You probably all knew this, BUT just in case you didn't....it is a VERY good idea to take probiotics if you have to take antibiotics for any reason.

Antibiotics don't distinguish between the good and bad bacteria, so you can end up killing your good flora with the bad and creating yeast overgrowth. The after effects of this can be SO NOT FUN, so I just wanted to share this so that no one ends up dealing with problems like we have. I didn't take antibiotics during pregnancy or labor, but I did end up taking another drug that tends to produce similar effects. (or so I've heard)

~Signed, mom with baby born with thrush and two kiddos getting nasty rashes from systemic yeast problems.

I don't even *know* what probiotics really are. I hear about them non-stop, but have no clue what they are... would you be up for educating me? :)

Probiotics are supplements that contain the friendly bacteria that regulate your intestinal system. When you take antibiotics, those tend to kill off the friendly bacteria, so probiotic supplements replenish the good bacteria.

Well, right, but I've ready that "probiotics" can be found in foods, but then there are pills you can take? Where do you find them? Do they tell you on the bottle how "much" to take? I'll bet my midwife could answer all this too... I did read months ago that probiotics could actually "kill off" GBS and make it so that you wouldn't need antibiotics for delivery, but I couldn't find "probiotics" anywhere online. Well, not sufficiently for my "light search". I'm interested though. I guess I just blew it off because I haven't heard enough about it to count it as a true treatment, ya know? But I'd love to know more.........

I have heard that there are natural things that you can take if you are GBS +. I don't know a lot about it, though, sounds worthy of a google search! And of course, I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice, and all the other standard disclaimers apply. [rofl]

You can buy probiotic capsules at a health food store. I'm taking them now and giving my kids probiotics too, because we've had major problems with yeast. (Hence my purpose of sharing this info with others! :) )

I would say that acidophilus is probably the most common/easy to find probiotic capsule or tablet. Fairly cheap in the vitamin section. Of course there are a lot of other products out there in health foods stores too that are better. That's just the cheapie version me and the kids take and it has definitely helped us the last few months. We had such a hard time getting over and around all the tummy bugs in summer months. When we all started taking it daily our health improved.

I've LOVED my probiotics for over 3 years! I don't go to bed without taking my Culturelle with LGG (Lactobacillus).
Its a supplement that helps restore the good bacteria in your digestive tract forming a stronger barrier against bad bacteria. I used to have digestive problems and this has basically been my cure. I take 1 capsule every night and double up on it if I have to take antibiotics.
It seems like it's just starting to get recognized for its health benefits. In fact, when I was pregnant with DS (over 2 years ago), I told my OB/Gyn I was taking it and he had no clue what it was!
Yep, I took it through my entire pregnancy and was never constipated or had digestive bloating of any kind.
It isn't cheap to buy over the counter, so I'm probably going to ask my new OB/Gyn if she's heard of it and if I can get it in a prescription.
I believe Amber takes it as well. Maybe she can also chime in about it.

Thanks gals!! I've done some more *light* researching online, but I'm going to be talking to my midwife about all that you have mentioned above! Thanks so much for the info and all! ::hugs::

Thanks so much for the info ladies. I, too, have heard of probiotics but didn't have a clue what it was. And my light research didn't yeild many positive results. Anyway, I'll have to look into more as well, especially before my next pregnancy. :)

I haven't done any research on the subject, but was told that bread that claims to have probiotics is a farce because the probiotics die in the baking process. Is that true? It's logical.

But is the yogurt that claims to have probiotics actually true? Live cultures in yogurt is nothing new, but just curious about this all.

Yogurt has probiotics, yes. However, if you get a kind with sugar it kind of defeats the purpose of the probiotics, IMO. So be sure to get plain without added sugar.

Thanks Ruth!