Pregnancy & Baby-Safe Survival Guide for Cold + Flu Season
Obligatory disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any natural remedy during pregnancy or on children. These remedies are not medical advice, simply my own tried and true remedies that WORK for my family of five! Use your discretion.
Remember the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Having these items ahead of time will ensure the first signs of sickness don’t derail you. Most are safe for pregnant mamas and babies, except where I note in the descriptions.
vitamin D boost
Preventative Measure for Cold + Flu Season
The golden rule of wellness: wash your hands + surfaces. When coming to and from school, playgrounds, etc. I always use Briotech skin spray on me and my kids. In our house, I use this disinfectant spray as the ultimate surface/toy disinfectant—especially after one of us has been sick!
Why I like this spray more than hand sanitizer or Lysol-type products: Briotech makes these products from a substance our immune systems naturally produce—hypochlorous acid (HCLO). Our white blood cells make HCLO to help kill bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens during immune responses. No more stripping away our skin barrier with alcohol-based sanitizers! HCLO is widely used for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Nostril oil—a quick, natural shield for your nose. The oil keeps your nose lubricated and creates a protective moisture barrier that soothes dry, cracked, or irritated nasal membranes. It can also relieve itchy nasal tissue brought on by colds.We love this one from Rapha Botanicals. You can also use coconut oil by taking a small amount on your finger and wiping it under each nostril or inside each nostril wall. I’ve been known to do this with my kids before playdates or school days, in an effort to help keep germs away.
Neti-Pot and Saline Spray: I went 2.5 years without getting a single respiratory virus from my toddlers as soon as I started using the Neti-Pot—per my ENT’s recommendation. Few things used to fuel anxiety in me like my babies coughing and sneezing in my mouth, eyes, you name it! Truly, the Neti-Pot has removed so much angst from my life when my kids are sick. I just take a breath and remember that I am going to flush out all of these little viral particles as soon as I put the kids to bed!
When used properly (ahem, distilled water only + saline packets) this is a GREAT way to flush viruses and bacteria out of your nasal passages in order to prevent infection. While your kids may not be obliged to use this miracle tool, you can use a saline spray and snot sucker like the NoseFrida. If you have a bulb syringe, you can use that too. Keeping our mucus lining moist and thin can help prevent infection. Usage depends on you! I flush my sinuses twice a day (morning and night) when someone is sick and then I will suck snot and use saline mist in their noses as much as they will tolerate.
Get your daily dose of sunshine! When the sun hits our skin, it triggers our bodies to produce vitamin D—an essential nutrient for immune function! This activates immune cells, strengthens our bodies against respiratory infections, and regulates inflammation in our body! Already sick? Get in the sun for a few minutes anyway, this will speed up recovery!
Active Measures for Cold + Flu Season
Garlic Salve: Garlic is an age-old antibiotic that’s regaining notoriaty! This garlic salve rubbed on the chest, lung area, and soles of feet has done wonders for my family when RSV and other viral respiratory infections hit us. I’ve even watched this salve reduce my kids’ fevers within 30 minutes of application! Why does this work so well? First, you must remember that with all natural remedies, it is imperative to start early and to apply often. But on to the science of it all…When garlic is crushed, it releases the potent properties of allicin, which is the ingredient that fights bacteria, viruses, reduces inflammation, and has that strong garlic smell!
Recipe: in a food processor place 8 organic garlic cloves, 1/3 - 1/2 cup of slightly warmed/liquified coconut oil, 2 tbsp olive oil and some drops of lavender essential oil (optional). Blend entirely and then strain out any garlic chunks. Store mixture in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one week or place in popsicle molds in the freezer for future uses. Pull one out during each new round of sickness. You can apply this every 30 minutes or so for optimal benefits.
When needed, pull the jar out of the fridge and let this get slightly room temp and then lather on chest, feet, back). I personally also rub this on my nose and lymph nodes on my neck when I am trying to prevent or reduce that throbbing feeling of swollen lymph nodes.
I use more coconut oil than called for because my kids have sensitive skin and garlic can cause small rashes in certain areas. The soles of the feet are the safest first place to start (in my opinion). The youngest I have tried this on one of my kids has been about six months old and he did fine with the diluted version on his feet! But each child is different. You may want to use less garlic and more oil, depending on your situation.
Honey-Onion Cough Syrup:
Recipe: Chop one organic medium/large yellow onion, place one layer of chopped onion at bottom of a glass jar, layer with honey, place another layer of chopped onion, layer with honey, do this until you use up the onion and fill the jar. You may also add garlic and ginger to this mixture. Allow the honey onion mixture to sit in a sealed jar on your counter overnight (12-24 hours). Then in the morning, you will notice the honey has completely liquified. Strain out all onions etc until all you have left is the liquified honey that has now absorbed all of the anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties! For kids over 1 year of age, give one teaspoon- one tablespoon of this syrup every few hours. For adults, take double or triple this amount. My kids can’t get enough of this stuff. Not for babies under 1.
Lollipops: Ya gotta give those kiddos some endorphins to help speed up their bodies’ immune response! So, I always keep Lolleez Elderberry lollipops or Beekeeper’s cough lollipops on hand. Plus, they really help with coughing. Not for babies under 1
Oregano oil or salt water gargles: In the interest of remaining pregnancy-safe, I took my usual oregano oil remedy and converted it into a water/oregano oil throat gargle for the minute I start feeling that tingle in my throat. Oil of oregano has been cited in Healthline, PudMed, WebMD and more as having antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties! Yes, please!
Recipe: In a cup, mix a small amount of warm water and 1-2 drops of oregano oil, then brace yourself for the burn and gargle. Spit. Be prepared for the burn! Or grab warm water and a mineral salt you have on hand, mix until salt dissolves and gargle/spit.
While I do NOT recommend these for kids (because most have a hard time with the gargling reflex), there IS an oregano oil for kids by North American Herbs and Spices that we use. I have to hide it in a spoonful of honey or maple syrup so they will tolerate the less-than-ideal taste. It’s still spicy but not nearly as much as the real thing. Not for babies
If you’re into the natural remedy side of health, I must recommend these two life-changing books that help make trips to the doctor less frequent and give an incredible understanding of health, immune function and the way our bodies can heal using natural, inexpensive foods:
Don’t forget that Proverbs 17:22 says a cheerful heart is good medicine! So do whatever else you can (snuggles, happy songs, audiobooks, favorite movies) to keep their hearts light. These boosts in mood really do have a physiological affect on them! Cheers to a healthier cold + flu season!
From Another Mother,
Lex