Question: I’m nine weeks along, and my allergies have really bugging me. I usually take Zyrtec for it, but my mom says that I shouldn’t have it at all now, and that it could hurt my baby. Can I take allergy medication while I’m pregnant?  Help!

Answer: We hear you! Depending on where you live, you’re probably right in the thick of spring allergy season right now. Just like with taking cold medication while you’re pregnant, you need to find an allergy medication that’s been on the market for awhile. The longer it’s been available, the more medical testing has been done on it.

Allergy meds that are believed to be safe for pregnant women include Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and Loratadine (Claritin). Make sure to check with your doctor before taking allergy medicine while pregnant, though! If you haven’t already had your first prenatal visit, make sure to schedule it so you have a healthy pregnancy. Lifetime can help you locate an Ob-gyn near you, and we can also help you find assistance if you’re having issues with the costs. Just text us or call us at 1-800-923-6784.

While you wait to hear back from your doctor about whether you can take Benadryl or Claritin, we suggest you try a neti pot. Neti pots are an awesome tool for flushing the allergens and mucus out of your sinuses. If you’ve never seen a neti pot, it’s a small container that you fill with a saline solution.  Then, just lean over your sink, tilt your head sideways, and insert the neti pot spout into your upper nostril. As you pour, the saline solution goes into one nostril and out the other. It sounds pretty gross, but it does work!

Please call or text Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784 if need
help finding or affording prenatal care.

Written by Heidi Keefer

Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of blog posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.

Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.