GBS Swab Opinions - Alan? Schmickers? Others?

[Cricket]

Well, I went through this dilemma with my previous pregnancy, and decided to have the GBS swab done, thinking it would likely be negative, as all my previous ones had been... It was positive and a week of garlic clove treatment and a hydrogen peroxide rinse before the next test didn't change the result. I missed out on my homebirth because of the policy here that you MUST have IV antibiotics during labour if you are GBS positive. (Yes, I know I could refuse treatment, but I wasn't prepared to do that, and I didn't feel like I had enough information on the whole business to decide what was the best choice for me.)
So now, I'm trying to get my research done beforehand, so I have time to make a good decision.
What do you think about the swab and the antibiotic treatment for positive results? Worthwhile? A waste of time? From what I understand, a baby is at risk to contract GBS if they are premature or if you labour for a long time with waters broken. My babies have all been full term, and delivered within about 30 min of waters breaking.
I am wondering about skipping the test entirely this time around. Alan, as a midwife, and Schmickers, as a pediatric nurse, what are your opinions on this, if you don't mind sharing? Anyone else out there want to add your two cents? I do not want to put my baby at risk, but I'd much rather have a homebirth if I can. I think that antibiotics have their own impact on my health and the baby's health - all their healthy gut bacteria would be thrown off, I'd think. Plus, there's the whole range of bacteria that you're exposed to simply by being in the hospital.....
I don't know - give me some feedback here if you can! Thanks!