2nd baby after 1st with Group B Strep?

[clare1973]

My daughter contracted late onset Group B Strep infection (sepsis) at 2 weeks old and nearly died. Thankfully she fully recovered and is now a normal toddler.

My pregnancy was fairly uncomplicated with her but I had high blood pressure at 38 weeks and other indications of pre-eclampsia. She was born at 39 weeks by elective C-section weighing 5lb 12oz.

I swore after her illness that I would never have another baby as I would not want a baby to go through that hell again or risk a baby dying or being left disabled.

However, now I'm kind of thinking of having another (not yet, but in the next couple of years if I do). I'd love to have another baby but I'm scared as there is ten times the risk of GBS after you have had one baby with the infection( normally approx 1/1000 but increases to 1/100).

Has anyone had a baby with Group B strep infection and then gone on to have another?
What would you do?

Thanks.

My third had strep and was treated with antibiotics after birth. LLuckily for us they knew so were prepared and we didn't have to go through that as well (she was prem)
I've had another since and apart from putting a big sticker on my notes they paid absolutely no attention to it at all

If you have previously had a baby with GBS you will be given antibiotics during your labour. If there if not enough time to give you sufficient doses while you are in labour the baby will be given some after birth. It might mean that you stay an extra day in the hospital but that should be all.

Thank you both - bronze, hope your daughter is well now.

I'm aware of the antibiotics in labour, but from reading around the subject it does not prevent late onset GBS. It's so confusing as with late onset GBS, it is not clear whether the baby gets infected from the mother or from the environment. I don't even know if I was/ am a carrier or if the strep came from me, especially as I had an elective c-section, so she had minimal contact with my broken waters.

I often wonder if because I had the pre-eclampsia symptoms whether she was under-nourished in the womb at the end of my pregnancy (as she was small at birth) and whether she was susceptible to infection because of this.

I'd probably have another elective c-section, so do they give you antibiotics at the time of birth with this?

Thanks

Shes fine thanks. Four next week.

I don't know what they would do (she was a section also)
I suspect they will just ask you to stay in so they can monitor after the baby is born. Best person to ask is your cons.
Hope it goes ok for you

Hi Clare

This is something that I have been pondering. You are so lucky that you had a good outcome. Mine was not so happy. My daughter contracted early onset infection, which caused pneumonia and sepsis. Sadly, she passed away after a day. I had no signs of infection, however, her growth tailed off in the last two weeks and my fluid levels dropped quite a bit (didn't notice and obvious leakage). I was induced and not swabbed. The odd thing that the docs could not identify the bacteria that caused her death and so I am not sure if it was GBS. I did have an awful cough for about a month before she was born and so I am not sure if caused in-utero infection.

I am now pregnant again (6 weeks) and I am guessing the only effective thing they can do is to give IV antibiotics at labour. If all goes well and I manage to carry to term, I will be requesting that my baby gets swabbed regularly. Have you checked the GBSS website - excellent source of info.

Hi Bronze, thank you I think I may check with my GP, I am not pregnant yet (only thinking about it for perhaps next year) so don't have a consultant, so maybe that's the best place to start- I'm so glad your daughter is fine.

Hi Sh77, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. It is such an awful thing to happen, I am so sorry. I really hope that your new pregnancy is successful and everything goes to plan for you.

I do realise how lucky we are and every day I am thankful for her. I have been on the GBSS website and found it excellent for information, I spent a long time reading it after we came home from hospital. Just thought I would come here to see if there was anybody who'd had a second baby before I seriously decided that it may be an option for us.

I really would not rule having another baby because of what happened to your first child. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong but there are many other possible risks other than strep b.

I recently spoke to a consultant neonatologist and I asked him whether my next baby would be at an increased risk. He said he came across cases where siblings of strep b babies were born with different infections. There is some research to identify proteins which protect against Strep B in order to develop a vaccine for mothers which would offer protection to babies but this is a long way away. If you are interested, take a look at www.devaniproject.org/

You can pass GBS on your hands, so make sure you and everyone else washes their hands before handling the baby. The GBS website recommends this for the first 3 months. hth

www.gbss.org.uk

Hi, my son developed GBS pneumonia, but it wasn't delayed onset, he was 15 hours old. He had a difficult time for a few days, but is now a lively 3 year old
I knew I was positive before labour, so i had the antibiotics, but in 1 in 6000 they don't work - I was that one!
I'm now 34 weeks pregnant with my second child and am having an elective c-section (for another medical reason), but have been told i will have antibiotics before the operation and the baby will be closley monitored and probably have antibiotics as a precaution. This is slightly different scenario, as for you the problem was delayed onset, which obviously means that the baby can't stay in the hospital until the risk period is over. You can still ask to see your previous consultant to discuss your previous birth experience and to find out how your hospital would deal with a subsequent pregnancy. This should provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.
Good luck in the future, however you decide to go xx