<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you to every one who responded to my post. I received a lot of great advice and encouragement from many. If I didn't personally respond to you thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge.

  The overwhelming consensus is that IV antibiotics are all gluten free and since the body isn't having to digest the fluid, there is no risk. The risk comes when they administer actual pills. Below are a few of the suggestions and advice I received.

  Amy

  -The best advice about hospital stays is to prepare yourself that you may need to furnish all your meals and snacks.

  -by working at the hospital you can find out what company they obtain IV fluids from to find out if they are GF. Ditto with the IV antibiotics.  I would also find out about the source they
use for pitocin in case it is needed during your delivery (they often
give it after delivery as well).

-Postop they will probably let you continue taking your own prenatal
vitamins, they often give stool softeners such as colase and Aleve for
pain if needed.

-And you might want to be prepared just in case a C-section is needed
and have info available for anesthesia so they understand that everything
must be gluten free.

-Finally, ASK FOR AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST to start you IV-it will go much
more smoothly!

  -As far as the other drugs...make sure it's in screaming
red bold letters that you have Celiac or a gluten issue to be even
more specific for some of the nurses, and again have anyone else in the
room know that they need to remind the nurses if you are unable to talk
to them yourself.  As far as I know almost all of the drugs that are
used during pregnancy are safe. since anti-biotics ("against
life") kill off not only the bad stuff but also all the good stuff, that after
the antibiotics it would be IMPERATIVE to restore the body's natural
intestinal flora/defense & 70%+ of the immune system/nutritional absorption system
with PROBIOTICS ("for life").

  -There is no need to worry about gluten in an IV.  The one thing I'd
make sure about is that you have some GF food with you for after you
give birth. I don't have CD; I'm the mom of a celiac, but I think my
experience is still probably worth relating. My daughter was born in
the early evening, after dinner had been served to patients and the
kitchen was closed and I was STARVED (they call it labor for a
reason!) so my husband had to go out of the hospital and get me some
food. So definitely bring some food with you, or have someone bring
you something GF to eat.


  -www.glutenfreedrugs.com is a
good site to check out drugs.

  -make sure your nurse is aware of your celiac
disease and have them let the pharmacy  know as well-this way the
pharmacist can check to make sure any medications you are getting are gluten
free. Always ask what the medication they are giving you is and if you
are uncertain about taking it ask them why you need it.

  Ask for pediatric IV needle- they are smaller and easier to insert.

-I've never come across an IV solution that contained gluten- but be sure and tell them of your allergies- they will check on it for you.

  Print out www.glutenfreedrugs.com and whatever other gf drug lists you
can  find in the archives (or google gluten-free drugs), and see if you can
give  it to the pharmacy before you deliver, so if there are any pills
involved, they can check with the pharmaceutical company. Pharmacies typically
aren't allowed to go to the internet, but they should be willing to make a
phonecall. If you can "educate" the pharmacy ahead of time, it will cut
down on stress, in case you need a pill. Just FYI, I found out after two
trips to the hospital a year ago, that most pills made in the U.S. are
gluten-free.  Unfortunately, many are made with corn. (I wonder if that will change
with corn being used for ethanol.)


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