It goes without saying that we all want a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies. As soon as we see the blue line, we change our diet, start exercising and clear the medicine cabinet.
Sometimes, however, we get symptoms that send us scurrying off to see the Doctor and depending on who you see, you may walk out with a prescription for antibiotics – the very things that you have been told NOT to take during pregnancy!
Let’s start by taking a look at a Short History of Medicine:
“Oh Doctor, I have this terrible pain!”
BC 2000 “Here, eat this root.”
AD 1000 “That root is heathen. Say this prayer.”
AD 1850 “That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion.”
AD 1940 “That potion is snake oil. Swallow this pill.”
AD 1985 “That pill is ineffective. Drink this antibiotic.”
AD 2000 “That antibiotic is artificial. Here take this root.”
Is it any wonder that we are confused? Our main concern is the possibility of adverse effects that these drugs may have on the fetus.
Reason for using antibiotics during pregnancy
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
You may have recurrent urinary tract infections that cause burning and pain when you pass urine. Common antibiotics used to treat a UTI are ampicillin, cephalexin and erythromycin. For a more natural approach try
- Increasing your fluid intake to loosen and flush bacteria clinging to cell walls.
- Medicinal fruits like cranberry and blueberry weaken infectious bacteria and inhibit their ability to attach themselves to the bladder and urethra.
- One world’s most popular medicinal herbs, echinacea has been used for centuries to treat both viral and bacterial infections. No studies have linked echinacea to preterm birth, miscarriage or birth defects, but you should use it only under the guidance of your health care provider. Consider drinking echinacea tea for one to two weeks until your urinary tract infection has abated.
Colds and Flu
Antibiotics aren’t an effective treatment because colds and flu are usually caused by viruses.
Fever is a sign that your own immune system is functioning well. So if you have a fever then your body is doing the work of antibiotics. Make sure that you listen by trying the following:
- Rest to support your immune system.
- Drink fluids to keep the mucous membranes that line your nose moist. Dry membranes are much more hospitable to viruses; keeping them moist helps to fight off viral attacks.
- 1000mg of vitamin C each day has been shown to boost immune function.
- Pregnancy increases a woman’s demand for zinc. Pregnant women need around 20 mg daily of zinc.
- Echinacea is the most widely studied and has consistently been shown to strengthen the immune system and fight viral, bacterial and fungal infections.
- Add herbs and spices like garlic, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves to your diet
- Gargle with salt water for a sore throat or use lozenges made from propolis
- Certain essential oils, such as tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus are safe and effective to use with steam inhalations during pregnancy to ease nasal congestion.
When to use antibiotics during labor
- Prophylactic (Just in Case) – Antibiotics are given “just in case” to prevent subsequent infection, usually during after a C-section.
- Preterm Labor – Antibiotics may be used to prolong pregnancy and protect the baby.
- Prolonged Rupture of Membranes (more than 18 hours) –Typically antibiotics are given to try to prevent infection.
- Running a Fever – If you are running a fever in labor, they may give you antibiotics, even before they know why you are running a fever to try to prevent transmission of whatever you have to the baby.
- Positive GBS screen done at 35- 37 weeks of pregnancy – Recent studies show that Penicillin or Ampicillin given 4 hours before birth is effective 89% of the time in preventing infection to the baby.
Effects of using antibiotics while breastfeeding
Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the antibiotics that kill the bug that needs killing, is that they kill a few that don’t need killing. This can cause thrush or yeast overgrowth which could impact the comfort and desire to breastfeed and cause thrush in your baby. Common symptoms include:
- Unusually pink or red nipples
- Itching or burning nipples
- A shooting pain deep within the breast
- Pain that continues between nursing
- White patches inside the baby’s mouth. (the inside of his cheeks is a “thrive” zone and an easy to identify location
Tips for using antibiotics during pregnancy
- Use medications only if absolutely indicated. For antibiotics, this includes treatment of confirmed infection (urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, chorioamnionitis), prevention of ascending infection (asymptomatic bacteriuria), and prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS sepsis.
- If possible, avoid initiating therapy during the first trimester. This is the period of fetal structural development and therefore the highest risk for iatrogenic teratogenicity.
- Select a safe medication, This often means an older drug with a proven track record in pregnancy. Certain antibiotics (streptomycin, kanamycin, tetracycline) are best avoided entirely in pregnancy because of their teratogenicity.
- Wherever possible, single-agent therapy is preferred over polypharmacy. Moreover, narrow-spectrum antibiotics are preferred over those with a broad spectrum for the treatment of established infection and intrapartum GBS chemoprophylaxis. The exception is the use of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics to prolong latency in the setting of PPROM remote from term (discussed above).
- Discourage the use of over-the-counter drugs, These may interfere with the efficacy and/or metabolism of prescription medications.
About the Author
Karen Wilmot is a Midwife, Yoga Instructor, Birth and Lactation Consultant. In August 2009, she started a community based service offering birth preparation classes, home and hospital visits and support throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Learn more: www.pregnantinoman.com | Email: karenwilmot@gmail.com
Neurologiska sjukdomar (Parkinsons sjukdom, multipel skleros etc.); användning av tobak, alkoholhaltiga drycker, droger; Peyronies sjukdom, där penis är fylld med fibrös vävnad; kirurgi eller trauma mot bäckenorganen cialis 20 mg och ryggmärgen; traumatiserad penis; biverkningar av behandling för cancer i prostatan. Psykologiska orsaker Hjärnan spelar en viktig roll för att utlösa ett antal kemiska processer som resulterar i erektion. Att störa upphetsningen och orsaka eller förvärra dysfunktion kan.