GROUP B STREP

[jessicaandbumpsmummy]

Midwife has just called and told me i have group b strep....

Im GUTTED to say the least. Now i have to have IV antibiotics and the baby will be monitored for 24 hours after its born.

I HATE hospitals, and was really hoping to stay at home as long as possible and then be home again 6 hours after delivery.

I know there is nothing anyone can do or say to make it go away, but im so upset right now.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

at the end of the day the thing that I keep grasping on to is that it's the best thing for baby if you have the IVAB's, atleast two lots before he/she comes, rather than baby getting the AB's after delivery, being pricked and prodded for blood tests and AB's administration... Just make sure you get two lots in you and then baby just has to be closely monitored.

99redballoons - you're only a week behind me then!

Its really crap isnt it! I wasnt so much after a homebirth - wanted to stay at home as long as possible, and then get home as soon as possible afterwards, especially as Jess is only 14 months old.

Fingers crossed it wont be as bad as im thinking it will be.... the IV antibiotics doesnt worry me all that much, its the minimum 24hrs in hospital afterwards.... and will baby be taken away and monitored or will it be with me?! I just dont know!

JABM, I know it's a risk but you can still come home after 6 hours if you want to. I did this after DS2 was born, the hospital here wanted me to stay in 3 days due to carrying Group B Strep, my community midwife who knew I had wanted a home birth was very supportive of me coming home after 6 hours and told me to sign myself out. As it was they discharged me in the normal way with a ticking off for not staying the prescribed 3 days. I took the view that if there was anything wrong with DS2 he would be straight back to the hospital in a shot.

Jessica - baby will be with you in hosp. not taken away. I have GroupB Strep and ds2 was born without antibiotics as he came too fast. I kept him with me the whole time, but I had to stay in for 72 hours for monitoring as he had not had the necessary antiBs.

I know you want to get home asap but TBH I really valued my stay in hosp as I got some time on my own wiht ds2. If I'd done the 6 hour discharge like I did with ds1 I'd have been coping with dp, ds1 and ds2, and probably not managing well. At least by being in hosp you get fed, you can have time alone with baby, and you're able to sleep. And your dd can be at home getting spoiled rotten by daddy.

Thanks for that badhair.... my main concern was baby being taken away - just dont think i could cope with that.

No chance of sleep in hospital - it just doesnt happen for me, i was bad enough in my own room earlier in the year when i had my appendix out - let alone in a ward with other screaming babies!

J&Bmummy - I've just seen your piccie on members profile - You're both lovely! A beautiful couple! And there's nothing wrong with being 5ft 1in - thats my height too hehe! And that pic was taken on my 30th birthday!

Hope you are feeling okay. Glad you got a sleep

hi jandbmummy, yes only a week behind! Who'll drop first do you think?

A friend of mine has also said that if bubba got the IVAB's via me in sufficient amounts then there's no reason why I couldn't discharge myself too. Especially since I've read the GBSS website front to back and should know what the warning signs were if anything were to change. I think you'll just need to make the call on the night iykwim. Don't stress about it in the mean time.. you can't control/predict what's going to happen so just go with it and make the decisions at the time. HTH and good luck with the birth!

This is a good overview from the GBSS website