Strep B

[MaggieW]

I carry strep b and am pregnant. Dr's are all saying I'll need to be on a intravenous drip for antibiotics as soon as I go into labour. While I don't want to jeopardise or risk my baby, has anyone had any experience where they've worked around it another way please? I also want ot know if an intrav will slow down labour as had very quick one last time and would like a repeat performance! Thanks.

Solita, I was diagnosed with GBS in my first pg and everything was absolutely fine. Try not to worry, now your doctors know you carry the bug, they can act accordingly. As the others have recommended, check out the GBS website, it explains everything you need to know.

Solita,
I know you must feel concerned at the moment about discovering that you are a strep b carrier.
You are not jinxed, in fact you are one of the lucky ones who now know that they are a carrier and can do something to stop the infection being passed to your baby.
Please refer to the GBSS website and give them a call if at all you feel worried in anyway.
The best thing you can do now is arm yourself up with facts about GBS and pass it on to the health professionals.
Im currently 20 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I am also a GBS carrier. Anytime you want to chat I will be more than happy if you want to contact me.
Drib.

It has been a while since anyone posted on this thread, so just giving it an airing for any mums who have joined mumsnet since Novemebr and are interested in finding out more about Strep B.

Hope all those who post on this thread are well (and especially hope you are 'blooming' Drib).

As a new year begins, may the campaign to raise awareness continue to grow from strength to strength.

butterfly

Thanks Butterflymum.

Blooming I certainly am!! I think a mini elephant is growing inside of me!! I Will be getting a date for delivery in two weeks time which hopefully will be for around eight weeks time. To say we are nervous is an understatement!
Hope all is well with you and to everyone else who posts on here.
Take Care. Drib xx

Just bringing topic up again for any new mumsnet mums/dads-to-be, who may be interested in reading about Strep B.

Hope everyone who contributes to this thread is keeping well.

butterfly

Hello everyone.

I M P O R T A N T *

Jane Plumb of GBSS is looking for as many people as possible to help with another Strep B campaign. I thought some of you on this thread may be willing to help: The details are as follows (ie copied and pasted from her email:
***

"As you may know, the Government is seeking the opinions from people around the UK about all kinds of issues, including health and where Government money should be spent.

At GBSS we believe preventing preventable cases of GBS infection should be a priority, both through implementing a screening programme for all pregnant women and through increasing the knowledge and awareness of what should/could be done both amongst health professionals and expectant parents.

The Green Top Guideline on GBS published by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) last November is an enormous advance towards greater prevention - GBSS is very supportive of this guideline (indeed, GBSS has been advocating a similar risk-based approach for over 7 years!) . When fully implemented in the UK, this guideline will prevent the majority of lethal cases of GBS infection in newborn babies. The biggest difference between GBSS?s position & RCOG?s is that RCOG does not advocate routine tests for pregnant women for GBS colonisation and we do - medical evidence shows that even more GBS infections could be prevented through adopting a screening approach to GBS prevention, using reliable test methods, rather than just a risk-based approach. However, existing swabs are unreliable in that they give a falsely negative result up to 50% of the time when the result should be positive - reliable Enriched Culture Medium (ECM) tests exist but, at present, these are only available privately (and we only know of one laboratory which offers this reliable test - contact us for more information if you need it) and are not widely publicised.

GBSS is campaigning for reliable ECM tests for the diagnosis of GBS colonisation in pregnant women to be made available on the NHS. Would you like to help move this forward? If you would, then please visit www.bigconversation.org.uk/index.php?id=682 and in the box asking for your comments, paste in the following (assuming you agree with these statements of course!):

1 . Reliable enriched culture media screening tests for GBS during pregnancy should be made available on the NHS as a matter of urgency .
2. High quality information on preventing GBS infection in newborn babies should be made routinely available to all pregnant women and their health professionals

Doing this really will make a difference. And please forward this e-mail on to any of your family, friends or contacts who you think might like to support this campaign! The more people who highlight this as an issue, the more likely and the more quickly it will be addressed.

Please help if you can. Thank you."

---------
Phew, sorry that was long.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this and, if you can help, an extra special 'Big thank you' from me too.

butterfly

Hi

Its great to find somewhere to talk to other mothers about GBS.

I am a GBS carrier and my son was born 14 months ago with GBS. He and I were given antibotics after he was born - I wasn't tested while pregnant.

I am now thinking about having a second baby but am terrified of the labour and the testing afterwards. I feel very guilty about passing GBS on to my ds. Have any of you any advice for me?

Also, how long after birth should babies be monitored for side-effects...No-one mentioned this to me about my ds - He had a checkup at 3 months but that was all. Can anyone tell me what i should have been looking for?

Thank you so much.

M

Hi 1mum. Glad to hear that everything worked out ok for your son. You will find loads of helpful info at the Group B Strep Support group's website .

In a future 'at risk' pregnancy, antibiotics can be given during labour (time allowing) to cover your unborn baby.

*
As this thread has become very long, I started up a new one with links back to here. Hope folks don't mind.

Help with a new Early Day Motion is currently needed - please see full details on
Strep B (new Thread from 17/3/04) .

Many thanks.

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 .I have been worried. does anyone know whether the antibiotics take away risk to newborn or should I be asking for a C Section?

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. I recall a storyline in Eastenders where Bianca's first child died due to a bacterial infection not sure if that was a GBS story line.