I Just May Die Before I'm Well.

I don't know how someone (Paul) who has mild sinus symptoms can pass on to me a full-blown cold.
There is nothing more miserable than a summer cold, in my opinion. Not only do you have the misery of being congested, but in Kansas, when you step outside you have the added symptom of humidity to deal with. It is virtually impossible to breathe.
Now add to that, I'm 7 months pregnant and not supposed to take any cold medications. Nothing is approved to take, but there is a very short list of medicines with "no known complications" or something like that.
I described trying to breathe to Paul yesterday as "trying to breathe through a straw". (What I have is probably bronchitis.) I can still breathe, but it feels like I can't get the air in fast enough. Then add to that a stuffed up nose (most of the time, and always when I lay down), and near panic can set in - especially in that time just between awake and asleep. Add to that being pregnant, not sleeping well anyways, and waking up at least twice to pee every night....... Oh - and this hernia area that pooches every time I cough (I have to press my hand over it or else I regret it). If it wasn't for the baby in my belly, I'd say just to shoot me.
I did give in and take some Robitussin Saturday night (which is on the probably-okay-but-we-can't-really-say-for-sure list). It did help me sleep and start to cough stuff up. But then Baby didn't move as much Sunday, which freaked me out. Although I got to thinking about it..... That's probably not because of the medicine; if I'm struggling to breathe and feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen, I'm sure baby is too - so he's probably sleeping it off. Still - I decided to forego medication last night.
I did remember a home remedy Paul's mom told me about when she has sinus issues. We did this last winter when we all had colds, but I'd forgotten about it. She uses a candle warmer - the kind where you burn a tea light in the bottom and melt the wax chips or scented oil in the top - and puts water in the top with several drops of tea tree oil. I tried that last night, and by the time we went to bed, it did seem that I was breathing better. It got worse again overnight, but this morning I started the tea tree oil again and my chest and nose seem to be more open - I could actually taste my breakfast! (Which was blackberry cobbler... Mmmm....)
So... It worked for me! I got this tea tree oil from an online company, but I noticed that our Walgreens has started carrying it recently (a different brand) in their little "natural" section (natural shampoo, lotions, toothpaste, etc). I'd recommend giving it a try. I'm not anti-medicine, but I do think that our bodies do best when we allow them to heal themselves (builds up immunities). And I don't think medicine (like Robitussin, Benadryl, etc) or herbal treatments really help us get well any faster - they just make us feel less miserable.
Munchkin is calling. So I'll end here.