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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Strep B

36 replies

blueeyedmonster · 13/07/2011 21:13

anyone have any experience of this and how it was treated? Even more so if you have short labours.

I am still yet to talk to my midwife but panic every now and again!

OP posts:

addictediam · 15/07/2011 21:56

Moon ime gbs is something community mw's tend to play down quite heavily. Its not something I would risk.

Lo can get very sick and if your planning a hb maybe it is something you need to google to make sure you know exactly what your options are and what risks are involved. At the end of the day its your choice and your baby. Personally I don't want to risk my baby's life but if your mw is suggesting there are other ways it may be worth looking into more.

Have you tested pos?

houseofheave · 15/07/2011 22:15

I wouldn't have a HB with GBS, but thats because I had one infected baby, so I just couldn't risk it myself. however i've heard that intramuscular injections can be given if you want a HB.

It wasn't an option for me 2nd time round as the chance of you having another infected child if you've had one is about 10x higher. I was in from the moment my waters broke and had constant care as soon as it kicked off properly.

What can it do. Well in you, not much. In a baby can cause a baterical infection that can rapidly spread. It can be a killer, if you're unlucky.

Wow, still ERK thinking about it even now.

I am fortunate that DS didn't die, but I never want to go through what I did for the first couple of weeks of his life ever again. He has SN now and I will always wonder if its related to what happened after his birth.

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 15/07/2011 22:18

thanks everyone. Addicted, no i haven't tested at all. I was wondering if i should or not...

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 15/07/2011 22:21

think really i should just get the test then worry about dealing with the results if necessary.

Wow...doesn't fear make you think irrationally.

neverlookback · 17/07/2011 19:10

what i dont get is if you test posititve at 35-37 weeks (my kit says to test then) why cant you have antibiotic to get rid of the infection before you go into labour? can it come and go within days? sorry if im being thick ive got proper pregnancy brain at moment!!!

treehugga · 18/07/2011 05:55

I have just the same dilemmas as Moon. I also heard that both the hospital blood test and the private swab tests produce a lot of false positives and false negatives. As I'm also planning a HB I don't want to lose that option because of an unreliable test for something that lots of people have unwittingly and never pass on to their baby. I really feel for those mums whose babies had the infection and I don't want to take chances with my own LO but also I know that the hospital way if doing things us very pro intervention sometimes just to cover arses rather than because of a specific known risk. It's the unreliability of the tests that bothers me.

Mmmmcheese · 18/07/2011 08:49

How do I know if I have been tested for this? Is it a vaginal swab or something else? If I haven't been tested yet, when should I get tested? (I'm 17 weeks).

moregranny · 18/07/2011 09:01

The test from the doctors laboratory is very reliable, the nhs test is only 50% reliable, strep b comes and goes, all a bit like russian roulette, but is it worth the risk of a brain damaged baby or even worse..........speak to a mum who knows 1st hand the horrendous outcome of not knowing she had step b, who if she knew then what she knows now would have given birth in a hospital with all the medical intervention possible to avoid the life long heartache of what the future now holds, sorry I feel so strongly about this but I know someone who has the most gorgeous little boy in the world who will never be able to live an independent, normal life because he contracted strep b during labour. My own daughter has just had an emergency c section due to complications so was unable to be treated with antibiotics during labour, my grandaughter was given antibiotics for 4 days post birth, not pleasant but better than the other potential outcome however small the risk !

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 18/07/2011 09:35

Strep B if passed onto a baby, has the risk of being very bad - even fatal. However the risk of passing on is very small and like everything we do everyday, you have to weigh up risks and benefits.

I had strep b in my last pg. i tested +ve through a private test at 37 weeks. I ended up being induced, hooked up to a drip and laboured flat on my back until I had an emergency section. They then insisted DD be given IV ABs anyway, despite her not passing through the vaginal canal, which was incredibly distressing for me and her (I now know WTF!!!!)

This pg I will get tested again at 37 weeks (oh to have the bliss of ignorance) but I will also be inserting a garlic glove every night for 8 nights before I test to try to get rid of it. It's bonkers really, as it does come and go and you could test -ve at 37 weeks but develop it unwittingly at 39 weeks for example.

I want a HB, so if i did test +ve again, i would request an intra muscular injection at the hospital at the start of labour and then go back home and then carefully monitor the baby afterwards. I would however go into hospital if my waters broke a long time before labour started and/or I had a temperature.

Those are the risks I will tolerate. Each to their own but pregnancy itself is a risk!

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 18/07/2011 10:14

neverlook that's what i'm wondering. Surely if it comes and goes so quickly testing at any point other than labour is pointless?

Treehugga tis a mare! Weighing up a small likely hood (having or passing on strep b) of a big risk (major illness) vs bigger likelyhood of smaller risk (intervention).

More and mrs thank you for sharing your stories. Very thought provoking.

Mmmm testing isn't routine on the nhs and isn't done till near the end of pg as strep b can come and go and the risk of passing it on is during labour.

houseofheave · 18/07/2011 10:18

MAR - That sounds v hard.

I was on IV antibiotics throughout my last labour and was able to move around and spent most of my labour on a stool next to the bed.

As someone who had her first DC in the NICU for a couple of weeks with a GBS infection, I just wouldn't take the risk at all. The reason why they are so overly careful if you have a known infection, is because the outcomes can be so bad.

Someone above linked to the www.gbss.org.uk site. If you are not familiar with early and late onset, its best to read up now so at least you are sure what you are looking out for.

I'd never, ever take the risk again, but each to their own.

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