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There’s a First Time for Everything
I don’t know about you, but pregnancy brought on a few “firsts” for me. One of those was the development of my own unique waddle. Though I was fortunate to only have morning sickness shortly after getting out of bed, it was the first time I experienced nausea and vomiting regularly. And while normally I don’t easily express emotion through tears, I certainly had occasional outbreaks that seemed to come out of nowhere. Look out Daddy!
And of course there was the first time I felt fluttering in my belly, seeing our little image-bearer on the ultrasound, and watching our baby boy respond to Daddy’s touch and voice. Those were certainly the best parts of being pregnant! My sister-in-laws even donated a whole new maternity wardrobe in order to support my very round belly. There sure are perks to being the last addition to the family by marriage! 😉
I was in the last trimester of my pregnancy when I was able to add another first to the list; during a routine urine culture, I tested positive for a UTI.
What is a UTI?
A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is a type of infection somewhere along the urinary tract such as the kidneys, bladder, or urethra. Many people can tell they have a UTI, based on a collection of symptoms they might experience. The most common symptoms include pain along any part of your urinary tract, or during activity such as intercourse or urination. You may also feel the need to urinate frequently or may notice that your urine is cloudy, has a foul smell, or is unusually dark.
Differences in Bacteria
There are different types of bacteria that can cause a UTI. I highly recommend getting a urine culture if you experience symptoms. You’ll be able to confirm whether you have a UTI or not and it will tell you what bacteria has been cultured. Treatments will vary depending on what bacteria has been found – so this is super important! For example, the most common bacteria found is E-Coli and D-Mannose is a supplement that helps with E-Coli (source) but would not work for my Enterococcus UTI. So once I knew what it was, I was able to search for a natural solution before resorting to the normal treatment: antibiotics. I tried the following, hoping it would work for me while making antibiotics my Plan B.
How I Treated My UTI
Treating my UTI wasn’t too difficult because most of my protocol was just taking herbs and supplements. You can’t get any easier than that!
Thankfully, I had help from my midwife in putting together a protocol for ditching this UTI.
One of the herbs I used was olive leaf extract. I took one capsule 4 times a day- once at each meal and then once again in the evening.
Then at each of my 3 meals I took an Uva Ursi capsule, 1 tsp of cod liver oil, and some garlic and honey (recipe in this post plus a breath freshener to follow). Garlic is so powerful and good for you, but be sure to follow the description for how to effectively use the garlic located in that post.
Lastly, I took an Alka Seltzer Gold once a day. The Gold variety has no aspirin in it unlike the others. I couldn’t find it in any local store so you’ll need to get it online.
Protocol Length
If you try this protocol for an Enteroccocus UTI, I would recommend implementing it for 3-5 days. When I finally got ahold of the Alka Seltzer Gold, I only had 3 days before my next urine culture. Fortunately it worked well for me and with no side effects to be noted!
Have you successfully tried any alternative methods to getting rid of a UTI? If so, please leave a comment below!
