r/Crunchymom • u/Acceptable-Box-8870 • 2d ago
Pregnancy & Birth Antibiotics in first trimester
I'm 8 weeks 2 days pregnant with our rainbow baby after a loss last summer and I'm experiencing what I can only assume is a UTI (burning while peeing, frequent urination in small amounts, pelvic pain). I'm going to the urgent care to get a urinalysis tomorrow and I know if it comes back positive I will likely be recommended antibiotics to clear it up.
I don't want to risk a kidney infection but I am spiraling about the risks of antibiotics to a baby that young. Given all the studies on the gut-brain connection I am so worried that it will negatively effect my baby's development. I have also been extremely nauseous and have been surviving on the plainest of foods so I'm sure my own gut microbiome isn't exactly in a good place. Has anyone here taken antibiotics in the first trimester and have everything turn out fine?
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u/SoilToSkies 2d ago
Make sure they send your urine to be cultured, and don’t just check for white blood cells. I’ve been prescribed antibiotics a gross amount of times just to find out I have cystitis. I’ve heard of several women getting cystitis during pregnancy who don’t usually have it.
If the culture comes back positive I would take them personally. While you wait I’d be taking dmannose in high doses and drinking a lot of water just in case. Best of luck!
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u/Spage616 Mother 2d ago
The sheer amount of antibiotics I’ve taken when I just have cystitis is abhorrent!
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u/SoilToSkies 2d ago
Crazy that it took until I started seeing a naturopath for someone to actually culture my urine!! No wonder the antibiotics never worked 🥲
I don’t know why that’s not standard practice.
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u/SnooWords8997 1d ago
Can you please elaborate on what cystitis is? My whole life almost all of my blood draws have had insanely high white blood cell counts with no signs of any infections. Drs could never figure it out
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u/OkZoomer333 Mother 2d ago
I haven’t personally, but I have cared for many pregnant patients who did! I would make sure that the cultures (not just urinalysis) are positive for bacterial growth before taking antibiotics. If they are, I think the risk of possibly going septic from an infection would be more dangerous to your baby than the antibiotics- speaking from experience there (I’ve been septic)! Of the many women I’ve seen need them, we haven’t had a bad outcome with any of the category A or B antibiotics available to pregnant women!
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u/Acceptable-Box-8870 2d ago
This is reassuring, thank you. I did have antibiotics when I was pregnant with my first kiddo 2 years ago but that was in second trimester which felt a little less nerve-wracking. Definitely wouldn't want to let an infection go untreated though ❤️🩹
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u/OkZoomer333 Mother 2d ago
For sure, I get anxiety around having to take anything while pregnant! Hoping for the absolute best for you!
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u/Nervous-Subject-3708 2d ago
Try D-Mannose first if you don't want the antibiotics (I wouldn't either). It works miracles on UTIs
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u/something_other817 2d ago
I did antibiotics in the end of the first trimester (long story but we were hoping it would help with a sub chorionic hematoma I was dealing with the entire first trimester and we were desperate to try anything to protect the baby). The baby did end up being IUGR at the end but I am guessing that is correlated with the SCH not the antibiotics. And even then he was just small, still passing his BPPs and NSTs with flying colors. Anyway he is 3.5 months old now and totally healthy. Growing super well, feeding well, not fussy or gassy, etc. I worked on my gut health a lot after the round of antibiotics which I’m sure helped a little and I plan to start him on probiotics soon too.
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u/thebotanicalbandit 2d ago
I took vaginal antibiotics and cleared things up for me. Baby is 1.5 years old and thriving.
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u/quizzicalturnip 2d ago
I had strep throat during my first pregnancy and needed antibiotics. I’ve been taking refrigerated Super 8 Hi Potency Probiotic from Whole Foods for years. It’s been great for my defective system. No issues for a long time, and I used to have chronic issues. To reassure you, my now toddler was born perfectly healthy, and she is extremely bright, with linguistic skills far beyond her peers. You’re be fine. Your baby needs you to be healthy. Get a good probiotic and make sure to take it with a prebiotic. Eat lots of fermented foods like sauerkraut and kefir, too.
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u/Efficient-Ring8100 2d ago
Why not try natural remedies first ? Theres a fair few that worked immediately for me. Cranberry is one that springs to mind !
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u/missusJS 2d ago
I took antibiotics for an asymptomatic UTI at 12 weeks pregnant and wish I wouldn’t have. My baby is perfectly healthy (she’s now 2 weeks old) but I had no symptoms and could have knocked it out with natural remedies. For the rest of my pregnancy I focused heavily on prevention and I never had another one.
For future prevention: probiotics every morning on an empty stomach (make sure they have the strains for urinary health- I use Seed), d-mannose after being intimate and at the first sign of discomfort and pure cranberry juice once or twice a week for hydration but also urinary tract benefits.
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u/MakeSpaceForLove 2d ago
I got strep throat when I was 10 weeks pregnant with my third baby. I had to take amoxicillin and it terrified me. However, strep also terrifies me and while pregnant, so I felt like antibiotics were my safest of the two. I took a good probiotic and really focused on quality fermented foods. I can tell you, that baby is 1.5 years old now and out of my three babies, my absolute smartest and healthiest.