Strep B

My midwife called to tell me that I have tested positive for strep B, and that will mean I have antibiotic drip when I go into labour. now, me being pregnant and completely mush brained just said ok and hung up. now I am wanting more information about this (because DH asked me a heap of questions that I didn't think of and now cann't even remember). I can ring up my midwife again and ask her, but i reeeaaaalllly don't like talking on the phone, so I thought I would give it a shot here first.

so does anyone have any information about strp B that they could pass on to me?

i have also tested positive, and my ob has told me as soon as my water breaks to go straight to the hospital cause I have to be given penicillin... I had the same prob as you, with my baby brain didn't ask too many more questions than that, so would be interested to hear what others have to say

ok ladies,

just pulled out the info sheet that my OB gave me on StrepB hope this helps a little....


It's a bacteria that is not spread through food, sex, water etc. It just comes and goes naturally in your body. Penicillin is given to you during labor to stop it spreading to your baby. It only works via drip during labor and not before, because it can grow back so fast. it also says that if you are not tested and treated, your baby can get very sick and even die if it gets infected. The bacteria is not harmful to us, only the baby during labor.

Each time you are PG you need to be tested as each PG is different and the bacteria comes and goes.

that's about all there was on my pamphlet that was worth mentioning.. the rest is about what to do if your water breaks or you go into labor...

xx

Lucky me tested postive too :( . From what I was told and have read, basically it is a bacteria that can cause a life threatening infection in your newborn if you don't get the anti-biotics. I was told that it is very rare for the baby to get infected though.

Strep B can cause your baby an infection of the bloodstream or meningitis and can cause pneumonia. You should be given two lots of anti-biotics at 4 hours apart during labour and all should be OK. If you have the baby before all the anti-biotics are given, they just monitor your bub for a while to make sure they are showing no signs of infection.

I was told that if my waters break I have to go straight to the hospital to get a drip put in for anti-biotics and they would need to induce me. I have my fingers crossed that my waters don't break until labour is well established!

Hope this info helps. I'm sure there is someone much more knowledgeable out there than me that can be of more help! Otherwise, try Googling it. Best of luck!

Hey there ladies, I was GBS positive when I had my dd, when my waters broke I went straight to the hospital, when I got there they toldme that because my blood pressure was high if I hadn't gone into labour by luchtime(got there at 7am) they would induce as it was they induced me, but before they did that they had to put the drip in for the antibiotics they had to give me for the strep b, they put a needle in a vein in your hand and then inject the antibiotics through it when they first do it you feel a cool sensation, hopefully you guys are veiny cause I wasn't and the needle going in hurt like buggery lol You don't even realise that it's there once you are in full blown labour and the chances of passing on to the baby are slim but it's better to be safe than sorry. So in my opinion it was no biggie but then again everybody is different, hope that helped:hello:

Oh and another thing I was told that I would have to have the antibiotics with each consequent labour now!

GBS status can change even within the pregnancy. You could be positive at 30 and negative at 34. If you are worried about having AB's going into your newborn, you could consider some natural methods such as garlic cloves inserted into your vagina.
There is a risk, but it is important to keep risk in perspective. Of mums who don't have any ABs in labour only about .5% of babies suffer from the infection, and even fewer are fatal. You are well within your rights to refuse ABs in labour.
It's really important to speak with your care provider about any testing they do, before agreeing to the test, as you can see, the results of these tests can have some quite serious repercussions for yourself and your baby.

I was at a birth class last night and this is what I learnt about Strep B:
* it can come and go in a few weeks (as someone already mentioned)
* having antibiotics does NOT ensure the strep isn't passed on to baby- ie babies can get the infection even if you are having an AB drip during labour
*many people choose not to have the test which is fine- the hospital assumes you are negative and they watch for baby listlessness after birth in ALL babies and from the APGAR score check also. If they are concerned, they give bub antibiotics.
* the main hospital here doesn't induce Strep B straight away- they allow 6 hours for labour to start naturally if your water break
Having said all that and like Samantha says, the chance of baby getting it from you and/or baby getting very sick is a tiny chance.

I was GBS+ with my last pg and only had a 5hr labour total - 2.5hrs observed in hosptial so I didn't get enough ABs into me thru labour. They monitored DS and did appropriate Bloodwork for him re GBS at 12ish hours old. They came back with elevated levels of whatever it was they gauge for GBS and he had to be on ABs himself for 5 days.

Next hospital visit I need to have my GBS check for this pg cause knowing how quick last labour was, if I can get there quicker and get onto ABs myself, I'd rather than have to stay there for longer and have this bubs having to have a bung in its arm, ABs 3 or 4 times a day with the bung having to be flushed in between to keep the line open and clean.

Misty, I hope everything goes well for you. I don't want to scare you with what happened with Blake, just inform you. You may not get elevated blood levels with this bubs post birth so you may not have to go thru what we did. xx

thank you all for your replies.

my sister had strep B when she had her bub (but they didn't know as she wasn't tested), and my nefew got very sick from it; so it is reassuring to hear this information from everyone here.

I will be getting the antibiotics when i go into labour.

*bump*

So it's very common obviously? I've tested positive for it weeks ago, so does that mean it could come and go but the anti-biotics are just a precaution?

Hi mrsr
Strep B is a very common infection that comes and goes. You can test negative for it today and then have it tomorrow. A lot of places no longer bother doing regular tests for it. If you have strep B when you give birth there is a small chance that ou can pass it on to your baby. However it is quite eay to detect and very easy to treat. If you are tested and the test comes back positive it is common practice to give you some amtibiotics during labour.

So men carry it too?

probably. we just dont get tested

I can just see DH screwing up his face and thinking I'm dirty or some crap like that.

he will have it at some time. he will also have staph and a hundred other bugs crawling all over him

Again, you crack me up :)

So I should lock him out of the house tonight?

lol
we all have these bugs crawling all over us all the time

So what is the likelyhood then, if I tested negative at 34weeks, to then have a positive by 40weeks? They dont retest later do they if it is negative at the first test???

If they test they usually only test the once. There is a chance that if you test negative at 34 weeks you could test positive at a later time. However even if you are positive the chance of your baby becoming infected is quite low.

ok , good to know. I think I have enough things I can worry about if I need without adding another to the list. I never seem to have a problem finding somthing . Thanks for the reassurance.

I've never been tested? But I had final blood count a couple of weeks ago now, the last one before Bub is born. It didn't state it on the final blood test though, it just said FBC on the form. Should I be tested do you think?

Hi Bindy
It is not done with a blood test it is a vaginal swab
Unless you are showing signs of an infection I personally don't think that it is needed. As I said in an earlier post many places no longer bother testing for it

Thanks Alan, DUH! I thought it may have been a blood test or something! Nah Ob hasn't offered to do one. I can't wait for this Bub to come, I really want to meet her!

I tested +tive during pregnancy #3 (urine infection) and due to my waters breaking and no labour after 4/5 hours I was induced after having IV AB....I really detest being induced via drip.

This pregnancy I am treated as +tive again....I have expressed my wish to labour at home as much as possible but if my waters break I am prepared to go to the hospital and have a drip but choose not to be induced....I wonder how supportive they will be with my decision...I also wonder if I could go in and get the drip (cannula??) put in, have AB's and then go home...

I have grade 2 (?? 1cm from cervix at 19weeks) placenta praevia (sp??) so still need to wait and see if I can labour at all, all fingers crossed I can, but gosh I wish it was all simple :rolleyes:

Hi Robbo
First they have to accept your decision. They can not make you go to the hospital just because they think you should, also if they can not induce without your consent. It would be very unlikely that they will let you go home with a cannula in your arm, but if you insist then they may be willing to give you the AB’s then take the cannula out before they let you go home. Unfortunately they may also want you go go back to the hospital every4 – 6 hours for more AB’s. I’m not sure why they are treating you as +ve. Just because you were +ve last time does not mean that you will be +ve this time. Your placenta being low at 19 weeks is not too much of a concern. In most cases your placenta will move higher as your pregnancy progresses.

Hi there I was positive too, and was give AB during the labour at regular intervals but not via IV drip (maybe b/c I went into spontaneous labour), but it was all for nothing as I had an emerg c/section in the end. But when I Q my dr about it, she said it was part of our natural flora and not to worry too much :D

:

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Hi Robbo
First they have to accept your decision. They can not make you go to the hospital just because they think you should, also if they can not induce without your consent. It would be very unlikely that they will let you go home with a cannula in your arm, but if you insist then they may be willing to give you the AB?s then take the cannula out before they let you go home. Unfortunately they may also want you go go back to the hospital every4 ? 6 hours for more AB?s. I?m not sure why they are treating you as +ve. Just because you were +ve last time does not mean that you will be +ve this time. Your placenta being low at 19 weeks is not too much of a concern. In most cases your placenta will move higher as your pregnancy progresses.

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Thanks for that Alan..

Hospital "procedure" really frustrates me....I will make sure to talk over my options and my choices with my midwife at my next appointment so I can be clear in my birth plan if my choices deviate from the "expected"....

I have already told DH that I would rather have this baby at home then get induced and he didn't seem to concerned about it :D...or maybe he just didn't get how serious I was :lol:.

Thanks Again.