GBS - Strep B questions??????

Hi,

I just had a v. disappointing midwife appt - she did not want to even consider our preferences for a natural childbirth (I hope to god she is not on when we go in – and yes I have a doula thankfully!)

Well, in all her being on her high horse, she forgot to do my Strep B swab which I was scheduled to have.

I don't have a problem having a Strep B swab, they can swab all they like, but - if I am +ve I have no intention of having IV antibiotics!

At first I was all "ha ha ha - she forgot the swab" but now I am worried that when it does come to time for delivery or at my next appt they will pick this up, and I will not have the opportunity to make my assertions.

So, I guess my questions are:
- should I just sit tight and hope they don't notice? (its a NSW public hospital)
- or do you think I should just get the swab to rule it out as a non-issue just so I don't end up having to have an argument later? (that's assuming the swab comes back -ve)
- what makes you more likely to have a +ve swab? The reason I ask is I am someone who is prone to UTIs/ "honeymoon cystitis" and today have just acquired a sore throat (urgh!). am I likely to test +ve for strep B or is there no relationship?

thanks!

Can I ask why you wouldn't medicate?

I had gbs with both my girls and couldn't leave the hospital when I wanted as Lucy wan't showing the clearest signs, caused from gbs. Thank god I got one dose through during birth. Couldn't get anymore as my birth was so quick;)

In my opinion, if you are not going to have the antibiotics anyway, why have the swab? Because the risk you take in having a just in case swab is indeed the discussion that will occur if it is positive and do you want to have that discussion? Just be aware that by not knowing your GBS status that if your baby does show some septic symptoms after birth, that they may treat the symptoms more aggressively then they otherwise might. I would say (trying to remember from my uni days), that most uti's are caused by bugs such as e.coli and klebsiella, not GBS, and sore throats are generally caused by different bacteria altogether.

thanks ladies,
I guess I was more upset by my m/wife appt than anything.
Having said that I am still quite undecided about the whole GBS thing. On one had, we would all do the best by our babies, but on the other hand I wonder about the whole unnecessary and escalating intervention thing - and if this is just another? It's actually hard to find "balanced" info - everything is very one-sided, either very pro, or very against, it's hard to find something balanced and down the middle.

Muminalice - thanks for that info - yes, my UTIs from memory were ecoli, and after doing some reading, even if a sore throat is caused by Strep, it is strep A not B, though I don't think mine is, because it would be much worse than it is if it was strep.

anyway, thanks for responding.

Even if you do have the swab the results may not be the same as at the point of birth, as GBS is a transient infection. If I was in your situation I would not take the swab, and if in absence of a result they presumed me +ve would refuse consent for the abx and instead monitor my new child for signs of infection, which is something we should all do anyway.

I think it depends on the policy of the hospital as to whether they will consider you +ve without the swab. I have had discussions about this issue with my midwife as i didn't want to get swabbed again ( i was +ve with ds and waters broke but labour didn't start so had to get induced so on so forth) and she said that my hospitals policy is if you aren't swabbed they will consider you negative.