Lean over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head (careful with the bump!) or just sit in a steamy shower for 10 minutes. The warmth shrinks blood vessels temporarily.
| Symptom | Cold/COVID/Flu | Pregnancy Rhinitis | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Yellow, green, thick | Clear, thin, watery | | Sore throat | Often present | No (unless from mouth breathing) | | Fever | Common | Never | | Body aches | Common | No | | Duration | 7-10 days | Weeks to months | | Itchy eyes | Rare | No (that’s allergies) | nasal congestion early pregnancy
Gravity works against you at night. Prop up your head with an extra pillow (or a wedge pillow) so you are sleeping at a 30-degree angle. This helps drain the sinuses. Lean over a bowl of hot water with
You’ve prepped for the nausea, the fatigue, and the food aversions. But no one told you that you might feel like you’re trying to breathe through a straw for nine months. Prop up your head with an extra pillow
But try to reframe it. Every stuffy, sleepless night is a sign that your blood volume is surging, your progesterone is high, and your placenta is building a fortress for your baby. The congestion is a noisy, annoying side effect of a very quiet miracle.
Many standard decongestants are Category C drugs , meaning animal studies have shown risks, and human studies are lacking. Pseudoephedrine, in particular, is linked in some studies to a small increased risk of abdominal wall defects (gastroschisis) if taken during the first trimester.
If you are newly pregnant (or trying to be) and find yourself reaching for tissues more often than the saltine crackers, take a deep breath—or at least try to. You are not coming down with a cold. You haven’t suddenly developed seasonal allergies in the middle of winter. You are likely experiencing , and it is one of the most common, yet least discussed, early signs of pregnancy.