21 weeks pregnant, think I have a urinary tract infection?

This morning I woke up and I had pain in my abdomen. I knew I had to urinate, so I did. During and after, the pain continued for some time, then subsided. Throughout the day I didn't have pain, but in the afternoon I did have a bloating like sensation. After I showered, I urinated and it burned very intensely. It sounds to me like a urinary tract infection, and first thing tomorrow morning I will be calling my doctor and going in to the office to get checked.
My question is, have any other women had UTI's during pregnancy, and can you share your experience?
I'm terrified to take antibiotcis while pregnant, I know that they can affect the baby, but leaving the infection untreated is worse, so I have no choice but to take them. Please, give me some input on this.

P.S.
Please note that I will be calling my doctor tomorrow morning and I wll be going in to get checked for this anyhow. I just want to hear of someone else's experience with this because I'm terrified.

Destiny, it's funny you mentioned headaches and backaches on only one side becuase these past few days I've gotten terrible headaches and for wuite some time my lower back hurts, but only the right side. I really need to see my doctor tomorrow!
Thank you to all for your advice, it really helps to hear my baby and I will make it through this safely.

Yes Im 28 weeks pregnant and have had frequent UTI's on and off. My OBGYN said its common for women who are pregnant to get UTI's because of everything thats going on with your body and they will give you an antibotic that is actually safe for you and the baby to get rid of the infection. My symptoms are different when I get UTI's. I have really bad headaches and dizziness, feel like throwing up, get a fever, and have lower back pain usually in one side of my back. I'm sorry to hear you feel awful but there is really nothing to worry about. The infection if left untreated would be worse for you and the baby and I'm glad you are seeing your doctor.

to me it sounds like a UTI but what i do when they are coming on since i hate doctors, i try to drink a gallon of water, i never finish but i pee so much afterwards that is takes the burning away and it clears it up. when i tried cranberry juice it made it worse and then i had to go to the doctor.

I had a urinary infection! It's actually common in a lot of pregnant woman. I'm only 4 months pregnant, but I'm a member of babyfit and I asked the pro's over there to be sure. They even said that a lot of women have urinary infections and it's best to go see your doc if you think you've got one. I'm glad you're calling your doctor tomorrow, it shows what a smart Mommy you are! Kudos to you, hun! I wish you the best.

Your dr can test you for a UTI. I had one during my 2nd pregnancy. It was discovered at 32 wks (around there) and I still had it when my son was 6 wks old. They can be hard to get rid of and there is only one medicine I know of that they give, Macrobid. I was scared about taking it so I understand how scared you must be but a UTI can lead to preterm labor and possibly preterm delivery so you have to way the pros and cons of the meds. Good luck. I hope it is just irritation but if not I would go with the meds and hopefully they help.

Get some cranberry juice tonight it can help with the pain of a UTI... Drink alot of fluids (water, cranberry juice) avoid more acidy drinks (orange juice, soft drinks) they can cause more acidy urine and as you will well guess that's not good with the pain as it is..

Many pregnant women have UTI's while pregnant... I had them with each and every pregnancy... There are antibiotics you can take safely while pregnant to clear up the UTI your doctor will help you decide which is best for you...

Relax you are not the first pregnant women to get a UTI and you will not be the last... UTI's are as standard to pregnancy as cravings for pickles and ice cream... It's par for the course...

You can lower your likelyhood of getting another UTI by drinking more fluid... this doesn't mean you will not get another but it does lower the chances..

I had a UTI at about 6-7 months. I have had kidney/bladder problems all of my life. Whenever I start having symptoms, I drink lots of water and 100% cranberry juice. Usually the symptoms go away within a day or so, but I still see the Dr. to get antibiotics to clear up the infection. Water and juice help with the symptoms but not the actual infection, at least this is what I have found out. The antibiotics are perfectly safe to take during pregnancy. It is better to take them, than to get a bladder infection or worse. Good luck to you and congratulations!

Good thing you are getting in checked out, the sooner it is properly diagnosed and treated the better. UTI's during pregnancy can be dangerous, they can lead to kidney problems and have been known to cause premature labour.

I had several UTI's during my pregnancy and although each one was treated with a course of antiboitics they kept coming back and ultimately led to my baby being born premature at 34 weeks. Don't worry too much about taking the antiboitics, if they were bad for baby the doctor would not prescribe them,