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katie1 
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: New Zealand
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 Topic: Low immunity
Posted: 10 June 2006 at 5:08pm |
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I have just got the second flu thing within a fortnight. Have had to have another couple of days off work with really sore throat and cough and also have no voice.
Could this just be a coincidence or does pregnancy lower your immunity? I am a primary school teacher which doesn't help - lots of bugs everywhere!!
Is anyone taking extra supplements over winter? I am already taking elevit tablets. Should I start taking something else? I haven't wanted to take too much because of the baby.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice...
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jax
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Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 10 June 2006 at 5:20pm |
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As far as I'm aware, yes, pregnancy does lower your immunity. It took me two and a half weeks all up to get rid of the sinus cold and infections that I had, and needed the help of antibiotics (safe ones) to do so. I'm not taking any 'extra' supplements I guess, still on Elevit though and iron tablets that my midwife prescribed me. I ate lots of oranges for vitamin C, drank LOTS of Lemsip, and for a little while was using a nasal spray as well. Rescue remedy sometimes helped, seems to be good for quite a few things as well as steadying your nerves ! Arnica is recommneded (a homeopathic remedy) to help your system 'heal', and on top of the Lemsip I was having other teas with either peppermint or ginger in them, and added some honey as well - very soothing. Hope some of that helps, and hope you get well soon !
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Jacquie - Mama to Erin, 13.07.06 - Chief Cat Chaser & Marmite Sammie Eater
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Maya
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Posted: 10 June 2006 at 9:24pm |
Yep, pregnancy definitely lowers your immunity. Pregnant women are considered to have 'compromised immunity' like elderly people - not able to fight off infection as easily as usual. It's probab;y to do with the body being too busy doing other things (like growing a baby!) to worry about silly little things like fighting off nasty viruses 
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Kelpa
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Posted: 11 June 2006 at 10:15am |
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Thats odd I always thought that our immunity was increased???? Dont know why. I thought I read it somewhere???
I take supplmements ...mostly because I have found that it definitely helps me get through days with very few colds and they are shorter with not much of a sore throat (with or wothout being pregnant. Manageable.
I take extra Magnesium and Zinc. Esther C 1000mg now and a Mineral Supplement.
I learned the other day from a Naturopath that there is no point in taking lots of vitamins if you do not have a good mineral base cause they dont absorb properly.
Its quite interesting stuff reading up on.
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daikini
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Posted: 11 June 2006 at 10:48am |
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I've heard that the reason a pregnant woman's immunity is low is so that their body doesn't identify the baby as an infection/foreign object and destroy it... don't know if that's true or not, but it seems to make sense to me.
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Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys
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emeldee
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Posted: 11 June 2006 at 1:45pm |
Yep, immunity definitely down; that cute little person that you are growing is sucking all of the good stuff out of your system and leaving you with decreased immunity, dry skin, interesting discharges and an increased cocktail of hormones swirling around. Am I making pregnancy sound like a romantic, wonderful time yet? Anyway - other than increasing your fresh fruit and vegetables, eating and drinking good stuff and supplementing with a couple of multi-vitamins, there isn't too much you can do. Try and get as much rest as possible and send any snifflers or coughing kiddies to the next room? Or buy stock in Lemsip... 
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katie1
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Posted: 11 June 2006 at 3:19pm |
Thanks Guys! Might have to look into the mineral supplements.
Maree, I laughed about sending the coughing kids to the next room!!  Very tempting!
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KH25
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Posted: 12 June 2006 at 8:28am |
Yeah Becca, thats what my midwife told me aswell. Your immunity lowers so your body doesn't abort the baby. It just lets all the other nasty germs in aswell though 
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Kelly, mum to DD, 19Jun06 (26wks 1lb15oz) DS1, 24Oct10 (32wks 4lb11oz) and DS2, 31Dec11 (32wks, 4lb11)
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Andie
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Posted: 13 June 2006 at 10:37am |
I've read that too, about your immunity lowering so that your body doesn't try to fight off the new 'invader', ie: little baby. Some people say that pregnant women "don't get sick" - (OK so not true but still, you hear it!) I think that's because our immune systems don't put in as much effort to fighting things off - so a small cold mightn't produce as many yukky symptoms in us as it would in non-pregnant people, because all the symptoms and hassles we identify with getting a cold or flu are our bodies responses to fighting the bug away, not the bug itself..... if that makes any sense?
Oh yeah - and my thoughts are with you, dealing with the coughing, snivelling kids... my work is with primary school children (but very few hours) and there have been times I've come home and scrubbed and scrubbed my hands!! I still remember the day I had my hand resting on a child's desk and dreaded finding out the answer to the "what was that sticky thing I just touched" question buzzing round my head!
Edited by Andie
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Andie
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Low immunity
