How does sneezing during pregnancy affect you and your baby?

Excessive sneezing during pregnancy can be another bothersome symptom of many pregnancy symptoms women have to deal with. Some women have noticed they tend to do a lot more sneezing than usual when they are pregnant.

Mucous membranes in the nasal passages tend to become inflamed causing sneezing during pregnancy as well as congestion, runny nose and coughing. If you notice these pregnancy symptoms which can mimic the common cold but you don’t have a fever or body aches, you are probably just one of the 30 percent of pregnant women who happen to have a case of the almighty “pregnancy rhinitis” which usually creeps up on the unsuspecting mommy-to-be at around her 8th week of pregnancy.

However, there is no need to be alarmed as the excess sneezing during pregnancy should subside after your delivery and will normally be completely gone about 2 weeks after the baby is born. Pregnancy symptoms such as sneezing causes the body to contract, so although there will generally not be any serious concerns over the excessive sneezing, in some cases there is a possibility of some back pain, discomfort in the jaw or damage to the respiratory tract.

One of the most common and embarrassing effects that sneezing during pregnancy causes is usually a small amount of urine leakage along with the sneezing. This is a result of the added pressure that is on the bladder as a result of pregnancy. In addition to pressure from the baby, there is also lots of bladder pressure that accompanies each sneeze. The harder the sneeze, the more pressure there will be on the bladder. Unfortunately, there is not too much that can be done about this leakage as it will go away when the sneezing subsides.

Here are some tips to help the sneezing to subside and in turn help with the leakage:

1. Drink plenty of fluids
2. Sleep with your head elevated
3. Press at the lower outer edge of both the nostrils with medium pressure 30-40 times. This will stop the sneezing for a while.
4. If you have a cold, drink lots of warm fluids throughout the day and avoid cold drinks whenever possible.
5. Try to stick to a diet that includes lots of Vitamin C like citrus fruits and vegetables. Our bodies produce histamine and Vitamin C will help to lessen the amount that is produced which will cut down on the sneezing.
6. Vacuum often as this will help to clear up allergens that cause sneezing.
7. Rinse a washcloth in hot water and after you ring out the excess water hold it close to your nose and breathe, the steam will help.
8. Sleep next to a humidifier or vaporizer at night.
9. Try saline nose drops several times a day.
10. Try an antihistamine that is safe during pregnancy (check with your physician for one that best for you) that will help with sneezing and other pregnancy symptoms.

You may have to try several of these options to get relief from sneezing during pregnancy and other pregnancy symptoms before you find the one that works for you.