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'Believe me, I would be the first to sign up. I'm already on Wisteria Lane. I'd be like, sign me up. But Marc Cherry, our creator, he feels like he has fully explored those characters. He was like why now? Why now? What would they be up to? 

As Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer wrote in a post for UT Southwestern Medical Center, avoid medication formulated for multiple symptoms during pregnancy, as they can contain unnecessary amounts of acetaminophen. Also, she writes, natural cough remedies like a spoonful of honey can be just as effective (or more effective) than medication.

For Dr. Gloria Bachmann, an OB-GYN and the director of the Women's Health Institute at Rutgers University, the rule to follow is the same one she advises all pregnant people stick to, no matter the health concern or question: check with your doctor (or midwife, practitioner or other care provider). This is important not only before you consume a new medication, according to Bachmann, but also to make sure you don't write off a more serious illness as a common cold, allergies or even a mild case of COVID-19. 

Determining the risk of the other active ingredients found in Mucinex is a little trickier. Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant that works by interfering with the "cough" signal in your brain. Guaifenesin works by loosening the mucus in your chest. There are some reports of a small risk of neural tube defects linked to guaifenesin, but the evidence is inconclusive. It's listed in a report by the American Academy of Family Physicians as "might be unsafe during first trimester." In the same report, dextromethorphan is listed as "appears to be safe in pregnancy," but as is true for many drugs and ingredients, there isn't enough evidence to say conclusively either way.

What to do if you get COVID while pregnant The CDC says that people who are pregnant and have COVID-19 symptoms should contact their health care provider within 24 hours. However, for most parents-to-be who have COVID-19, advice on what to do when sick will be similar to the advice for other people: stay home, isolate from other people in your house and take care of yourself by resting and staying hydrated. 

Pseudoephedrine is a common decongestant, found in Mucinex products such as Mucinex D, that works by narrowing the blood vessels in the nasal passages. And it's also one ingredient the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommends against during the first trimester due to a small risk of birth defects in the abdominal wall.

But the pandemic, like your growing belly, is changing by the day. It's hard to keep on top of the current booster guidance, as well as the emergence of new subvariants like omicron BA.2. (This is on top of other pregnancy news and guidance, including what foods you should avoid.)

Can COVID-19 pass through breast milk? It isn't likely, say the CDC and ACOG. But the ACOG recommends letting someone who isn't sick bottle feed your baby your breast milk, to avoid passing the infection to the infant.

With allergy season approaching, and COVID-19 still here, many people are reaching for over-the-counter medication in the hopes of relieving congestion or getting through a cough. What about one of the most popular ones, Mucinex?

If you've ever considered taking medicine while pregnant -- or you've had the TV on long enough to hear the commercial line "tell your doctor if you're pregnant or breastfeeding" -- you'll know there's a giant disclaimer that comes with taking anything during pregnancy. Despite the big caveat and lack of medical research on pregnant people, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nine in 10 women will take at least one medicine during pregnancy. 

Take care of yourself and stay relaxed, first of all. While it's true COVID-19 does cause more severe disease in people who are pregnant compared to people of the same age who aren't, the risk of severe illness is still low overall, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 treatments available and believed to be effective against the omicron variant include Paxlovid, some monoclonal antibody therapies and remdesivir. While not all treatments were directly studied for use in pregnant people, your doctor may recommend one if the benefits of treating COVID-19 outweigh the unknowns.