Has anybody had experience of Group B strain Batcteria during pregnancy and child birth?

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Hi I was first diagnosed as having GBS apporx 10 years ago when I saw a gynecologist about a short term period problem I had at that time. I am pregnant with my first child and told my midwife/hospital i'd had GBS in the past but they kep't saying don't worry you probably have not got it now as it can come and go, anyway they finally did a test and I do have GBS. I will be given antibiotics during labour. Does anyone know whether the antibiotics take away risk to newborn or should I be asking for a C Section? Any advice/information on this subject appreciated.

Having intravenous antibiotics during labour should give your baby coverage against GBS.

Policy and procedure varies from unit to unit but at ours any mum who has tested positive for GBS would also be strongly encouraged to stay in for 24 hours after the birth so baby can be observed for signs of infection. Basically means baby is checked every 2-4 hours by a midwife on the postnatal ward.

If any signs of infection during labour or after then docs may suggest antibiotics for baby.

HTH

Thanks for the information Haribojoe.

I have been worried.

I have heard that in some rare cases it has been fatal for the baby but wasn't sure whether the GBS hadn't been diagnosed during labour and no antibiotics had been administered in those cases.

Hi there, couldnt not post on this, I was gbs positive on my third pregnancy, I was not really concerned because doctor assured me that anti biotics during labour will prevent the baby contracting the infection, my ds at 35 weeks turned to the breech possiton and stayed that way unfortunately, I therefore had to have an elective c -section, the chances of the infection passing on to the baby is virtually nil and my ob/gyn could not remember it ever happening in her career......well guess what my ds did get the infection and was seriously ill with pneumonia, septacaemia and suspected meningitis, thankfully the latter proved negative, but he was so so ill, I could not believe this happened to me to him, he spent two weeks in nicu, and thankfully he is a bouncing eleven month old with no ill effects or memory of his awful ordeal, but we were one of the lucky ones, good luck with your pregnancy and it is rare.

I was GBS+ with Dd and had 2 lots of ab's by injection during labour and all is well with Dd. I~ believe that having ab's during your labour takes away the possibility of the baby contracting it whilst moving down the birth canal...they do want you to have at least 2 doses and they are usually 4 hours apart.

Tip. Have mints handy during the injections as it tastes foul.

Clearly it takes away the probability not possibility.

Solo = I don't remember that about the injections. You may also be kept in for obs (for baby) for a time after birth (i.e. longer than usual) we left about 36 hours after ds1 was born.
I then had an unplanned home birth for DS2 and all was well, but much better to be safe than sorry imho.

They did a show about this on Woman's Hour a few weeks ago.

Here.

I had it, only discovered during labour, given anti biotics but dd was born too quick and so anit biotics did not cover her, both quite poorly but we where ok, iv anti biotics for dd and me after our bloods where re cultured and in hospital for 9 days, pretty grim but could have been worse I supose. I would make sure you keep on top of what they should be doing as in my experience the care I recivied was pretty lax.

The taste Olivia ? oooh yeah.... nasty!!

I had GBS - I had antibiotics during labour and then my son had iv antibiotics after birth as he was a ventouse delivery and they just wanted to make sure. we were in hospital for 3 days - 48 hours of antibiotics for DS then another 24 hours of observations just to make sure he was ok.

All was fine!

I don't remember the taste of the injections either! But I was also convinced the midwife couldn't hear me if I spoke in a comedy value stage whisper so I might notbe the best judge!

I got given a big fluorescent yellow sticker to goon my notes saying I was GBS+. do you have one?

I didn't know I was, but was tested as I'd had an unplanned c-section and it was positive. DD was on antibiotics for a couple of days and was fine.

I got the antibiotics in labour but it all went a bit wrong and ended up with a crash emergancy section under GA. On my postnatal notes it has written baby observations-observe for gbs so just make sure your midwife/s are aware!! :)

Hi all. I seem to have had a rather different experience to you all.

I delivered DD at a midwife led centre and was home with her before being informed that the swab taken on arrival was positive for strep b. luckily DD had no early or late onset symptoms despite neither of us having any antibiotics.

Now 25 pregnant with DS, I will wait to find out at 36 weeks whether the strep b is present again.

Best of luck. From my research, as long as you have the antibiotics & baby is observed afterwards, you've covered all possible angles. Being diagnosed pre labour is the main hurdle!

Im B strep positive and had IV antibiotics in first labour and second one was too quick so newborn baby was fitted with iV and monitored for 48hrs. Just make sure it is clearly noted in your notes and preferably with the yellow B STREP sticker on the front.
The good thing is that you are encouraged to come to hosptial as soon as your labour starts so you can have the IV antibiotics, so you dont have to worry yourself with shall we go or shant we or is it too early. You just go! :)
With my second labour I kept asking about the IV, and was repeatedly told I would get it as soon as they got me a bed on labour ward. When I finally got to the labour ward baby was born 25 mins later....So do ASK and REMIND and INSIST. I would much rather have the IV myself then let a newborn baby go through all the trauma that he had to endure!

I had a similar experience to mummypigdaddypig. GBS + in both pregs. With DD, I had induction and was therefore able to have IV antibiotics. DD didn't have them tho and was not, as far as I'm aware, even monitored for GBS symptoms.

With DS, I knew I was GBS + again. The plan was to have IV antibiotics again but my labour was too quick and I didn't have any at all. DS was fine but was monitored closely for 24 hours after birth. He didn't have antibiotics.

I do have a friend whose baby contracted GBS. He was fine after a couple of weeks but a worrying time for them. She didn't know she was a carrier. YOu are in a far better position because you already know you are and can take simple steps to greatly lessen the risk.

I don't have any stcikers on my hand held notes - note sure about the ones at the hospital. I'm not due back at the hospital until I go into labour apart from a parent craft class so I will try to get them to put some stickers on then or ask my community midwife, but she will prob say she hasn't got any as the hospital comes under a different district to the area she works.

I will make sure they give all the injections! thanks.

Thanks everyone for the info and advice. I will certainly insist that I have the antibiotic injections as soon as labour starts. I will check it's clearly marked on my notes as I can imagine someone on reception still trying to fob me off to come back when further into labour.

I found this website www.gbss.org.uk from another thread on here which has good info on GBS. It is shocking that they don't routinely test pregnant women for this given how serious it can be.

I know I had to mention it serveral times at the hospital and to my midwife that I could be at risk of GBS (finding out from gynocologist re something unrelated years ago and having a letter on my GP file to ensure it is followed up during pregnancy) before I was finally refrred for a test. They were quite lax.

Just to say that I went into hospital at 09:30, but didn't get my first dose until 12:30...I think they wait for established labour.

Hi thought I would update you with how it went. I gave birth to my healthy, beautiful daughter in May 2012. The delivery went very well. I had a lovely water birth delivery - something that I was previously told could not have with IV antibiotics but this was wrong, so re check with your hospital if you want a water birth! The hospital I went to do not use colour coded stickers but record it prominantly on the file. I told the midwives about being a group B strep carrier as soon as I arrived at hospital and wrote it on my birth plan. The hospitals do wait until established labour to give you the IV antibiotics but I did not arrive to hospital until I was in established labour anyway. I had a short labour and gave birth within 3 and half hours of going into the delivery room. Thank God there were no complications.