So, I have a friend who is 37 weeks pregnant. She has lost 50+ pounds during her pregnancy (although she was and remains a heavy woman) and her unborn child is currently 5 1/2 pounds. She can hardly hold anything at all down, food wise and she is in tremendous hip pain almost all the time. She had been comfortable with her OB/GYN but the doctor doesn't seem to be at all concerned with her massive weight loss. Also, this week when my friend mentioned to her doctor that her hip pain was getting very bad, the doctor suggested Vicodin.
This all sounds really suspect to me but I've never gone through it. Please tell me what you guys think? My spur of the moment advice after I found all this out was 'do NOT take Vicodin and find a new doctor fast'. Thoughts?
8 comments:
The baby weight isn't the big concern here if she's had an ultrasound and they feel that the baby is healthy. What does concern me, though, is the fact that a doctor would suggest vicodin for a pregnant woman.
I agree with the other commenter that as long as the baby is doing okay, the mother's weight loss doesn't seem that big of a deal. Overweight women usually only gain a few pounds and from what I've read if the woman is really big, weight loss is not uncommon.
However, proper nutrition and hydration are still important of course. If she can't keep food down because of barfing, she can get anti-barf drugs from her doctor. From what I've read, many women get "morning sickness" the entire pregnancy.
I'd say that if she feels comfortable with her current doctor, she should talk to the doctor. Say, "Yo, Doc, what's with telling me to take vicodin? Isn't that BAD(tm)?" If her pain is so intense that ibuprofen isn't cutting it, the doctor may feel that the benefits of the stronger pain reliever outweigh the possible risks.
If she doesn't feel comfortable, get another doctor.
Good advice, cabol. There is also a drug which is safe for pregnant women who are suffering from morning sickness or nausea related to the flu, compazine, which is also available in a generic form which we have on our shelf right now for our two-month's pregnant woman in our household. She was to the emergency room for stomach flu and they also gave her a pill that dissolved under her tongue for nausea which began with an "F". Sorry that's not much help with the name. Mom2
Well, not being a female, I did the typical male thing and Googled Vicodin and pregnancy. And everything seems to point that no one really knows for sure, since no studies have been done about it. There were various stories from women that took Vicodin for assorted reasons during their pregnancy, and they saw no effect on the baby.
Hmmm, not having been pregnant, I have no personal experience, but I have always been fascinated by the approach my aunt's ob/gyn took.
"Look," she said, "If you want to have one glass of wine every once in awhile, that's fine. If you want to eat -insert naughty food- ever so often or smoke one cigarette once in a blue moon, go ahead, it's fine. It's when you go beyond, when there is excess or habitual use that the infant is in danger."
I kind of liked that outlook, even if I probably would NOT drink (or smoke, cause i don't) while pregnant, because this is one of those areas where people become SO hyper-vigilant that you begin to fear everything you do or digest will have these enormous negative repercussions on your child. No mother should have to go through that, especially if it's unfounded.
Today at lunch, Anya was gnawing on the painted table with her one tooth. She also gnawed the top of her bottle, and a metal spoon. Frequently, they fell on the floor, and I would pick them up and hand them back to her.
I can only imagine the horrified looks a 'good' parent would have given me.
My friend and I also Googled up a storm re. this stuff. Vicodin, I found is a Class C drug which means that its effect on a fetus is unknown. Knowing this, the general concensus seems to be that it should only be taken while pregnant if the benefits outweigh the risks.
That being said, I don't know if to me anything would outweigh the risk to my unborn child. But, I do agree with J.'s comment. I've heard that too, that the excess is the problem - same theory for dieting and many other things.
The vicodin issue was pretty easy to Google but I had a tougher time with the weight loss so I appreciated your comments and passed them on to my preggers friend. Thanks for stepping up, people :)
Hip pain and pain down a leg is a fairly common symptom. It *usually* has to do with baby position. A good doctor would help her with different positions, stretches, poses, etc. that would help shift the baby a bit, or with ways she can alleviate the pain without medication (vicodin? holy cow!).
5 1/2 lbs at this point sounds fine. The baby usually gains about a 1 lb a week at this stage. Weight is an estimate though and not the biggest factor. There are other things to watch as well.
I think overall she needs to go get a second opinion. Maybe a new doctor.
Julie
Using My Words
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