The Effects Of Antibiotics On Babies And Mothers During Pregnancy

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.

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.

When might Antibiotics be used during pregnancy?

• 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.
  
   

• 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.

• Prophylactic - Just in Case

• Preterm Labour

• Prolonged Rupture of Membranes (more than 18 hours)

• Running a Fever

• Positive GBS screen done at 35- 37 weeks of pregnancy

• 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

• 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.