GBS -Group B Strep (Pregnancy)

[Ter2021]

Hi everyone I just wanted to add the thread for pregnant women that are unaware of GBS and the risks.
GBS is a bacteria that sometimes live in the vagina without causes for concern. However during pregnancy can be fatal to newborn babies as they enter the birth canal. In fact it is the biggest killer in newborns and main cause of meningitis. (There is a video on YouTube from this morning which has lots of info)
Unfortunately midwifes do not talk about this and in the UK the NHS does not fund the test but can be purchased independently.
If tested positive a simple antibiotic can be given during labour to protect the baby.

I was one of the lucky ones and found I had GBS by chance early on in my first pregnancy.

I have GBS which was picked up very early on in my first pregnancy. I never paid for a test though?

Baby was healthy & had antibiotics for 48hrs after being born now a happy healthy 11month old.

Hi, I also had GBS picked up when I was pregnant through a routine test for UTI. I was lucky as my baby and I were given antibiotics in labour and 48 hours post birth. She was a little unwell but nothing serious and was kept on antibiotics a little longer, I think it might have been 5 days post birth that they stopped her antibiotics.

If anyone does get a GBS positive result, don't panic as the medical staff will take precautions.

It is a shame that they don't screen for it routinely on the NHS.

1 in 4 women will test positive for GBS and very, very few babies get ill from it. Antibiotics are great when essential but we are learning more and more about how much gut bacteria affects health so giving 1 in 4 babies antibiotics in labour might not be a good idea. We need better options for monitoring newborns for signs of illness, not pressure to take probably unnecessary antibiotics.