How to cope with URINARY INFECTIONS during PREGNANCY?

Question

I AM 21 WEEKS PREGNANT WITH MY 3RD CHILD AND HAVE JUST CAME HOME FROM HOSPITAL AFTER A UTI MY 2ND PREGNANCY WAS THE SAME. THIS TIME I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THREE TYPES OF ANTIBIOTICS TO TREAT THEM AND NOTHING IS WORKING AT THE MOMENT I AM TAKING A COURSE OF CO-AMOXICLAV. i AM SO WORRIED ABOUT TAKING ALL THIS AND WHAT EFFECT IT HAS ON MY BABY AND FEEL NO BETTER AFTER COMING OUT OF HOSPITAL AFTER GETTING IV ANTIBIOTICS I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF SOMEONE HAS WENT THROUGH THE SAME AND IF THERE WAS AN ANTI BIOTIC THAT CLEARED THE UTI UP QUICKLY AS I AM A FULL TIME WORKING MUM WHO IS TOTALLY DRAINED AND AM FEELING DREADFUL PLEASE ANSWER IF YOU CAN HELP ME....THANKS MARGARET

Answer 1

Firstly, being a full time working mum and pregnant as well its no wonder you are feeling drained!!! Is there no way you could take some sick or holiday leave?

Sometimes when our bodies are beig worked so hard they don't have time to combat infections, even with antibiotics.

Carrying a baby puts a lot of stress on your body as well.

I'm 32 weeks pregnant (first baby) and I had a bad UTI a couple of months ago. I was give Amoxycillin and they did work but they made me feel really nauseous and upset my stomach a lot.

They didn't really kick in until after I'd finished the whole course though.

Try and get as much rest as you can - even if it means taking sick leave from work. UTIs can have a bad effect on a pregnancy and can even start premature labour (I only found out about mine because I was having cramps all the time) so please take care of yourself.

You will not have been given any antibiotics that would harm your baby, the doctors know what they are doing.

I think you need to try and rest and give your body a chance to heal.

And make sure your Dr knows the AntiB's haven't worked!

Answer 2

Hi there,

I'm a medical student and have just recently done some studying about pregnancy and its effects on mother and baby. I think Dorothy was a little hasty in telling you to stop the antibiotics as they were obviously prescribed specifically for your infection and not simply for the hell of it! Co-amoxiclav appears to be one of the most widely used antibiotics as it has no known harmful effects on the fetus (tetracyclines have been known to cause tooth discolouration even up to 16yrs old). Drinking water is always a good idea simply to flush out your system. I have also heard that cranberry juice is good for getting rid of UTIs because it lowers the pH of the bladder (makes it more acidic) and thus bacteria can grow and multiply less well.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Cranberry is a good solution but if you drink juice cocktail it won't be effective because of all the sugars try to find a sugar free concentrate at the health food store and drink 1/4 cup every 2-4 hours also avoid sprouts of any type and drink lots of water a small cup every time you pass your sink even if you weren't planning on stopping there make sure your employer knows what is going on and that you can visit the restrooms anytime you have even the smallest urge the antibiotic that worked best for me was macrobid(macrodontin) but make sure you talk with your Dr. about it i took 3 days of a heavy dose and then continued taking it throughout my pregnancy as a preventative measure good luck and congratulations

Answer 4

Continue taking the antibiotics, but make sure you drink lots and lots of water daily. It's very easy to get a uti in pregnancy because the baby lays on your bladder, which makes it difficulty to empty completely. This residual urine grows bacteria, causing the infection.

Cranberry juice really isn't very helpful. What's available at the grocery contains very little cranberry juice. It's mainly sugar and apple juice. Water is the way to go.

So, drink water, avoid caffeine, wipe from front to back, and pee as often as you need to.

Answer 5

Normally,Macrobid (generic name Nitrofurantoin) will clear up these type of UTIs.such as pyelonephritis, pyelitis,and cystitis.Nitrofurantoin is helpful in treating UTIs because large amounts of it pass into the urine. It works by interfering with the metabolism of carbohydrates, or sugars, in the infecting bacteria.It may also interfere with the formation of the bacterial cell wall.However, Nitrofurantoin should never be taken by pregnant women with G-6-PD deficiency or those who are near term because it can interfere with the immature enzyme systems of the fetus and cause hemolyis anemia. When this drug is considered crucial by your doctor, its potential benefits must be carefully weighed against its risks. This drug passes into breast milk, SO if you are considering breastfeeding, this is yet another concern. Especially if the baby is G-6-PD deficient.An OTC method is plan cranberry juice.Good luck and congrats on your new addition:)

Answer 6

Yes Cranberry juice is supposed to work but I found it so foul tasting I never drank it. What I did was shower rather than bathe (no dirty water to help germs culture), drank water like it was going out of fashion, ate bland foods - no curries, italians, nothing very spicy or fragrant (so boring but oh my goodness was it worth it!) and the dreaded, No Coffee (if you can still stomach it)and the less tea the better. If I did have a bath it was just water NO BUBBLES, or additives of any kind, and I didn't stay in it for long.
Good Luck
Clare x

Answer 7

Drink Ocean Spray Cranberry juice a couple of times a day.

Answer 8

Stop taking the antibiotics, and drink a litre of cranberry juice per day. Also, drink water on top of that. Antibiotics will only cause Thrush anyway - not worth it. Good luck!

Answer 9

Cranberry Juice is supposed to be very good for that. Yogert is also good in preventing its return when it goes. As for medicines, I'm afraid I cannot say. Meds are tricky during pregnancy.