Pregnancy is a wonderful but perilous time. You often wonder what is safe during pregnancy. Having never experienced pregnancy myself, it was a topic a lot of research went into. Generally, there is quite a bit of excitement about a new baby coming soon and preparing for its arrival. There are baby showers to attend, shopping, a nursery to decorate, and doctor appointments to keep. I
n amongst this, you try your best to feel well, stay well, and not let anything harm a growing fetus. It can get overwhelming. Your body changes, and you gain weight, you get hemorrhoids and stretch marks, your feet swell, and your back aches. All of these are normal changes while carrying an unborn child.
Safety comes first, and there are a few things to watch out for while pregnant. Unsafe things to avoid while pregnant are raw meats and eggs, unpasteurized dairy, second-hand smoke, and kitty litter, to name a few. This isn’t to say that there aren’t many things a woman can enjoy eating or doing while pregnant, but there are certain things she should avoid simply due to harmful bacteria that can harm her and her unborn infant. But what if you get sick during pregnancy and need antibiotics? In particular, amoxicillin? Is it safe? Let’s talk about that.
Safety of Amoxicillin: A History
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Amoxicillin was discovered in 1958 and helped to treat a variety of illnesses such as strep throat, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, middle ear infections, salmonella infections, Lyme disease, and various skin infections. Amoxicillin belongs to the penicillin class of antibiotics. Amoxicillin was officially approved as safe for use in the United States in 1974.
Now, for some chemistry. Penicillin is part of a group of antibiotics that contain a beta-lactam ring in their chemical structure. While bacteria often create a resistance to b-lactam antibiotics, scientists have discovered that b-lactam can be given inhibitors such as clavulanic acid, and it will overcome the resistance.
Clavulanic acid does not work well by itself, but when paired with the penicillin family it can overcome bacteria that secrete b-lactamase which is what is used to resist the antibiotic. In short, when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, we have a way of combatting the resistance, which makes the antibiotic effective.
Safety of Amoxicillin: What to Avoid
There are several different foods and drinks to avoid ingesting while pregnant. Mostly, those are under the category of raw, unpasteurized, or have any possibility of transferring harmful bacteria to a fetus, so it is best to avoid it. While adults can handle foods such as sushi, it is not recommended for a growing baby.
Those foods to avoid are raw eggs and meat, deli meats such as salami or lox, unwashed fruits and veggies, unpasteurized milk and cheeses, and fish high in mercury such as raw sushi and shellfish. Canned tuna fish is okay, but eat sparingly. You may also eat cooked salmon, catfish, halibut, sardines, and tilapia.
There are other things to avoid besides food, too, such as avoiding painting the nursery due to inhalation of paint fumes and those chemicals possibly harming an unborn baby, as well as being around second-hand smoke, which can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, and low birth weight, among other complications. Also, avoid changing kitty litter if you have a cat. Cat feces carry a disease you can catch called toxoplasmosis, a rare parasitic disease. If you do change the kitty litter, use gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
Safety of Amoxicillin: Is it Safe?
There are some antibiotics to avoid, while others are safe to take. Other antibiotics that are safe to take during pregnancy are any kind of penicillin, clindamycin, and cephalosporins. There are certain classes of antibiotics that you shouldn’t take while pregnant, such as tetracyclines, which can affect a baby’s growth and teeth. Some antibiotics can cause stained teeth later on. However, if you have an underlying infection, your doctor will prescribe you the right kind of antibiotics that you can take while pregnant.
Bottom line: if you think you have an infection while pregnant, go to the doctor. You have to be well in order to grow a tiny human. If you’re sick and the infection winds up getting worse, then you’ll possibly wind up in the hospital, and that can be highly stressful. The doctor will prescribe you something safe for you to take so it won’t harm a growing fetus. Considered a category B drug by the US Food and Drug Administration, Amoxicillin is safe to take while pregnant.
However, amoxicillin may have common side effects that deal mostly with gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, etc. Be sure to take it exactly as the doctor prescribed to help eliminate some of the side effects. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor, and they will be sure to clear anything up for you. There is also the internet to look things up, as dangerous as that may be. But I strongly caution you to be careful when looking things up as it can sometimes give the absolute worst scenario.
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