Group B Strep in 1st pregnancy, now pregnant again and.....

[Phoenix]

it hasn't been mentioned this time. I asked about it and they said they don't test for it so i don't need ab's in labour.

In my 1st pg they told me at my 12wk antenatal visit that it had been picked up in a past swab so how do they know i'm not going to have it at the time i'm having this baby?

The more i think about it the more worried i am. Should i ask to be tested nearer the birth or pay for a private test or just go into labour without ab's like they said?

I would pay for the private test - I am pretty sure you test at 37 weeks.

I don't think it matters if you had it in last pregnancy or not, you could test positive again.

The test is so unreliable that I would not consider getting the test privately. It could show negative when you have it. One third of women have GBS and most don't know it. It comes and goes, and that combined with the unreliability of the test, it is not worth it.

However since you know you had a positive test in the past, if you are concerned, then you could request AB's in labour, but it is not routinely done, and with a second labour it could be much faster and you might not get the full 4 hours required before the birth. Whatever happens the baby should be monitored closely for the first 48 hours.

I thought the NHS test was unreliable but the other test less so.

Thanks for all the replies (i started the thread then went to bed.)

I'm only 14wk so plenty of time to sort this out but think i'll def look into the private test.

A friend of a friend recently had a baby who got the infection on the way out and was really ill for a while so that got me thinking/worrying more about it too.

If you have had it before you shouldn't need to get a private test. I had it with my first and have been told that I will get the antibiotics this time as a matter of routine. However, if you don't get the antibiotics this isn't the end of the world, the chances of the baby getting it are very remote, and as long as the doctors/midwifes etc know that you have had it before and are watching for any problems you will be fine. You could ask you midwife to test for it though, and failing that ask your GP, they won't refuse.

Yes i told them i had it before but they said they don't routinely (sp?) test for it at my hospital and that i don't need ab's in labour

I carried GBS in my first pregnancy and was told by my mw at my booking appt for this pg that they only give ab's in labour if you test positive for it in your current pregnancy but when I was discussing it with my consultant the other day she said not to bother testing for it again and they will give the ab's to me when I'm in labour.

I've heard the private test is the most reliable and it is the NHS basic test that can give false negatives (but not false positives).

Had GBS in 1st pregnancy and had to tell midwifes second time round that I had tested positive and had antibiotics during labour. After searching for absolutely ages they found the form in my old notes that showed the test results and said I would have to have antibiotics again during labour.I thought this was just the norm? That once you had it you always had it. They even stuck a big sticker on the front of my notes saying GBS warning or something like that!

Had it during my first pregnancy and picked up straight away. During a routine check at GP last week (31 weeks) I mentioned to her that the hospital had not re-tested this time and she was horrified. Took an immediate urine test to send off and sent a letter to the hospital!! On this side of the water (Ireland) they prefer you to have the ABs before birth x

Hi, I would get the private test hun only 4% of woman who test negative go on to be positive so its a very small amount. The consultant told me the best time to find out though is during labour so maybe mention you'd like to be swabbed during labour to check. Also if your temp rises in labour mention it to them as this is a symptom and keep a close eye on your baby after birth for the first 3 months as there is such a thing as late onset gbs which can occur up to 3 months old.
The NHS test is a lot less reliable and I am sure its only about 50% accurate.

My son nearly died of gbs sepsis and was on a life support machine called ECMO for the first 7 days of his life as his lungs were so diseased and he couldn't use them so the ECMO machine took his blood out of his body and put o2 into the blood through the machine and put the blood back - it saved his life while his lungs mended themselves (he also had severe meconium aspiration syndrome).

I am now pregnant with my 2nd and as I had a baby with GBS I am getting the antibiotics (if i go into labour) and am also insisting on getting them pre the planned section (If i dont go into labour by 40weeks) though the consultant said they dont normally do this but given how bad my son was (waters were only broken for 12hrs) I think I need to insist to protect my wee baba.

Good luck hun and discuss it in full with your mw/consultant. REmember also to mention it when in labour to your mw.

xxxx

Thanks beautifulday, glad your son is ok now, bet it was very scary.

I had a private test done as tested positive in first preganacy. If you had it before it puts you in a higher risk group for having it again.

Got it through th GBSS support group.

I think the private test is meant to be more accurate.

I came back as negative second time so had no worries

I actually wanted a homebirth and had to convince the midwife with the negative test and the information I received from the website.

good luck