Re: asthma and labour

[cjknight]

Dear Jo and Lois Most asthmatics I have cared for in pregnancy continue to use their preventatives such as Beclomethasone puffers plus Ventolin for symptomatic relief. I haven't seen the newer puffers such as Serevent /Seretide being used and am unsure of their safety in pregnancy. She would probably need to discuss her asthma action plan with her GP to have some sort of plan to manage her asthma in labour.   The reason we don't use nonsteroid anti-inflammatories in  pregnancy is related to their effect on the neonate causing premature closure of the ductus arteriosus. Its action as a prostoglandin inhibitor is the reason it may have been suggested as a means of inhibiting labour.   Cheers Jane ----- Original Message ----- From: Lois Wattis To: Jo & Dean Bainbridge Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 6:42 AM Subject: Re: asthma and labour Hi Jo - this not my area of expertise other than some anecdotal experiences.  Bear in mind that salbutamol (ventolin) is a tocolytic (used in preterm labour to reduce uterine action), so use of ventolin for asthma MAY also help inhibit preterm contractions.  Also, I was interested to discover recently that ibobrufin (increasingly popular over-the-counter pain medication) has tocolytic properties.  I think it is generally not recommended to be taken in pregnancy, and wondered if this was part of the reason?  I haven't followed it up with any research.  Anybody else know about this?  Not really an answer to your question, Jo, but some food for thought.  Regards, Lois ----- Original Message ----- From: Jo & Dean Bainbridge To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2002 11:01 PM Subject: asthma and labour Hi Guys, I know that some posted something about asthma recently and I went back to the archives but couldn't find much.  I have a lady who was hospitalised for 9 days for a prolonged asthma attack.  She is now 33 weeks and went into preterm labour on the weekend.  She is on Adalat and is concerned that she is not prepared enough if she was to have another asthma attack.  She is still hoping to birth at home (her 2nd home birth after a traumatic cs and vaginal birth) but would like to get some ideas from the list about how asthma is monitored in hospital.  Can anyone offer any information? cheers Jo Bainbridge founding member CARES SA email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] phone: 08 8365 7059 birth with trust, faith & love...