Antibiotics, How safe really are they ???

[Rachee]

I have been detected as having protien in my urine, 32 weeks pg, and have been perscribed 'amoxocillin'. I know that they say it is safe, but i want to know if it affects babbies imune system, i have been a real saint all the way through pg and eating oodles of fruit and veg and pregnacare tablets at night too, drinking lots, etc. I have a fab immune system and never get ill.... LOL. So don't want to give unborn antibiotics to mess his natural system up, plus if i take antibiotics i will get thrush too.......

Shall or can i drink my way out of the infection ??? i feel 100% and have no symptoms

Hi, I just wanted to agree with everyone who said it is safe to take some antibiotics in pregnancy. I had a uti earlier on in my pregnancy and I was prescribed cefalexin. My GP was very reassuring as was my midwife. GP felt it would be worse to leave a uti untreated as it could lead to a kidney infection which can be very serious. I had frequent uti's before becoming pregnant. My advice would be take the tablets, get well and don't worry!

TAKE THEM TAKE THEM TAKE THEM - I am on amoxocilin for a kidney infection and they are NASTY (kidney infections)!! Will have you out of action for days if it turns into one.

OK (bracing myself for onslaught) I'm going to be slightly controversial and say I know where Rachee's coming from. I was diagnosed with a UTI when I was about 5 months and put on amoxicillin. At the time of diagnosis I felt absolutely fine (and I've had cystitis before so I know what agony it can be) but took the antiBs anyway. I ended up feeling much, much worse, had to go on another course of amoxicillin straight after the first one, that still didn't work and I had to take a course of another antiB which didn't work either. Eventually, I felt so much worse than I had when I had started and the doctors had no idea why the antiBs weren't working. I told the doctors that I didn't want to take another course for a while because the drugs were making me feel really run down. The doc agreed (even though my urine sample was still showing signs of infection) and I just drank absurd amounts of water for a while and it miraculously seemed to sort itself out.

Having said all of that, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that anyone else does the same thing. Rachee, I don't think I had protein in my urine, just bacteria. I could be wrong but I think protein can be a more worrying sign (eg. kidney infection rather than cystitis) which you should get seen to asap.

Re. the whole lack of symptoms thing, apparently it's called asymptomatic bacteruria or something and it's quite common.

And it is true that an untreated infection can lead to premature labour. Apparently it's because the body recognises that the baby's in danger and decides to get the baby out asap rather than risk infection.

Sorry, I've probably confused things even more. Basically, I'm just saying I know how you feel and I'm wary of antibios too but I wouldn't advocate just ignoring an infection.

Good luck!

I have chonic UTIs and had to take prophylactic ABs throughout PG. My bouncing baby girl is as healthy as can be and - judging by the way she managed to avoid DPs recent flu - her immune system is rock solid - thanks partly to bfing. Make sure the sample is sent off so they know i's the right AB. They've been used for years and it's well known which are safe and not. UTIs can be much more dangerous for mother and baby.

Take them!! I had chronic cystitis during pregnancy which turned into a kidney infection which needed IV antibiotics and sent me into premature labour at 34 weeks. Thankfully i managed to hold on (ended up being induced at 39 weeks) and everything was ok. My DS also seems to have an iron constitution, and has only just caught his first cold at 8 months. (And that was only after my friends DS sneezed straight into his face!)