancy.
What is Sore Throat
Sore throat is an inflammation of the throat, which give the painful, scratchy feeling due to viral or bacterial infection. It is not a very serious condition in both pregnant and non-pregnant person, but it is clearly uncomfortable to have one.
Types of Sore Throat
Sore throat may affect different part of the throat, thus being given a different suitable name according to the place where they occur, such as:
- Pharyngitis : pharynx, area behind the mouth
- Tonsilitis : tonsil, the soft tissue in the back if the mouth, which is swelling and redden.
- Laryngitis : larynx or the voice box,, which get swollen and redden.
While based in what casued them, sore throats can be cathegorized as :
1. Viral sore throat : caused by virus, such as influenza. This type usually come together with cold symptoms such as runny nose, cough, watery eyes, or sneezing.
2. Bacterial sore throat : caused by bacteria, such as Streptococcus bacteria or often called as strep throat. This type is more severe and need to be treated well.
The other causes of sore throat can be dry air, smoking, air pollution, allergies, and so on.
Symptoms of Sore Throat
One of the very basic symptoms of sore throat or strep throat is pain in the throat, which can be accompanied by :
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Burning or scratching sensation
• Pain while swallowing or talking
• Dryness
• Swollen and red tonsils
• Common cold symptoms (runny nose, fever, headache, etc.)
• The white spots in the throat
• Fatigue
• Swelling around the neck
• Excessive sweating
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty breathing
• Abdominal pain
Ways to Treat Throat Infection
1. Drink plenty of water
Stay hydrated will help to allow your body to recover better, since it will thin out mucous and flush out toxins. Moreover, when you’re also suffering from a cold, your mucous is producing more leeches, in which requires extra fluids to replace the fluids you’re losing from your body.
2. Salt Water Gargle
This remedy is quite safe and simple for pregnant women. All you have to do is mixing a tablespoon of salt and warm water, then gargle it few times a day. The salt will fights the bacteria, while the water will hydrate, and eventually soothing the irritation in your throat.
3. Humidifiers
How does it affect your throat? It will moist the air, which in result help to keep your mucous membranes moist. This is more effective for sore throat caused by dry air as it will dismiss the symptoms. Try sleeping with humidifier on, therefore you should feel the effects.
4. Steam
This method works in the same way as humidifier does, in fact it’s a subtitute that can be used for those who don’te humidifier. You can boil a pot of water until it starts to steam. Breathe in, but keep a safe distance away from the pot to prevent skin burn. This will help you to soothe the pain in such a simple way. If you’re suffering from cold as well, this will relieve nasal congestion.
5. Rest
Getting enough qualified sleep is necessary to help the body’s immune system to fight off virus and bacteria. Of course this shouldn’t be done only when having a sore thoat, but also after suffering through it, or even before it ever occurs.
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6. Talk less
Okay, this might sound more like a motivational speech, but it’s no kidding. Talking too much will only make it worse, it can truly cause laryngitis. So, rest your vocal cords, use text insted if possible.
7. Honey Lemon Tea
This combination is good to treat a sore throat in such a relaxing way. Lemon, in this case, will help to clear the mucous and kill bacteria, while honey will coat our throat, making it able to cough less. Although the effect might be temporary, it is still worth trying. You will only need to make a cup of boiled water, then adding lemon juice and honey into your tea.
8. Chamomile Tea
This herbal tea, which is caffeine-free, is quite safe for pregnant women to treat sore throat. This helps kill bacteria, as well as a natural pain-reliever, which will soothe the pain. One thing to keep in mind, pregnant women should use those which only contain chamomile, as some herbs might not be suitable to consume.
To maximize the power of this herbal tea without harming your baby, you should consult with your doctor first. To make this home remedy, you only have to bring a cup of water to boil, and add chamomile teabag for about five minutes. If you want it to be sweet, honey can be a good option.
9. Eat chicken soup
Yummy, just the thought of having a bowl of warm chicken soup can really thrill our minds and let our tummy to crave. The good side, this will help thin the sinus mucous, warm and moisten your throat. According to study, it may even contain anti-imflammatory properties.
10. Ginger Tea
This is a good option for pregnant woman who are currently trying to avoid caffeinated tea. Ginger has antibacterial and antifungal properties that will reduce inflammation, clearig away mucous, and helping your body to flush out toxins. For those who are still in the morning sickness stage, this will relieve nausea in the same time. Put a cup of water, add peeled fresh ginger into the water, let it set for five minutes. You can add the sweetness of honey or extra flavor from fresh mint if you want to.
11. Avoid smoke
Inhaling smoke from cigarettes can cause a dry, swollen throat, as well as irritating the tissues. Both being passive and active smokers will make your sore throat worse. Read more about Ways to Prevent Red Eyes from Smoking
12. Healthy diet
Watch what you eat, trying to eat foods that contain minerals and vitamins to strengthen your immune system. Vitamin C or zinc that can be found in citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, spinach, yogurt, etc. are some of the examples.
13. Avoid cold beverages
Drinking fancy, cold beverages such as soft drink, cold smoothies, and so on, will only make everything worse. It can irritate your throat more than before, gradually add the pain and slowing the healing process in result. Yes, it might be hard to avoid those cans of soda on a hot day, but remember that your throat will get the disadvantages from it.
14. Anti-mucus diet
Food additives, preservatives, are some of the example of foods that will increase mucus production. This can be a good thing, as it helps trap dirt in some amounts. But, in excessive amount, it will make you get a cough and sore throat instead. So, stay away from these foods, like chips, gummy bears, for a while until your throat gets better.
Other Ways (15-20)
• Cough Candy : This might won’t help your throat, but it will increase the saliva, then clean out the throat.
• Tylenol : This over the counter medicine is said to be safe for pregnant woman to reduce the pain.
• Cephalexin : If the infection affect tonsils or sinuses, you might try this, unless you’ re allergic to it.
• Penicillin : This is one of the antibiotics that might be allowed to consume unless if you’re allergic to it.
• Amoxicillin : you might be advised to take this antibiotics, as long as you’re not allergic.
• Stay clean : Wash your hand after sneezing to prevent further infection.
• Consult to your doctor : Last but not least, consulting to the expert one will still be the best way to treat sore throat during pregnancy. If your sore throat gets worse overtime, you will have to do this for your baby’s sake.
Treating sore throat might be a good thing, to reduce the symptoms and get rid of it quickly, for sure. There are strict rules for pregnant woman, not allowed to consume many things. Like, there are ways on How to Treat Thalassemia during Pregnancy. But you still should try your best to find the right way to treat it effectively. However, it’s still better to prevent while you still can.
