At my mw apt 2 weeks ago, I was supposed to go off and have the GBS swab test, and then if it came back that I have the infection, I would have to have the drip during labour, as you might all well know.
Well, I became very distressed when the mw told me that I needed to go off and have the test. Its not the test that bothers me, its the drip. I 'had' to have a drip after Steph was born, and it made me very upset, I cried the whole day and could not even pick up my new baby while the bung thing was in my arm, even while there was no iv drip in it.
My fear is that if I need to have the drip, I will not be able to relax enough to give birth, my body will go into meltdown basically and I will have to be rushed off for an emergency c/s.
The mw told me that if I feel so strongly (upset) about potentially having a drip, then not to do the test, and that they would just monitor the baby's temperature for 48 hours, and then printed out on my notes that I was refusing to have the test. I saw the same mw yesterday, and queried her that I didn't refuse the test, just the antibiotics if I have the infection. She said it is "easier" for the other mw's at the birth if they just read that I have refused the test and they won't argue so much that I need the drip if I have the infection. KWIM?
Should I go and get the test from my GP?
If I do have the infection, what can happen to the baby if I don't have the antibiotics?
How common is the infection?
I feel guilty about not doing the test now (I verge on bursting into tears everytime I think about it), as when I spoke to the Man last night about it, he asked "what choice do I have" in terms of baby potentially being sick or not?
Another question, if I'm due on the 6 January, doesn't that make me now 39 weeks? The mw said yesterday that I was 38 weeks, using their circular date calculator, which if I am is very annoying, because everyone else at all my apts have told me 6 Jan, and family have arranged leave to help me from that date, not the week after. Sorry, little vent there.
i discussed it yesterday with my MW and i have refused the test, which im entitled too, as i dont wish to have AB's or induction if my waters break. its your choice if you have it done, remember you could be neg. now but pos. at birth and vice versa. its your chioce hun
They can also give you oral antibiotics if you refuse the drip. However you would need to be on the tablets for longer prior to birth and this is the reason you are not usually offered the tablets.
Should your baby catch GBS (not common) your baby cab become quite sick. But if your baby’s temp is watched closely for the first 48 hours after birth any rise in the temp could indicate an infection. In this case your baby would need antibiotics which would prevent your baby becoming very sick.
There is currently a new test GBS being evaluated. It is done when you are in labour and the results are ready in just a few minutes. This prevents the problem caused by being negative for GBS but having the bug at the time of birth and vice versa.
Thank you all. It all helps, and makes me feel better. I have made an apt with a gp this arvo to talk to him about it, and am wondering if he will try and 'scare' me into having the test or drip as the nurse from the gp clinic just did on the phone. She just said to me that if I have the infection and don't have the drip my baby could die! Just like that. No statistics, no we can help your baby if it does catch an infection, just IT WILL DIE! Gee, thanks.
I am reading up on the web about the stats etc, and it seems that even if I do have GBS, I'd still rather not have the antibiotics for the simple fact that it doesn't stop baby getting an infection, and can cause them to be much more resiliant to antibiotics for blood infections they are more likely to get down the track (from me having the antibiotics), and have 'super bugs', which are more likely to be fatal than if they caught a GBS infection from me during birth because I didn't have the drip.
Thank you Alan, I was positive that there was a oral antibiotic available (but don't really want that either for the reasons stated above), and it is frustrating that no one seems to like to tell us neeble-phobics that there IS an alternative. Another question for you; If I don't agree with something a nurse/dr tells me in terms of I 'must' have a drip for something, how can I get them to admit that (as far as I know) there is always an oral antibiotic available, and that I am willing to accept that their effects may just take longer than a drip, without going nuts at them(and asked to leave the hosp!)?
I would much rather run the less than 1% chance of baby catching some GBS infection from me and take care of that, than the pretty much guaranteed reaction of me just going into entire shutdown if I have a drip.
Basically hun, if you say NO, they can't do it. If you say NO to the drip, then they'll probably get you to sign a form saying you're aware of the risks and are saying no to the antibiotics after making an informed decision.
I am refusing the trip therefore the test as well. Hospital policy is to have the drip if you are positive and un determined although I can refuse the drip easier as a non determined for some reason. They are just going to monitor the bubs temps for 24 hours to determine infection. I haven't given it much more thought than that really.
I can't remember what percent of women have the infection at testing time, but of those women that have the infection there is 1% chance of the baby getting ill as a result. Now for the stuff that makes me think it is all crap. The infections they are counting are ones that happen a week after birth which is usually a result of being around other ill people and catching an infection elsewhere, not to mention that you may be positive for GBS one day and negative the next. I don't know how reliable it all is but I know for me to have a positive birth experience I cannot have that drip in my hand and I am happy enough to take the risk and avoid undue stress on myself which could be passed on to the baby.
Hope my blubber helps Being pregnant and a mother is a constant guilt trip but we just need to trust our instincts and do what we feel is right.
Important (to me) GBS Question
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Being pregnant and a mother is a constant guilt trip but we just need to trust our instincts and do what we feel is right.
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