Can Excessive Coughing Lead To Early Labor And Baby Distress?
Does coughing a lot lead to early labor?
Why I Thought I Was About To Go Into Early Labor
Hey guys, Ayla Brown here! Today I am 38-weeks pregnant and while it seems crazy, my baby boy could come any day now! Last weekend I went to Fenway Park to see Zac Brown Band. It was an awesome show, but I actually left half way through because I felt like I was coming down with some sort of cold. I could feel the post nasal drip and I was starting to develop a bit of a cough. So while we wanted to stay, it just wasn’t in the cards.
But then the cold got worse, and it happened pretty fast. I couldn’t sleep at night because of the cough. And I’ve always had cold-induced asthma since I was a kid, so every time I get a sinus infection or a chest cold, I cough excessively. And lucky me, that happened! (Kidding, I don’t wish an asthmatic coughing attack on anyone, it’s the worst!) On Sunday night, just two days after feeling my first symptoms, my “coughing attack” lasted for over 7 hours!! Want to know what ultimately got me to stop coughing? A super hot shower, many prayers to the Lord, and calling out sick to work.
Can Coughing Lead To Early Labor?
When I couldn’t stop coughing I began worrying about my baby in my belly. Seven hours of non-stop coughing can’t be good for baby, right? Can coughing excessively lead to early labor? Is my baby uncomfortable every time I cough? Is he bouncing around my belly every time I cough my brains out?
Thanks to Google, I learned a lot about coughing attacks while pregnant. Rest assured, mamas, your baby WILL BE SAFE!
Here’s What I Learned About Coughing
- Pregnant women can have more severe upper respiratory issues. Why? Because all of your organs and lungs are already compressed upwards as it is, causing it harder to breathe as the baby grows. Whatever lung strength you had before, is automatically weakened because of the lack of space in your chest. Cool. Mix that with a chest cold and it will feel even worse when you try and breathe.
- Large amounts of coughing during pregnancy may be super annoying and uncomfortable to you, but your baby is not affected by your cold. Your baby is protected by your amniotic sac and pretty much has no idea that you’re going through Hell! (lucky baby!)
- Hilary Erikson, a pregnancy nurse of over 20 years says on her website, “Most often premature birth happens due to your body just going into labor, not a cough though…Coughing can sometimes cause Braxton Hicks contractions, which are just basically “practice” contractions that aren’t actually putting you in labor.”
What To Do When You Have A Cough While Pregnant
- Do you have a humidifier? Plug it in and put it next to your bed. That helps brings moisture into the air and will help you breathe.
- Take a hot shower right before you go to bed, or if you’re have an asthmatic coughing attack, hop in the shower and breathe in heavily, and slowly. Get that moisture in your lungs!
- Drink room-temperature water.
- Have a teaspoon of organic, locally-grown honey.
- Talk to your provider about over the counter medication. I opted out of doing any medicine because I wanted to fight the cold naturally. But if you need something stronger than prayers to the Lord, ask your doctor about what’s safe to use while pregnant.
- Do you have asthma? Make sure your inhaler is up-to-date. Mine wasn’t and I had to go to the doctor’s office to get a new one.
Pregnant? Don’t Forget Your Hospital Bag!
