Beat pregnancy snuffles
A snuffly, blocked nose can plague you through pregnancy – try these natural ways to ease the problem.
If you’re between 16 and 20 weeks pregnant and you’ve just started to feel like you’re constantly snuffling or have a dry nose, don’t worry, you’re not coming down with a cold – it’s part of pregnancy!
The increase in the flow of blood to all parts of your body will affect the mucous membranes in your nose, too, which leaves you with a dry, snuffly nose.
Get out the garlic
Garlic, as well as being generally great for your blood system and a naturally cleansing food, is a great decongestant with anti-inflammatory properties.
Unless you find garlic makes you feel nauseous now you're pregnant, try to make sure you throw some in a sauce or use it raw in your salad dressings.
Clean out your pipes
Try a steam inhalation with a natural decongestant like camomile or eucalyptus.
Be careful to choose the right oils to add to the water as some essential oils can be dangerous during pregnancy. However, a good chemist who stocks essentials oils will be able to advise you so long as you tell him or her that you are expecting.
Reduce your dairy
Although you don’t want to lose out on valuable sources of calcium, an excess of cheeses and other mucous-induing dairy products can exacerbate the problem of a snuffly nose. Try to cut out having too much dairy and look for other sources of calcium in your daily diet.
Make sure you keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water and that your bedroom has fresh air flowing through it at night (when it’s not too bitingly cold!), especially in the months when the central heating is on.
If you do feel the central heating is drying out the air too much for you, try leaving a bowl of water on the radiator when it’s on – this will evaporate and help keep the air in your room moist.
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