Drinking beer while pregnant??

[Gabrielle22]

Okay, no I'm not an alcoholic that just can't go without my beer lol

I am 23 weeks and have had a reacurring bladder infection. IT WONT GO AWAY!!! OB put me on a high dose of antibiotics and after taking these I was supposed to go to the pharmacy to get my low dose (which I have to take for the rest of my pregnancy). I already finished the high dose and wasn't able to pick up the low dose for a couple days, now the infection is back, full swing. Which means more than likely I will have to start another high dose. Ugh. Well, everyone keeps telling me to drink 1 beer/day for a week or so to flush myself out. They say it's not going to hurt the baby....but I'm leaning more towards....no. At this point I'm terrified I'm going to go into labor, so any advice on what to do, and if beer would be something you would try?

 

[odouglass]

I would not.... I don't think that it is worth the risk. I know that I've heard 1 glass a day is okay, but I just wouldn't do it. So sorry that you're suffering with another never-ending infection, hopefully the doctor can get it all cleared up!

 

[firefly15]

A nope to the beer, but can you buy something called d-mannose where you are? It's a natural product (larch sugar I think) and I have always taken it for uti's and it works brilliantly. It's supposed to be completely safe in pregnancy as it just gets excreted in the urine and binds to the bacteria causing the infection in order to flush them out. Definitely worth looking in to

 

[messica]

Not only would I not do it because NO amount of alcohol has been proven safe in pregnancy, but the fact that you're on high dose antibiotics - drinking beer will undoubtedly leave you with a nasty yeast infection if you do. Beer is a well known trigger as it is but when you're also wiping out the good bacteria with those antibiotics, it's just not a good idea all the way around.

 

[smurfette85]

Lots of cranberry juice helps clear you of a uti I deffo would not drink any beer xx

 

[Gabrielle22]

Yeah the other alternatives sound much better than alcohol. lol I have just had it with this infection. It's ridiculous! Thanks for your advice ladies !

 

[firefly15]

Yeah the other alternatives sound much better than alcohol. lol I have just had it with this infection. It's ridiculous! Thanks for your advice ladies !

I know, they're just so miserable when they won't go away. Good luck, I hope it b*ggers off soon

 

[cookette]

The beer just isnt worth the risk. You may ask the pharmacist if AZO tablets are safe while pregnant?

 

[Gabrielle22]

Wow! I just so happened to run across this while I was on facebook. Guess it was ment for me to see this. lol definitely not even going to go there.


We all like to have a drink every now and then, but drinking alcohol while pregnant is dangerous, and can result in permanent harm to your developing baby. Drinking excessively while pregnant can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, and even a small amount of alcohol while pregnant—especially during the first and second trimester—can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is part of a wider spectrum of alcohol-related disorders known by the blanket term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

 

[EmzyJA]

They say the occasional drink is ok but personally I wouldn't risk it. One of my cravings is beer. My husband bought home some non alcoholic ones for me. Will try one tonight and hope that relieves my craving lol

 

[pandi77]

I'm not going to comment on the safety of drinking during pregnancy because it's a hot topic that everyone has a strong opinion on and you really just need to get a leg up on this yucky crud

Focusing on your infection and antibiotic treatment it is well established that antibiotics are one of the hardest things on your liver you can take and drinking while on them is terribly bad for your liver. It has to work so hard to process the antibiotics while trying to already function for you and your baby throwing in beer on top of that is just a bad bad idea.

I second a previous poster and will say all natural (not sweetened) cranberry juice is amazing at clearing out those infections. It works by changing the ph and acidity of your entire bodily cleansing and elimination system so that the infectious cells cannot attach and regrow over and over. Instead they get flushed out along with your white blood cells as they kill the infection and your good to go before you know it! I actually have a glass (hard to choke down the real stuff) every few days and haven't had a uti in years. Good luck!

 

[purplecupcake]

I would go by what your doctor tells you to do and not by what "everyone" says. I have had a beer here and again this pregnancy, about one per month, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with one per day.

As for the recurring bladder infections, I would make sure that you are being very careful hygiene wise - use wet wipes instead of dry toilet paper, you and your partner shower before sex, and drink a ton of water to flush out bacteria.

 

[angiepie]

You can also take probiotics, and consider changing your diet.

 

[Gabrielle22]

Where can I get all natural cranberry juice? I've never seen it before.
And probiotics sound like a great idea.
I done some research, taking antibiotics throughout your pregnancy increases the risk of having asthma significantly and also messes with the baby's immune system. I realllllly don't want to have to take this through the whole pregnancy.

 

[Enasy]

Cranberry juice is good to flush out your bladder and kidneys

 

[kazine]

I wouldn't drink any alcohol at all Especially not every day :/

 

[lala222]

I would ask your doctor what he thinks . I wouldn't do it or a week. My mother in law told me her obstetrician told her to go home and drink 2 beers to rid her of her uti when she was pregnant and it worked for her (apparently). I wonder what it is in beer that they think does the trick? And if non alcoholic beer would do the same?

 

[JoHio]

My best friend is an OB and he always tells me that there is a fundamental misquote: It is not so much that no amount is safe; there has been no study ever that has indicated that one drink a day will hurt your baby - though there are some that will use fancy lingo or uncertain findings to try. (It is refreshing to hear my friend, a MAN, talk about how much this topic is twisted and creates an unnecessary and damaging culture of fear and judgment among pregnant women). In fact, there was a study done in the last year that reported women who drink moderately during pregnancy have children with higher IQs and healthier hearts than women who drink excessively or do not drink at all. (I just tried to find the study, but I did not bookmark it. My OB BF sent it to me so I will ask him for it again and see if he has it handy.)
The thing is that in the studies that HAVE been conducted, there have been a lot of variables (e.g. often the mother's studied had issues beyond their alcohol consumption, not to mention questionable activities while drinking.) Of course, if there have been issues linked to any consumption, the safest thing to do is not to drink any booze at all....or aspartame, or soft-cheese, or runny eggs, or cold-cuts, or raw anything. Just basically wrap yourself in a bubble, right? I jest, but it is such a slippery slope when we start talking about these things, which doesn't mean they shouldn't be talked about - simply that we should all be open and empathetic.

All this said, I DO NOT believe in using alcohol to medicate anything, from a urine infection to a bad day at the office. Lots of water and fresh, organic eating should help more than any booze. Oh, and your doctor prescribed meds.
I know this is a polarized topic, and I am not trying to get any backs up; I just wanted to weigh in with a harmless and well-intentioned opinion.

PS. White tea is fabulous with helping with inflammation and infection!

 

[pirate1974]

cranberry juice and then pro biotics. Go to whole foods and get really good pro biotics. I have had a fever last week and double down on my probiotic and it cleared up super fast. And when I was travelling a lot early in the my pregnancy and felt a cold coming on, i upped my probiotics. My doc told me to take them, and studies shown they're good for both mommy and baby.

 

[Dodima1999]

I don't know for sure and notice that each country is different but I have heard cranberry juice can help bring on contractions so I'd check this out first too.
I had a uti at 18 w and although told to drink cranberry juice by the hospital I was told to really dilute it to prevent this.