Did you take antibiotics during pregnancy?

[CER]

Just asking because my ds has multiple allergies and severe eczema and I read today that a study at Nottingham University had suggested that there may be a link between taking antibiotics in pregnancy and babies having allergies and asthma.

I had a course of antibiotics at around 7 weeks. Aslo ds has had about 3 courses of antibiotics, the first one before he was weaned (have refused to give him 2 more courses as I think doctors are being a big gung ho with them).

Would be interested to know if anyone else who took antibiotics did or didn't have a baby with allergies etc., or if your baby has allergies but you didn't take antibiotics, or if babies who have allergies have had antibiotics themselves. I realise that there would be many other factors involved as well but think it would still be interesting to find out.

Oh CER - now you've got me worried! I'm 6 weeks pg, and just been given a course of penicillin for a tooth infection. I guess there's not really any option, because the infection itself could hurt the baby...what antibiotics did you take? I think penicillin is supposed to be safe!

Sorry musica, didn't mean to get you worried. Like you say, you have to take them because otherwise what you've got might have an affect.

I think these things always have lots of causes, like both my husband and I seem to have the atopic gene which with hayfever and eczema, we lived in a really polluted environment, hard water etc. etc. if it was as simple as just taking antibiotics doctors wouldn't still be prescribing them for pregnant women. Please don't tell me this is the same for you or I will feel really really guilty as I always think pregnant mums have enough to worry about without fools like me adding to their anxieties!

I honestly can't remember what antibiotic I took as it was so long ago.

Musica, am feeling sooo guilty about worrying you now that I went back to read the article and it said that the theory is that the antibiotics could kill the microflora in the gut which are belived to aid the development of the immune system. So you might want to get eating some live yoghurt or yakult if you can stomach it.

Forgot to say congratulations as well!

My experience :
Had two courses of antibiotics in first pregnancy - no allergies in dd, she has never had antibiotics (but I put that down to her beinf bf, which I also did while taking antibiotics)
Had long course of antibiotics in second pg - no allergies in ds. He has had one course for a hospital acquired nail bed infection which he took for 3 days, was (and still is) bf on antibiotics. Makes nappies a bit yukkly thats all.
In case anyone wonders I had kidney problems and that is why I needed the antibiotics!
We have very little history of allergies in our family, (though dh is mildly asthmatic) - I think I read somewhere that allergies run in families, do you or dh have many allergies. I would certainly think that one course of antibiotics at 7 weeks wouldn't have a big effect on the immune system.

Oh and congrats Musica!

Sorry I made you feel guilty! You know what it's like when you're pregnant - you worry about every little thing. No, I don't have hayfever or asthma or anything like that so don't worry! I will take your advice re live yoghurt though, I wouldn't have thought of that!

Thanks too for the congrats!

I had antibiotics at 10 weeks pg with DS for a chest infection and DS had massive maximum doses of antibiotics when he was 6 weeks old (suspected meningitis)... in fact he has had loads of antibiotics in the 3 years that he has been alive ... I particularly remember him having 3 lots in 5 weeks for 2 ear infections and a throat infection when he was about 14 months.

Not one sign of an allergy as yet ... except he does react badly to mozzie bites, but then so do I!

HTH!

Thanks for all your replies, it's good to hear that nobody's been affected.

Nobody in my or dh's family has allergies susanmt, which is why it's such a mystery why ds is so allergic to things. For example, he's allergic to dairy and if I eat anything with dairy products in and then kiss him he comes up in hives.

The only other theory I've heard is that it's because we live in too clean an environment but I can't believe that that can be the case in our house!

I took amoxicillin (sp?) at around 30 weeks pg with dd2. Didn't want to, but had a terrible ear infection that was agony. Remains to be seen whether she will have any allergies/asthma.

I had antibiotics (can't remember what kind) in both my pregnancies but quite late on. About 36 weeks for 1st and around 6.5 months in 2nd. My son has slight eczema/dermititis on his legs but I think it may be a slight dairy allergy. Neither of them have taken any antibiotics themselves.

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Thanks for your posts. Always interesting to hear other people's experiences. I guess it's just one of those things that we'll never really find out why it happened.

CER- there may be something in it. DS1 has leaky gut and autism and I'm pretty sure the antibiotics he had contribued (especially to the leaky gut). Autism tends to develop in children with an allergicy type immune system- so eczema and asthma etc are common in those families as well. He did have a lot of antibiotcs though. Some were absolutely necessary (lifesavers) some weren't. This isn't to worry people and say that antibiotocs cause autism!!! Just that in his particular case they probably played a role (as did other factors).

Hope I haven't worried anyone. DS2 has had antibiotcs as well (at 6 weeks of age) and he's fine. If anyone is worried just get some probiotics from the health food shop- I use them everytime we have antiobiotics now.

Hi folks, I had a course of penicillin for a chest infection when I was 18 weeks pregnant. I suffer from hayfever, asthma, and have a mild food intolerance, I also had excema in childhood. So when my ds (17months old) was diagnosed as having excema, hayfever and suspected asthma I presumed it was hereditory! Perhaps not. I think I'll look into that now. He's never had a course of antibiotics though. Poor wee soul has always managed to come down with viral infections!!
I lived in a beautiful Scottish village throughout my whole pregnancy so air and water pollution was extremely minimal.
Medical knowledge of allergies is very basic at the moment, so perhaps there will be a break through soon and we'll find out exactly why our kids seem to be becoming allergic to modern life!

Thanks for your posts Jimjams and Mum2Toby. I think you summed up how I feel jimjams saying that antibiotics probably played a role when there are other contributing factors.

Dh found an article about eczema saying that it was just as common in rural areas such as the Scottish isles as anywhere else, so it doesn't seem to be that air and water pollution on their own make a big difference Mum2Toby. Probably down to those contributing factors again. If you find any other information about allergies and antibiotics I'd love to know.