Antibiotic use in obstetrics: a double-edged sword to protect mother and child
In the area of obstetrics, where there is hope and new life, the use of antibiotics is like a double-edged sword, which can be used so well as to protect the health of the mother and the child; the use of bad medicine can hurt one thousand people and cause unexpected trouble.
For mothers-to-be, pregnancy is like a wonderful adventure, with a small passenger inside. At this point, doctors are in trouble if they need antibiotics to help with the infection. Because not all antibiotics can be used at will during this particular period of pregnancy. Some antibiotics may look like naughty elves, go through the placenta barrier and make a little mess with the baby in the belly. For example, tetracyclic antibiotics may make the development of a baby’s teeth yellow, ugly and even bone growth as if it had been enchanted; amino-suspended antibiotics may cause minor damage to the baby’s hearing, making it impossible for the baby to listen to this wonderful world at birth. Thus, doctors tend to adopt “soft” strategies, such as ordering mothers to drink more water, rest more, and use physical methods to cool down and relieve discomfort, to see if they can run away with their own resistance. Only when the infection is so severe as a flood beast, such as a serious urin system infection or sepsis, without antibiotics endangers the lives of mothers and babies, do doctors pick out the relatively safe “good baby” antibiotics, such as penicillin and headbacterin, and use them under close surveillance, like a protective armor for their mothers and babies.
At the time of delivery, the maternity ward was like a tight battlefield. If there are special circumstances in the course of childbirth, such as premature foetal membrane break-ups, bacteria are like a group of cunning enemies who may take the opportunity to invade and cause infection. Doctors may consider using antibiotics to prevent infection. Antibiotic use at this time was like sending an advance force to pre-empt the momentum of the bacteria. But even so, doctors are careful to choose the type of drug and the timing of its use, since it is important to ensure that maternity protection does not cause harm to an impending child.
New mothers in the post-natal period are weak, like a post-war castle, and the defence system is not fully restored. In the event of post-partum infections, such as endometriosis, breast disease, etc., antibiotics are on the scene again. At this point, however, doctors have to consider the important link between breastfeeding and the recovery of the new mother. Because some antibiotics can be passed on to the baby through the “secret passage” of milk, it may cause the baby to have small conditions such as diarrhoea, rashes, etc. So, like intelligent magicians, they choose the least affected antibiotics for the baby, depending on the type and severity of the infection, and try to adjust the time for the drug, such as giving after the baby’s milk and reducing the concentration of the drugs in the milk, while watching closely whether the baby has any discomfort, as if it had a hidden guardian elf around the baby.
In short, the use of antibiotics in obstetrics is a high level of learning, and doctors, like the acrobatics who walk wires, must carefully balance the effects of treatment with the safety of the mother and the child. Mothers-to-mothers and new mothers also have to believe in the professional judgement of doctors and not ask blindly for or refuse to use antibiotics because they are too worried or anxious. Only by working together can antibiotics be truly a good helper for the health of mothers and children in obstetrics, and every new life be able to sail smoothly in a safe harbour for a better future.
