****If you have pain during pregnancy, you may take Tylenol or acetaminophen up to 2 tablets or 650 mg every 4 hours. Do not take aspirin during your pregnancy unless instructed to do so by your physician. Aspirin may cause problems with blood clotting and cause other problems during labor and delivery. Do not take ibuprofen (Advil) unless instructed by your physician, especially in the last 3 months of your pregnancy. If a headache persists for more than 24 hours, you should call your physician.****

That is a common statement found on the net about taking this medication. Does anyone know if there have been any links to birth defects or issues with baby if mom takes tylenol in first trimester? The reason I am asking is the last three nights I have been getting terrible headaches. Almost migraine like they seem to just hit me and I try not to take anything but if I leave it they just get worse to the point where I am not able to even rest with my eyes closed and last night it made me sick. Being sick did not relieve the headache either.

I do not have them all day long and it seems just taking 500mg of tylenol works BUT of course I am freaking out because I do not want to take anything other then vitamins. I have done tons of research and it seems ok to take so what I want to know is....Has any of your midwives or doctors said NOT to take tylenol and why? I am so worried because I have meetings coming up and can not suffer at them.

THANKS ladies

My doctor told me it was okay to take two extra strength Tylenol if I needed to, but absolutely DO NOT take ibprohpen. I've been taking Tylenol, but only if I really, really need it. Are you drinking lots of water? I was getting incredibly bad headaches a few weeks ago and I ended up going to the hospital as I was dehydrated.

I found this link as well http://www.otispregnancy.org/pdf/acetaminophen.pdf after I posted and found a few studies that show there has been NO link to any birth defects unless toxic levels were taken and then still low. I have ONLY taken 1 500mg tab a day and ONLY because my head was about to blow up off my body lol. I still worry though and would be interested in hearing what all your dr's and midwives say still

You'll be fine I'm sure. You could try eating strawberries as well, they're supposed to have natural painkillers in them.

^^Really? I have never heard that. I love love love strawberries. I am going to buy some after work today and chow down lol Thanks

Tylenol, paracetamol and acetaminophen are all basically the same drug, sold under different names. They are all generally considered safe to take in pregnancy. Normal tylenol contains 325mg of the active ingredient acetaminophen and extra strength tylenol contains 500mg. Did the single tablet make a difference to your headache? If not, you're safe to take 2 of the 500mg tablets together. Hope your headache's better and try to keep hydrated (not always easy at this stage, I know)

You can also take Vicodin and Hydrocodone if you have migraines as I do. Plus, if your migraines/headaches are appearing behind your eyes... it may also be congestion. It is perfectly OK to take Sudaphed as well :-)

The one tylenol 500mg has been working and I hope it continues to. I want to avoid taking as many things as possible. I am going to try eating strawberries too lol I will so anything that is safe and works.

my baby book says tylenol is ok, but I just drink decaf tea and take a hot bath with lots of steam. What's the saying? "tea, toast, bath"

I'd avoid sudafed (pseudoephidrine) if possible as there have been some cases (rare) of gastroschisis (defective closure of the abdominal wall) reported after taking it in the 1st trimester. Vicodin (known as dihydrocodeine in the UK) seems to be safe to take in the 1st 2 trimesters but there have been concerns raised that it could lead to a withdrawal effect in newborns and that it can cause their breathing rate to fall if taken in the 3rd trimester. I'd make sure your GP/Obstetrician knows if you're taking any other drugs than paracetamol so you and they can balance the risks together. It's unrealistic to expect pregnant women to sail through pregnancy without any aches and pains etc but if you check it out with your doc, then that gives you peace of mind for you and your baby. Hope the headache's better today