If you are pregnant during the cold and flu season, you will be concerned with keeping yourself healthy. Being sick during pregnancy is miserable and there is little that you can take for relief. The best way to handle colds and flu is to avoid them whenever possible.
Some choose to get a flu shot for added protection and to prevent illness. Others prefer not to get vaccinated during pregnancy. Whether or not you choose to get a flu vaccine, you will need to protect yourself from illness. There are many other bugs around in the fall and winter. The vaccine won’t protect you from these.
The first step in staying healthy is to avoid people who are obviously sick. This can be easier said than done. Sure, you can avoid sick friends or co workers, but you probably can’t avoid your family. Kids can bring home sickness from school or your partner from work.
Use good hand washing techniques to avoid illness. Most of us remember to wash after using the bathroom or before cooking. You should also wash your hands after shopping, handling money or opening the mail. Lather for at least one minute and pay attention to all areas of your hands and fingernails. Teach your children proper hand washing.
Clean the house well and use a disinfectant if there are sick family members in your home. The cold virus can live for up to three hours on the surfaces in your bathroom and kitchen. Using a disinfectant cleaner that will kill these germs can help prevent the spread of illness to other family members, including pregnant mommy.
Let some fresh air in the house. Germs breed in warm and stagnant air. When the weather is nice enough, open the windows and let in some fresh air. This is beneficial for preventing sickness and the house will smell fresh. If it’s cold out, leave the windows open for a short time and then close them.
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