If a pregnant woman takes medicine that causes drowsiness, does the baby become drowsy also?

If it crosses the placenta yes.

I’m certainly not a doctor but I think that yes,I would have to agree with @JLeslie, that the medication would enter the developing fetus’s system if it crosses the placenta, then depending on it’s stage of development, the stage of the developing brain and nervous system, it could cause drowsiness but if you have cleared it with your ObGyn there shouldn’t be any lingering or long term effects on the fetus or child.

It looks like it is a cateory B for pregnancy which means in animal testing there was no harm to the fetus, but not tested in human pregnancies. But, that only means no formal double blind study, there could be tons of history of it being prescribed during pregnancy, which I am sure there is. And, I think also it can mean animal studies did show a problem, but formal human studies demonstrated it was safe. Category B is considered safe by most doctors.

However, there are warnings not to give Benedryl to infants. I cannot find whether it is considered to cross the placenta or not. Hopefully someone else will know.

Well, it does affect the fetus, but I don’t know if we can really say the fetus is drowsy, since they are in an almost perpetual state of sleep before they are born anyway. They will kick and move around less if he’s affected, but I don’t think you can feel drowsy when you’re already asleep.

Category B is fine. Even Category C in most cases is fine.
Don’t worry about the Benadryl.

I think you are going to be a great mom

I always pay attention after taking the medicine to see whether he moves less or not. He moves just as much as always and the kicks are strong and healthy still. So I assume he’s not put into any deep sleep from it.

YES! And it works for the reverse as well. Have a strong espresso and that boy will be kicking you silly (which can be very useful during the final weeks, when movement is more difficult to feel)

When I’d have a shot of OJ in the morning, I was amazed at how fast the sugar would pass through to the baby. ;)

Benadryl is quite safe. I had to take it to get sleep for much of my pregnancy I had a perinatologist team…they would not have endangered myself or my child by recommending a “bad” drug