Group Strep B

[EgonSpengler]

Hi there,

I'm new to mumsnet and wondered if you fab people could give me any advice re: Group Strep B. I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant, and was informed by my midwife a couple of weeks ago that I have Group Strep B.

I only found out on the off-chance, as I had been in hospital for about a week mid-Feb after injuring my back. The nurses on the ward tested my urine and it came up in that test apparently. If my midwife hadn't have phoned the hospital for some other blood test results I was waiting for, I would never have known.

My midwife massively played down what it meant, and said that it just might mean the baby would have respiratory problems if it wasn't dealt with by antibiotics during labour.

I did a bit of research on the internet and, to be honest, it scared the life out of me. Can anyone who has Group Strep B give me any advice? Should I have antibiotics now, as well as when I'm in labour?

Thanks!

group B strep support GBSS website

this website tends to have the most up to date information.

my first baby was born very ill with group b strep pneumonia and we very nearly lost him when he was about 48 hours old. thankfully he made it (thanks to some amazing paediatricians and and whole heap of anti-biotics that risked deafness) and is fine now aged 5. i just wish i'd known the information you know now.

if you do a search for GBS or group B strep on mumsnet search you will find lots of previous threads about it too and probably me harping on about it there.

I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your little boy. It's such good news that he's doing well.

Thank you for that link - I'll have a look now, and will search under GBS on here.

Thanks once again from a petrified and confused new-mum-to-be!

don't be petrified. the odds are in your favour by far. there are some who say the odds are worth taking the risk and not having anti-biotics in labour.
i wouldn't take the risk because i know first hand about the effects of a GBS infection in a newborn(short and long term).
look at it this way, you know you are a carrier (many of us are) and you can take precautions and avoid any trouble.

easy

Thank you so much for your kind words and advice - making me feel much better about the whole thing already

I think I'll definitely be opting for the IV of antibiotics - I don't want to risk anything happening. I don't think I could live with myself if I said 'no thanks' and then something happened.

I found out I had GBS when I was 20 weeks pregnant and had IV antibiotics during labour. Ds was born 7 weeks prem and had all the symptoms of early-onset GBS. We very nearly lost him when he was 7 days old (I was told he was unlikely to make it through the night). He was very very poorly but is now a happy and healthy 5 yr old.

The GBS website that Nevergoogle linked is a superb mine of information.