Important (to me) GBS Question

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.

Please help!

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 :hug:

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 :lol: 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.

If it makes you feel any better, my midwives didn't even suggest i do the test, for the reason AJP said.

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.

ohhhh that sounds great alan!!

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.

Thanks Leasha. When I was in hosp after I had Steph, they thought I had endometritis (sp!) and told me that I HAD to have a drip. I refused, and they sent in a dr (who wasn't even seeing me and didn't examine me) who told me I MUST have the drip. It was truly the most horrific and traumatic event of my life. It was supposed to be in my arm only about ten minutes, they left it in ALL DAY, which as I said before made me extremely upset, and lead to them thinking that I didn't want to feed Steph, as I "didn't want to pick her up" (I actually wasn't able to) pick her up to feed her.

I am feeling more confident about standing up for myself and (if need be) refusing or requesting things.

Thank you all on BB, you are truly a wealth of information and support.

If you *do* decide to have a drip in, you can ask for it to be removed as soon as you have delivered - once the baby is born, there is simply no need for further IV administration, I believe. You can also ask for a placement of it that won't interfere with movement, so avoid the back of the hand or the crook of the elbow - the vessel just at the base of your thumb on your wrist is a good one and if you have a nice solid bandage, shouldn't interfere with your ability to hold your baby.

There are lots of reasons women end up with an IV during labour that have nothing to do with GBS, so it's worth being prepared for that eventuality so that you can deal with it if it arises.

I'm not having the test done either, I don't think. I'm leery of introducing heavy duty antibiotics to a neonate without good reason, and I just don't think that there is good enough reason, whereas there *are* complications that can arise from their overuse.

The gp I saw this arvo was very supportive, but at the same time said there are risks (risks to have or not to have, and false negatives, etc). He said to "be confident with my decision". It was fine with him that I said I didn't want it. I guess I just needed to hear a dr say that it was okay. Not sure why, I don't hold a lot of faith in them to start with.

The drip I had when Steph was a bub was in my forearm. It wasn't too constrictive, it was the mere fact that I had a needle-like thing in me for more than a few seconds. That's about my limit.

To me, the main reason I am now going to avoid the drip (nobody wants to give me the test now anyway) for GBS is for all the potential issues it could cause for the baby later on. Oh, and for that reason, the Man is also supportive of me not getting it.

Why do some hospitals require IV antibiotics and others give periodic injections when womene have had a positive GBS test?
My GF was +ve on the test with her first and had injections of antibiotics, not a drip? Same things with her second bub as well.

Also, My antenatal record info on the GBS testing says that "looking for risk factors during labour" combined with watching the babies temp is equally as effective as the swab test, as they can only pick up early onset GBS not the infections that occur weeks later?

I'm worried about having the test and getting a +ve result becuase it will automatically throw my pg/birth from low to high risk and I dont want to be induced unecessarily etc.

Im not sure where to look for unbiased info so Im hoping some of you who've researched this could help me out with some links or places to look for info.

I dont know if i should start with this or end with this but i am a NICU Nurse and have seen some VERY VERY sick babes with GBS and yes some die BUT....

I tested Pos GBS with DD1. Agreed to IV in hand and IVAB given as a once off...no drip. I pulled the cannula out just before she was born as no one would take it out for me LOL...i knew i would bleed to death and it was lovely to have it out. took her temp every 4 hrs and she was fine.

DD2 did some more research.... Was Pos again to GBS but knew that the AB had to be in your system for more than 6 hours before birth.... well they were only in for 3 hrs with DD1 so i declined them with DD2... we went home 4 hrs after birth, hospital was not happy that i was taking a GBS ???? Baby home, but i took her temp every 4 hrs! Everyone knows that a too high temp can mean an infection but so can a low temp. Well my DD2 was a little thing when born and was born at only 36weeks, i knew that the hospital would be looking at putting her in a crib...that would have effected our bonding and our BFeeding. She started to show a low ish temp just before we went home but hay....she was little, she was brand new, she was a bit prem and she had just been undressed to be "Checked". Took her home, had skin to skin for 24hrs some lovely BFs and she was great. If id stayed in hosp... she would have been in a crib i bet my life on it!, been given tube feeds as she was small and probably would have been pressure to give formula comps....as i couldnt have expressed much.... I felt that i could do this as i have the right training...i am not saying that this would have been the right choice for others.


DS...refused test as i know i wasnt going to have AB....

Read a lot of research that is saying that the rise in GBS is from "hospital trauma"...not that more women are getting it. GBS has always been around, its not new its just newly discovered. up to 50% of women have it...do 50% of babes die from GBS NO WAY. Things like getting cold being weighed, measured and checked by the Drs. Things like the babe being "stressed" after birth by being passed around....


If you want to reduce the risk of your baby getting sick then "protect" your baby from others. Have the skin to skin. Ask that bubs be weighed under the heater lamps. Ask family to understand that they are going to have to wait for cuddles and only let a few cuddle your baby....

Empower yourself in the knowledge that you have CHOICE. And can say no to things! Hospital policies start with "Cause no harm" all the other policies are "would like to haves".

Ok ok ok ill stop my rant now. I hope it helps. I just hate people thinking that they have to do anything.... its the system i work in's fault! Change is slow....I am not a tree hugger, i just believe that there has to be a better way