Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Vickie, 
    
    When is was pregnant with my son I developed a terrible sinus infection. 
    I was determined to ride it out. I was about 7 months along as well.
    At one of my check-ups the nurse practitioner took one look at me and
    asked how long it had been going on for, I told her, told her I
    probably hadn't slept in 4 days because of the constant dripping and
    they prescribed an antibiotic as well as some very mild sleeping pills
    so I could get a good nights sleep, I assume. I took 4 pills and it
    made all the difference in the world. I never took the sleeping pills
    at all (I felt as if I had enough stamina to ride the lack of sleep
    out).
    
    If the doctor prescribed the antiboitic for you, then I say you
    probably have absolutely nothing to worry about. If they read you a
    long list of side-effects or possible harms to the baby, then I would
    have questioned it in great detail. I do remember seeing your
    antibiotics name in a pregnancy book as one often prescribed. The
    urinary track is nothing to mess with at this point. Clearing it up
    needs to be done. 
    
    If you ae still apprehensive about the anitbiotic, call your doctor
    again for real medical reassurance. Hearing it from them may make it
    seem more official. 
    
    Best of luck over the next 8 weeks (and beyond)!
    
    Andrea 

    Vickie,
    
    I developed a UTI late in my pregnancy (maybe 35 weeks).   I took
    antibiotics (again not sure of the specifics, do kids make your
    brain fuzzy?? :-)) for the 10 da cycle prescribed by my DR.
    Result: a healthy baby boy!   I believe that the side effects
    of neglecting the infection are probably worse than any effects
    from the antibiotics.
    
    cj/

    I took Meclazine twice during my pregnancy for an inner ear virus. My
    dr. checked the PDR, found the only drug not contraindicated for
    pregnancy and then prescribed half doses, with a suggestion to take
    full dose only if I had no relief.  
    

    Vickie,
    
    I've been taking Macrodantin since the begining of my pregnancy
    for the same reason.  I am also 32 weeks pregnant.  I questioned
    the doctor on this also, because I was concerned.  This is my second
    child and with my first I never took anything.  I think I even only
    took Tylenol once.  This time I've been on several medications,
    because of the UTI an a Sinus infection (Amoxicillian).  The doctor
    told me that women have been on penecillian for years throughout
    pregnancies an they haven't seen any complications as of yet.
    Everything seems to be going along normal for me.  They have me
    on the macrodantin just once a day now, more as a precaution then
    anything.  I do know that when I go into the hospital to have the
    baby that I need to have an IV with I believe the Macrodantin so
    that the infection doesn't pass thru to the baby.  My case of the
    infection may be a bit more extreme then yours though, because I've
    had it since the begining an it doesn't seem to be going away. 
    From what I can understand from my doctor too, I seem to have a more
    advanced version of the infection.    Anyways, I thought it might
    make you feel better to know that someone has been on the same
    medication for a longer time than you, an all tests have come
    back fine an I seem to be feeling okay, just the normal discomforts.
    
    -Julie

It's up to you to take the antibiotic or not.  It seems like the advice
so far points to taking it.  Meanwhile, to help prevent a reoccurrance
drink lots of water and cranberry juice.  Whenever I feel a UTI coming
on I really load up on cranberry juice and by the time I get to the
doctors for the urine test, it comes up clean.

You can get pure cranberry juice at Bread & Circus (Cambridge, Wellsley,
Newton, Brighton? ... all Massachusetts).  Generally health food stores
will carry it.  I mix it with orange juice and end up drinking about 8-16 oz.
of pure cranberry juice per day.  Putting all that acid in your kidney's and
bladder really kills off the bacteria.  Probably there is not enough in
cranberry juice cocktail to have a noticable effect (plus there's a lot
of sugar).

Of course, plenty of rest will help your body fight the infection, too.

Good luck,
-Amy

    All very fine, but who says that all that cranberry juice isn't
    going to cause harm ?????  You imply lots of acid goes out
    through the kidneys .... to go out there, it has to go through the
    blood ... and if it goes through the blood, you can bet your
    bottom dollar that it passes the placental barrier (whoever called
    it a barrier ... it's more like a sieve since they now seem to think
    that most stuff passes through it!)  So, what does all that acid
    do the the baby's kidneys ?????
    
    Stuart

    WAIT ONE SECOND FOLKS!
    
    
    UTI infections in pregnancies are very dangerous.  They can bring on
    labor prematurely (and most certainly will, if left untreated long
    enough!) and at 32 weeks, this could be very harmful.
    
    Homeopathic treatments are great, but be careful for recommending them
    when a woman is pregnant.  My old babysitter got a uti infection with
    the middle baby, and didn't really treat it until she was hospitalized
    at 31 weeks, full blown delivery, and she was on heavy antibiotics for
    several weeks after. 
    
    Baby survived, but was terribly premature and very nearly didn't go
    home.  
    
    Sue

I've read several articles recently that say DO NOT drink cranberry
juice as was once recommended as it is not acidic enough to help
and may actually cause more discomfort.  Naturally, if you find
it helps,  fine.

I contracted strep very early in my second pregnancy and was on
Amoxicillan.  The Dr. just told me to eat a lot of yogurt (with active
cultures) to ward off any yeast infection.

RE: .6

   Also, "they" recommend cranberry juice for kidney stones.  "All that
   acid" is very good for your kidney's and bladder.  I assume it is
   good for the baby, too.  Of course you should check with your doctor.

RE: .7

   In .5 I did not say don't take the antibiotics.  I simply said that
   cranberry juice may help prevent a REoccurrance.

RE: .8

   As I said in .5, just regular cranberry juice cocktail won't do much.
   You really need to get the pure stuff and mix it with orange or apple
   juice to have any effect.

-Amy

    Yes, I felt the same apprehension about ANY kind of medication.
    I didn't take any medication the first time round either.
    
    Our second pregnancy seemed to bring out the ugly germs in me!
    I ended up taking antibiotics for a sinus infection, an inner
    ear infection (vertigo?!?!) and a respiratory infection.  So I
    had three 7-day doses.  I did read up on all of them in my
    prescription handbook in addition to grilling my doctor!
    
    I too wouldn't mess with the UTI.  When I went in for pre-term
    labor the first thing they did was test me for a UTI!  Luckily
    I was only dehydrated... best of luck.
    
    Julia 

    re: .5
    
    The acid in cranberry juice is supposed to creeate an environment
    that is inhospitable to the growing infection. It won't kill the
    bacteria actually.
    
    When ever I tried drinking it for a UTI, it made the symptoms worse!
    Maybe the pure stuff is better, but I'd watch it. Better to keep
    a large glass of ice water nearby all day long and keep refilling
    it. I don't know about you, but when I was pregnant in the summer
    time (2 years in a row) drinking water was the best thing to do.
    
    One other thing...the doctor told me that you should always go to
    the bathroom after sex. I geuss bacteria can get in during sex.
                                                        
    
    re: yogurt
    
    I just read a small article in a woman's magazine that cited a study
    regarding eating yogurt to get rid of a yeast infection. Apparently
    it did help. Of course if you got a yeast infection from the
    antibiotics, then you would see the doctor immediatley, and he could
    tell you about this.
    
    Good luck.
    
    Dot

>   Also, "they" recommend cranberry juice for kidney stones.  "All that
>   acid" is very good for your kidney's and bladder.  I assume it is
>   good for the baby, too.  Of course you should check with your doctor.

If the extra acid is good for you, then I find it strange that the body seeks
to excrete it.  Moreover, stomach juices are already acidic enough to
cause damage to the stomach and intestinal walls.  I don't see how adding more
is "good for you".  It is a very dangerous step to assume that what is good for
you is also good for your developing fetus.  Thalidomide was good for mothers
who were constantly nauseous and sick during pregnancy.  They did not gain
weight normally, they did not sleep properly etc.  The rationale said that
if the mother was coping better, then it should be good for the baby.
Thalidomide was NOT good for the developing fetus.

By increasing your acid intake, you also upset your body's electrolyte
balance.  With a larger body mass, your system is able to cope with these
changes ... I'm not sure you can say the same about the developing fetus.

What is a drug (or medication) ?  In basic terms, it is a substance taken
to alter normal bodily function.  That substance can be natural, derived
from natural sources (natural Vitamin C for example) or synthetic (made
from chemicals according to the chemical formula of the substance.  Therefore,
as strange as it might seem, consuming a lot of cranberry juice to ward off
UTIs is using cranberry juice as a DRUG!  Many say "but it's natural" so
it's got to be good for you ...  Belladonna (deadly nightshade) is used
in the treatment of heart attacks ... it can be natural or synthetic ...
but EITHER will KILL you.  Poison Ivy is natural .... need I say more ?

By the way, just because certain acids excreted might help disolve kidney
stones doesn't mean you should take it all the time either to help prevent
kidney stones ... and moreover, the developing fetus in all probability 
doesn't have kidney stones of any kind anyway !

>   In .5 I did not say don't take the antibiotics.  I simply said that
>   cranberry juice may help prevent a REoccurrance.

May help ... may not ... 

One other thought that may be comforting ... the effects of a prescribed drug 
taken in pregnancy will be tracked ...  If other women taking antibiotics
during pregnancy found problems, you can be sure that the news would be out
fairly quickly.  The effects of drinking cranberry juice will not, unless
you are very up front with your doctor ... but most people I have talked to
who self medicate tend to hide the fact from their doctor ... and anyway
many people who for example would drink cranberry juice wouldn't even think
of it as self-medication and worthy of mentioning to their doctor.

Amy, I'm not trying to get at you personally, but I am very concerned by
self-medication in general.  I have known someone who died because of the
abuse her body took after years of self-medication.  I have know others
who have abused pescribed drugs.  I have known people who have been dangerously
sick because of interactions between self-medication and prescribed drugs.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try to show that there are some
very dangerous assumptions being made here.  What it all boils down to is ...

"See your Doctor before taking any medication, or anything used like a
medication, especially when pregnant."


Stuart