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The Lead Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Dr. Joseph Okoeguale, says there are no consequences for the unborn baby whose mother drinks cold water during pregnancy.
According to Dr. Okoeguale, the belief that drinking cold water during pregnancy will put the unborn child at risk of developing a runny nose, congenital pneumonia, or other respiratory diseases is a myth and not scientific.
“There are so many beliefs in the community about pregnancy and I can’t put the connection between drinking cold water causing a cold in unborn babies. There is no way the baby will have a runny nose if the mother drinks cold water during pregnancy.
“This is because when the woman is pregnant, the baby is separated from the mother. The baby is in a different compartment, the baby is in the womb, the communication between the baby is through the placenta.
“So, if a woman takes cold water, she’s just taking it for herself and when the woman takes anything, it’s only the metabolised form of what she has taken that gets to the baby through the placenta. There is no connection between a mother taking cold water and the baby having a runny nose,” he said.
Speaking further, the gynaecologist said drinking cold water is safe for pregnant women and unborn babies.
“Pregnancy is not a disease; so drinking cold water during pregnancy cannot make the unborn child have any congenital disease,” he added.
According to an online portal, Mayo Clinic, the common cold in babies is an infection of the nose and throat (upper respiratory tract infection) that can be caused by one of more than 200 viruses. Rhinoviruses are the most common.
Mayo Clinic noted that some factors that put babies at higher risk of a common cold are immature immune systems, exposure to other children, and the time of the year.
“Your baby can be infected with a virus by air. When someone who is sick coughs, sneezes, or talks, he or she might directly spread the virus to your baby.
“Direct contact: Someone with a cold who touches your baby’s hand can spread the cold virus to your baby, who can become infected after touching his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
“Contaminated surfaces: Some viruses live on surfaces for two hours or longer. Your baby may catch a virus by touching a contaminated surface, such as a toy,” it said.
It added that there’s no vaccine for the common cold but the best defense against the common cold is commonsense precautions and frequent hand-washing.