Group B strep-opinions needed please

[BHANNAE]

I had my last baby 2 years ago by c-section [breech].
Immediately after birth he was grunting and did not react well to being touched.Because of this he went down to scbu to be checked and stayed there.I was not allowed to hold him at all as it distressed him when the midwives were doing so.
He was put on cpap to assist his breathing which was fast and noisy still.He was weak and limp-no crying but a high temp.
Later that night his lung collaspsed and he was intubated for a time.He also had a lumbar puncture performed.He also developed a severe infection in his canula site which left him with a considerable hole in his foot that did not heal properly for months.
He ended up spending just short of four weeks in scbu, being tube fed for the majority of that time.He suffered with major vomiting for the next six months and ended up on the childrens ward due to the weight he lost due to that.
It was all put down to one of those things.

Fast forward and I am now 36 weeks pregnant with my next baby and at my appointment yesterday was told I am a carrier of Group B strep, given a sticker and sent home having been told that it would only be an issue if my waters broke.I am not convinced and am considering demanding antibiotics even if I end up with a section again-am I being over cautious?
I went into preterm labour with this baby at 33 weeks which was stopped and I was sent home after 5 days.
I think that I was tested for gbs because of this and that possibly I carried it and infected my boy with it in the last pregnancy but was not tested at the time.
What action should I be taking? Does anyone else think there may be a link between what happened to my ds and the GBS?
Thanks

[winemakesmummyclever]

Hi Bhannae,

Sorry that you had such an awful time. Obviously, it's impossible to comment definitely on what caused the problems with your lo. However, it appears that the hospital think that GBS may have been a cause/contributing factor in your lo's problems, hence the testing now.

I was screened for GBS during when pg with ds as I had previously had a miscarriage (around 18 wk) which was most likely caused by GBS (they did placental swabs apparently). Even though I didn't present with it during my last pregnancy, they have pretty strict protocols to follow and I was given the IV Abx when I went into labour. I ended up with a c/s too.

Have a look at www.gbss.org.uk. It has a lot of info on it. I think taking the meds is much better than facing such an awful time again. Discuss it with your care team. Plus, if you're having another c/s, surely some Abx cover is in order anyway?

Hope that everything goes ok for you and the lo.

[BHANNAE]

Thanks for replying WMMC

I am sorry to hear of your late miscarriage x

I have printed some infomation off the link that you sent me to present to and discuss with my consultant at my next appointment.Thank you.

Apparently abx are not given as standard for a c/s in our trust but I would feel much happier if I had them so am going to push for them anyway.

This has been a difficult pregnancy and the GBS was the straw iykwim.Not long to go so am just going to try to relax.
My dh thinks Im nutty as I keep bursting into tears at the thought of another seriously ill baby(although to be fair to him one outburst was in Sainsbury's car park )

[winemakesmummyclever]

Bhannae - You should be excused the occasional meltdown - you're only concerned for the baby afterall. Perfectly natural. How did things go at the ANC? How long until baby makes an appearance? Fingers crossed that all will go smoothly .

[littleducks]

The grunting does sound like gbs infection, but it is impossible to tell now, some hospitals have a policy of always giving antibiotics at the onset of labour if you test positive , perhaps if it worries you, it would be worth changing hospitals? I would start with a discussion with your midwife.