Whats in the drip?

Was talkin gmy sister last night & she was telling me that she ahd to get to the hospital with in 2 hours of her water breaking so they could get her on a drip. I asked what she meant & she said well the risk of infection is massive if you don't get on this drip with in 2 hours of your water breaking. I told her that didn't sound right & with my first I was told up to 24 hours is quite safe. I have since been told its even longer. She said that she thought they had to get the AB's into you by 2 hours. Thats when I told her thats not what the drip is & that the Antibiotics should just be a injection given via a catheter in your vein. She was adament that this is what was in the drip. I told her that its generally syntocin in the drip to bring your contractions on.

I have never heard of the AB's being given this way (we have both had briths where Strep B was positive) & that for me it was just an injection every 6 hours till birth. I told her she should ask was is in the drip they want to put her on & if its anything but the AB's then she should be questioning why they are doing it. She said that 4 different hospitals had all told her she will need to go on a drip with in 2 hours of her water breaking.

Is it just me & the hospital I go to that are different & this is the case?

Fiona,

Did you sister have Strep B? I was told the only time I would have the drip for infection was if I was Step B positive, my test which was swap down there came back negative... have you had the test? if not they do the test around 36 weeks... So what happens is that if your waters have broken they will give you the drip or if you go into hospital in labour they will start the drip too. The only other drips you would have would be the induction drip if you need it? Im really scared of needles so have covered all of this with my OB.

Bel
xxx

Ah ok, Yeah see my hosptial just gives the anitbiotics for Strep B in the form of a one off injection (given every 6 hours till birth once labout starts) rather then a drip that stays attached. So I guess some hospitals do it one way others do it the way i know.

I had antibiotics via a canula in my hand for 24 hours after birth with Paige and a penicillin injection in my thigh during labour. But the drip is usually only ever syncto. Although they can put the antibiotics into the IV line that is connected to the drip and the valve for this is about halfway up the line.

Hi,

That sounds like the procedure for a strep B positive pregnant woman cos they normally say you can wiat a little while after your waters have broken. So thats why she would have to get there in 2 hrs.

With my DD i had her early (about 35wks) as she was in distress so they gave me an emergency induction. Because they hadnt tested me for the Strep B yet as i was too early they just gave me the ab to cover me in case i did have it. I had it given to me like your sister did. They put up a bag of ab and ran it through the drip. During her labour and induction i had ab, saline and cyntocin all ran through my drip.

My waters broke on Thursday morning, 2 weeks ago, and they said I'd have to get antibiotics if I didn't go into labour within 18hrs - it took about 20hrs so they put a canuala in my hand. I only got one dose - Lucas must have been close when the next dose was due.

My waters broke 4 days before Darcy was born. When they realised that I had to have gentamycin which is in a little bag as a drip - three doses a day for acouple of days. It's too strong to give as a bolus push through the cannula. That's the only AB I've ever worked with that HAD to be given like that.

I am GBS+ and my dr at the Royal Hobart has said that when I go into labour that I have to have a drip or within an hour or two of my waters breaking. By the sounds of things it depends on the hospital's policy.