Group B strep?

[emmyloulou]

What is this? Just had a letter land on my door, I have this what is it? I need to see my cons apparantely.

I am shitting myself what is it, I daren't google, my pregnancy is complicated enough as it is, can anyone tell me what it is?

Hi, my sil had this I'm not totally sure but think its some sort of infection that the mother can pass on to the baby during delivery? They give IV antibiotics when your admitted in labour so your baby is covered.
I'm sure someone who knows more will be along soon! My sil and baby were fine had 2/3 doses of antibiotics dn was perfect at birth! Hope that helps!? You could try phoning the midwife today or hospital who will prob be able to put your mind at rest if your worried. x

group b strep is a bacteria that lives happily in our intestines. it can be passed onto our babies so you are offered ab to prevent any problems. 1 in 3 of us have group b strep. most of us don't even know we have it until we have kids.
don't worry to much about it. talk to your midwife and google it. you will not scare yourself!

Oh ok thanks will google it now :)

hi, I did my PhD on group b strep among other bugs and spent four years in a lab where it was cultured - which means I am almost guaranteed to have infected myself with it at some point (working hungover, etc)!

You should have seen the midwife's face when I explained that to her - and I said 'Oh, don't worry, I don't work on it now'. ' What do you work on now'? 'Malaria'.

Anyway. If you are positive, you will need antibiotics in the early stages of labour. As far as I can tell this just means that you need to ring as soon as you think you are in labour or your waters break, rather than hanging on at home, and remind them you are GBS positive. It's completely fine in that although it can cause difficulties if left untreated, the treatment is easy and 100% effective so as long as they know you have it, there's nothing to worry about.

Thanks for that emble, I too have GBS and thats put my mind at rest. However, am a bit worried about getting to hospital on time as I have had 2 quick labours and now live further away from hospital!

Emble pl can you provide a reference that says that antibiotic treatment is 100% effective? I have done a lot of reading on this as my baby died from infection. I haven't come across any research showing guaranteed protection from having abs.

Thanks emble, I am having a c-section this time anyway for stuff unrelated, I know this does not eliminate risk so will ask my cons further.

I am wondering now if maybe I had it in my last pregnancy, attempt at pre-term labour, he came at 37 weeks in the end by c-section but he was very poorly and they couldn't tell me why he was in ITU for quite a while with breathing issues, so going to have to ask this all I guess when I see dr.

Hi, I was GBS positive in my last pregnancy and received the antibiotics in labour, but my son still developed GBS infection and ended up in SCBU for a week. He is a healthy 3 year old now and i am 37 weeks pregnant with my next child. Just wanted to say that although receiving the antibiotics does usually prevent the baby getting the infection, there is a 1 in 6000 chance of them developing the infection anyway (as with my son), so if you have any concerns over your babies health, request prompt attention to ensure treatment is started as soon as poss. The longer it goes untreated, the greater the risk.
Don't want to scare anyone, just get worried when people think that getting the antibiotics is the answer to everything and there is nothing to worry about after that.

PS sh77 - i'm really sorry to hear that your baby didn't survive the infection, there was a point when we didn't think our son would make it and it left me with severe post natal depression, I can only imagine how you must feel :(

Oh I'm sorry everyone I didn't realise that was the case (I'm not a medical doctor). It may perhaps be becoming resistant in a small number of cases to the current antibiotics we use.

Something else for me to worry about now

Sana tx for sharing your experience and for your kind words. Sorry you went through such a difficult experience but really wonderful you had a happy outcome.
Emble - as this is a very sensitive topic (due to the v low risk of a bad outcome if not caught, I think one should be wary of quoting unrealistic stats that can't be backed up by by anything empirical. Sorry for sounding harsh- not my intention.

So what should I be saying or asking for then?

I am wondering like I say before my DS3 was born at 37 weeks by elcs and was very poorly in ITU with breathing problems, they had no reason why, it was unsual at his gest, but it was put down to one of those things. Could this have been a strep infection?

What should I be asking, as I have had loads of UTI'S this pregnancy it's all connected isn't it?

I will ask my cons this btw as I am having another elcs at 38 weeks but just wondering what I should be expecting ifyswim.

This organisation might have helpful info, especially about what to do with quick labours:

gbss.org.uk/

You having GBS is just one risk factor and doesn't mean that your baby will definitely be infected or that antibiotics are definitely necessary.

If you have a positive test but have no other risk factors (premature labour, fever, etc) then IV antibiotics for 4 hours in labour are suggested but are not a must. If you have a positive test and other risk factors, IV antibiotics are far more important and if you don't have time to get them in you, your LO may need IV antibiotics after birth.

Oh, just seen you're having an elcs so the above may not apply!

Hi emmyloulou

There are three forms that GBS can develop as in the newborn - meningitis (infection around the brain), septicaemia (infection in the blood) and pneumonia (infection in the lungs). My son developed the pneumonia form and luckily it was caught before it had time to spread. I had him by emergency c section at 41+1. His main symptoms were respiratory, so its possible this may have been a cause for your sons problems.
Have you had GBS cultured in your urine or have your urine infections just been treated without testing? I had two confirmed GBS urine infections during my last pregnancy and had antibiotics at a low dose from 19 weeks through till the birth, plus the intravenous antibiotics during labour.
In your situation, i would have the antibiotics before the c section, insist on regular monitoring (pulse, temperature, respiration) of the baby for at least 48 hours and discuss with your consultant whether to give antibiotics to the baby anyway. I'm due to see my cons on thursday to make a plan, but i also am having an elective and will receive antibiotics. The baby will have very close monitoring and possibly spend some time in scbu to ensure all is well (although there are other issues that increase the need for baby to go to scbu, not just GBS).
Having been in the situation of having a very sick new born baby, I can understand your need for a plan of action. I'm desperate to avoid the trauma we went through last time and am hopeful that all will go well, but i feel the need to be in control of the situation, which means i need to know the plan so that i can demand that it happens!
Fingers crossed we both get healthy babies, I think its definately my turn to have an easy time this time round!!! :)

Hi.

I have just been diagnosed with this too but have been told I will NOT get IV anti-biotics unless I have other risk factors eg premature labour, high temperature etc as "this is the protocol for this area" (I live in South East Wales).

Does anyone know if I can demand the anti-biotics at all? Or if it is totally up to the hospital to decide?

Thanks
Rae

Hi all,

I also have GBS. I'm 31 weeks with my first and will be having antibiotics during labour. I've been told that I will be kept in for 12 hours after the birth to monitor the baby. It seems that lots/most people on here are kept in 48 hours. Do you think it's wise/advisable to push to be kept in longer? Reading the lists of symptoms that the baby can show worries me as many of them seem like typicaL newborn baby things, such as crying lots, not sleeping, not feeding well etc. How will I know if my baby is ill or just being a baby?! Also when does the risk of them having GBS go away? If they are fine after 48 hours are they safe or is there still a chance they could develop it?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Hi, i'm not sure if you can demand antibiotics, but you can definately request to see a consultant to discuss this issue and make it very clear that this is what you want - it seems unlikely that if it is just down to an individual hospitals policy that they wouldn't do it, as other hospitals do. At worst, you could phone around other local hospitals and see if they have a different policy?

NoTeaForMe - the 48 hour thing is the time that most babys would start showing signs of GBS infection, and in my case and several others, we are having c-sections so will be in the hospital for longer than that anyway. You are right that the symptoms can start with stuff that you might expect from a newborn, and i don't think if i had been at home with my son when he started having problems, i would have known how ill he was (he developed it at 15 hours old). However, saying that, there is also a delayed form of the GBS infection which can appear several weeks after birth, so if you have any doubts about any symptoms its always best to play it safe and request a medical assessment. The previously mentioned gbss website is good as it tells you the different symptoms with the rapid onset and delayed types of infection.
The risk of a baby actually getting GBS is low, but it is sensible to know as much as possible about the symptoms so that you feel prepared, but please don't worry excessively as the majority of women giving birth with GBS don't know they have it and the baby is fine. It's just the unlucky few that have to experience the illness in their babies.

had strep b with dd2 but test results only came through after i delivered and went home.

dd2 was tested and nasal swab was positive but no further action was taken as she was feeding and thriving.

the current policy with my practice was only to treat if baby appears symptomatic.

Thanks for that. I am obviously very worried as all they have said they will do is keep an eye on the baby and see if she becomes ill, and then react to that, which to be honest, terrifies me.

Are there any downsides to receiving the antibiotics "just in case" does anyone know?

Rae.

sana - really useful info. thanks again. please cold you tell me if you or your baby had any side effects from antibiotics? i read a few stories where mothers said that their babies had all sorts of health problems afterwards (not that i would not take abs for me or baby). just curious.

RaeOfLight - some possible side effects from the antibiotics include thrush for both you and the baby, upset tummy for a few days for you, possible allergic reaction for you (why most MWs won't give IV antibiotics at home), possible impaired immune response in the baby. The GBSS site has more info I think.

Thank you - much appreciated...

Just had a phone call from the dr, they are treating me with antibiotics, it seems it's policy here to give antib's upon a positive swab, then I'll be given IV antibiotics prior to my section.

Baby will be monitored closely for a few days in hospital which would have happened anyway as I am diabetic.

Thanks for the responses, that's what they do in this trust anyway it would seem :)

I've just started looking into this and wanted to ask opinions from people who decided not to be tested. As it seems about a quarter of us have this already, I wonder if there's really any great point in being tested, or if it's better to just try to deal with a problem if it arises. I've heard of babies being pretty sickly into childhood having been given ABs at birth. I'd not want to risk this if it's reasonable to avoid it.

What have you heard about childhood illnesses after having antibiotics at birth? My Doctor hasn't gone into specifics but I have been reassured that although antibiotics at birth is clearly not ideal the need for them with GBS present FAR outweighs the risk of not taking them, when you think of what could happen to baby without the antibiotics it's not worth the risk.

TBH, I have been tested twice and glad they picked up on it, I have had loads of UTI's this pregnancy hence the swab being taken.

I feel glad to know they are doing everything possible to stop any transmission to baby, I had my last one in NICU, I don't want this one to be if I can help it.

I think dr's have to weigh up the risks, pros vs cons type things. I was worried about the amount of antib's I have had this time but all the dr's have told me the risk of anitb's which is minimal is far outweighed by the risk of allwoing these infections to go untreated in pregnancy.

I think in general they only swab you for strep B if you have had it before or you have had issues which gives them reason to think you may be a carrier.

My last ds was given anti'bs at birth as a precaution as he had breathing issues, he is the most healthiest out of my 3!