Being sick anytime is no fun but especially when your body is busy growing another human. Not to mention most medication you might reach for is off limits when you’re pregnant. While we are firm believers that zero waste is a myth, and that you need to do what works for YOU, here are some tips that have helped me reduce my waste when I’m sick and pregnant!

Hydrate

Drink. So. Much. Water. Drinking water is important on a daily basis, but even more so when you’re sick. Depending on what kind of sickness I’m feeling, I find it really hard to drink water. Using a bamboo straw usually makes it a bit easier for me.

Lemons and ginger tea

Lemon ginger and honey tea is a go-to of mine (even when I’m not sick)! I find it so comforting and soothing. You can buy tea bags, but here’s my favourite way to make it: 

• One slice of lemon
• A few pieces of thinly sliced ginger
• A spoon of honey

Pour boiling water over the lemon, ginger, and honey in a mug enjoy!

Reusable tissues 

There’s so many different ones you can buy, and you can also use the tush towels or cloth wipes as reusable tissues! If you’re hand with a sewing machine you can see your own, or what I do as o don’t have a sewing machine (or the skills to use one) is just cut up old sheets or tshirts into squares and use those! Easy, and saves you money. 

Epsom salt baths

I love baths, especially when I’m sick! Relaxing in an epsom salt bath with a cup of tea and big glass of water is one of my favourite things to do when sick. 

Soup!

Hot and sour soup, chicken noodle soup, and veggie soups are all soups I crave when I’m sick! Keeping some frozen soup in your freezer is a great idea so that when you do get sick, you can just pull it out of the freezer with minimal effort! I always have homemade veggie stock on hand to whip up soups! I’ve used this recipe for hot and sour soup, and jsut sub in whatever veggies I have in by fridge — adding some tofu for protein is also a great idea! 

Salt water gargling

Anytime I have a tickle in my throat, I grab some hot water and salt and gargle it. It's not the most pleasant, but it is effective!

How to do:

Sprinkle some salt into a cup, and some hot water and stir to dissolve the salt. Gargle a small about, and repeat until the cup is done! 

Homemade cough syrup

I’ve make my own cough syrup and while it’s intense, it’s also great — plus all the ingredients are safe for pregnancy!

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of  hot water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients and take a spoon at a time! 

Headaches

I’m a headachy person, and sometimes get crippling headaches! Here are some of the things that help me when I’ve got a bad headache:

• Hydrate: drink so much water
• Avoid light and sounds: dimming the lights and reducing noises around me. If you have an eye mask, these can help to block out light, or even a pillow or blanket!
• Cool/hot compress: depending of the type of headache I’m dealing with, an ice pack or heating pad helps!

Preventative care

There are lots of things we can do to stay on top of our health, and try to limit the times we get sick!

• Get your flu shots and stay on top off vaccines 
• Eat healthy and stay active