Last night DH looked over at me and got this scared look and asked why my face was blood red. I checked my bp and the top # was SLIGHTLY elevated, but the bottom # was in the high 60s and 70s. I called my sister, a nurse, and she said it sounded like I was getting sick (cold or something...I have had the flu shot). Anyway, sure enough I started feeling drainage and general blah before bed, so I took a tylenol pm and this vitamin drink mix called Emergen-C. The only thing I could find on using it in pregnancy was a forum of holistic moms who swore by it and the mfgr who in true CYA fashion just said "check with a doctor first." The drink mix is a lot of vitamin C plus other vitamins and some minerals. I skipped my prenate today because of that. The drink is intended to be used daily if you are into that sort of thing, but was reccommended to my DH by a holistic medicine expert because if you take it at the very beginning of a cold it will help your body fight off the cold faster (kind of like airborne I guess). Has anyone used this? I took 2 doses since it is just basically vitamins and minerals I would get from food and prenates, but I just want to be sure. It is SOOOO hard to get over a cold when pg and I don't want it to lead to dehydration or pre-term labor from the dehydration.
Last night DH looked over at me and got this scared look and asked why my face was blood red. I checked my bp and the top # was SLIGHTLY elevated, but the bottom # was in the high 60s and 70s. I called my sister, a nurse, and she said it sounded like I was getting sick (cold or something...I have had the flu shot). Anyway, sure enough I started feeling drainage and general blah before bed, so I took a tylenol pm and this vitamin drink mix called Emergen-C. The only thing I could find on using it in pregnancy was a forum of holistic moms who swore by it and the mfgr who in true CYA fashion just said "check with a doctor first." The drink mix is a lot of vitamin C plus other vitamins and some minerals. I skipped my prenate today because of that. The drink is intended to be used daily if you are into that sort of thing, but was reccommended to my DH by a holistic medicine expert because if you take it at the very beginning of a cold it will help your body fight off the cold faster (kind of like airborne I guess). Has anyone used this? I took 2 doses since it is just basically vitamins and minerals I would get from food and prenates, but I just want to be sure. It is SOOOO hard to get over a cold when pg and I don't want it to lead to dehydration or pre-term labor from the dehydration.
You should probably call you OB first, they will probably be able to tell you if it's ok. Try to drink lots of water. You can also take Tylenol if you need to. I hope you feel better.
Can't flu-like symptoms be a very early sign of labor? I just thought about that an hour or two ago. I had a flu shot when the season began. I'm kind of achy all over and this pain in the top middle of my pregmo belly is SEARING. It is especially bad when I cough. I called the nurse about it and that heifer said "well just lay down all the time." I do have an OB appt tomorrow, so that's good.
I would think emergen c is fine, but - frankly, given your pain and teh response from the heifer nurse (heh heh), i would call back and INSIST you talk to a doctor. This seems like one of those cases where listening to your body and asking the question, even if someone else (the heifer) miht thnk it's foolish is the best course of action. good luck, hope you feel better!
I know that Airbourne is a similar product and are told NOT to use it during pregnancy. In reading the ingredients on Emergen-C...may things are the same. I wouldn't risk it.
To further illustrate why she is a heifer, when I was pg with DS her mother died. I came in that week and she told me about it. I expressed my condolences (my mother died many years ago and it is hard). She said..."it's ok, I'm over it now." Dude, your mom died LAST WEEK! I'm hoping I don't have listeriosis from eating a piece of fat free bologna 2 days ago. I am starting to become a hypochondriac because I am sooooo close to the finish line and I don't want anything bad to happen.
I would definitely be calling my doc, not my sis, before I take any kind of concoction like Emergen-c. I guess I am wondering why you are asking now after you have already taken several doses? I understand that people stress during pregnancy and for the most part it is understandable. I understand your fear of dehydration but at least we know something can be done to improve that situation rapidly should you feel you are not keeping enough liquids down. Once you have injested something that may not be safe, what can you do then? Are there any other nurses at the office if you call or if you call after hours who do you get? I would want to talk to my doc now and tell him/her the meds I had taken.
I've been told that it's fine. The problem with Airborne is that it contains way more than the daily dose of Vitamin A, which can be toxic to the fetus. But Emergen-C is OK - I've taken quite a bit of it to ward off the sickies during this pregnancy! I like the taste, too .
First of all, I took two doses. These are water soluble vitamins, so any extra will be urinated out. My doctor allows almost NOTHING. She won't even give the go ahead for Benadryl. Every time I have asked about anything "natural" she says something like "no, I've never heard of it" without looking it up or doing any research. I had to explain to the woman what stevia was, but of course she nixed me using that without so much as a second thought but will ok splenda which hasn't been around that long and hasn't been tested on pregnant women nearly as much as other sweeteners. I'm frustrated to death with the whole "rest and drink more" routine. That is their answer for EVERYTHING. I have this painful spot in the middle of my stomach and it kills me when I cough, stand, or walk. Their advice was just to lay down 24/7 despite the fact that my cervix is fine. It's like the far side cartoon with the veterinarians guide to horse maladies/treatment. Cough? Shoot 'em. Gigivitis? Shoot 'em. Thanks for the info D'Anne! Still not sure how you like the taste of the emergen-c, though..yuk!
It's way better than Airborne, that's for sure! But this is coming for a woman that used to chew up the NON CHEWABLE vitamin C as a kid because I like the sour taste, so there's a good chance I'm just weird . I did some research with my last pregnancy to see how much Vitamin C was considered safe because I like to really dose up if I feel a cold coming on. I found lots of info to support it's use in pregnancy, even studies that linked it to a decreased risk of pre-eclampsia and preterm labor. That C is some good stuff .
I haven't done any research on it but Emergen-C was one of the mentioned drinks for use to keep hydrated during labor in my Hypnobabies natural-childbirthing class.
