Group B Strep

[kfcboston]

Hello everyone! I found out this morning I have tested positive for group b strep bacteria. It's my understanding that, by being treated with antibiotics during labor, there is an exceedingly small chance that the baby will get sick from it via delivery. Does anyone have any words of wisdom, or comfort, on this one? While it sounds relatively routine to me, of course I'm worried!!! Thanks.

Katie
EDD w/ #1 -- 3/7/03!

[Momof3Labs]

Katie,

It really isn't a big deal, as long as they know about it going into delivery. Approximately 25% of women are Group B Strep positive!

I'm one of those women. The only thing I did was watch the clock during my looooong labor and make sure that they were readministering the antibiotics at the right interval (was it every 2 or 4 hours? I don't remember). They wanted to get in at least two doses of antibiotics, ideally.

The only time it isn't a big deal is when a women is not tested and then does not receive the antibiotics. But even then, it is a fairly small percentage of babies who get sick.

You and your baby will be fine!!

[sweetbasil]

I tested positive for Group B strep AFTER DS was born, which really freaked me out. Looking for medical info on the internet *certainly* didn't help....but my doctor said they'll take the precautions necessary to keep baby well during delivery (I'll probably have another c-section for baby #2 and it'll be a moot point!).

I definitely sympathize with the fear, etc. that comes w/diagnosis, though. Best wishes!

[JMarie]

I was not tested for Group B strep until I was in labor - Aidan came the day before my scheduled appointment - and was on IV antibiotics during my labor. Because he was early, he had fluid in his lungs and was placed on IV antibiotics himself for 48 hours. The worst part was the diaper rash that came with the antibiotic use, but that cleared up in about five days. The IV was not pleasant - penicillin burns when it's administered - but I would much rather have gone that route than risked Aidan getting sick. Ask for an ice pack to put over the area while it's going in - it helps tremendously. I still don't know if I tested positive or not - I suppose I should check with my OB!

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[atlbaby]

I tested positive for Strep B also. Everything turned out just fine with Arielle's delivery, it was just an exceedingly long labor (24 hours!) because they didn't want to give me Pitocin until right before I could begin to push :-( So my advice is just be prepared to get frustrated waiting all day/night--but it is very common so try not to worry, I know it's hard!

Good Luck with everything!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[Hallie_D]

Katie, I also tested positive for GBS and received antibiotics during labor. Although he was breathing fine, DS was very quiet when he was delivered, and the doctors were concerned that he had been affected by GBS and decided to take him to the special care unit. The minute they got him up there, he started screaming bloody murder. They still kept him for 48 hours to run tests, all of which came out negative. I got the impression that they were very cautious of this at my hospital, since there were two other babies born the same day in the special care unit for the exact same reason.

Everything was fine (for all three babies!)--all the tests were negative. DS is happy and healthy!

[Rachels]

I had TONS of GBS and was on antibiotics my whole third trimester and also during my labor. Abigail was just fine. The chances are incredibly small of a baby contracting GBS even without antibiotics, but it can be devastating, so I opted to have them. If the baby is born before you get enough doses in, you can elect to have her (him?) take antibiotics after the birth as a precaution.

It was no big deal to have the antibiotics. I had my daughter outside of a hospital, so I had planned a completely noninterventive birth. But the IV was no problem. They hooked me up twice to run the medication in, then left me unhooked the rest of the time so that I could move around and labor in the jacuzzi. I don't even remember the second dose.

My baby didn't cry at birth, either. They checked her over and she was fine. She's just not a crier.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[kfcboston]

Thanks for all the positive stories, everyone! Now that it's been diagnosed, and we know how to address it through treatment, I need to just try to put it out of my mind. Your support helps!

Katie

[parkersmama]

This is off the topic but I'm curious about why you had a c-section? I had a c-section with Parker because he was breech. They insisted that I have a c-section although I wanted to give it a try the normal way. After that (I thought it was awful...hard recovery, they didn't let me hold him for hours, tough nursing start, etc) I was determined to have a VBAC. With Wesley I labored without drugs for about 16 hours trying to avoid a repeat c. When I finally said, "Just give me the epidural & the pitocin" and they did, he was born after about 3 hours with only 1/2 hour of pushing. The labor all night long was pretty awful but once I had the epi it was a breeze. I could still feel to push but had no pain. My VBAC was a complete success and I was up walking around after about an hour. He was born at 10:16 a.m. and when the dr. came back to check on me after lunch I was ready to go home (they wouldn't let me, though, and made me stay overnight)! Anyway, if there is any way possible for you, I just wanted to encourage you to have a VBAC. The recovery (especially with another little one around) was soooo much easier and we also got off to a better nursing start. BTW, I was on IV antibiotics, too, but never tested for GBS that I know of. My water broke and after 12 hours they put you on the IV because of risk of infection.

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[gravymommy3]

Katie,

I want to also let you know that you and your baby will be fine. I tested pos. for GBS on my third and final pregnancy. I was due to be induced on a Wed. but Hayden had different plans. She came at 1:30 am on Tuesday on my kitchen floor (we didn't even make it out to the car!) Needless to say, no antibiotics during labor here! After we got to the hospital, they administered 48 hours of anitbiotics to Hayden and performed blood cultures to make sure there was no bacteria in her blood. Other than her having to have the iv instead of me (very pitiful to look at!), she was just fine. The bad part for me was that, due to an ambulance ride and the visit by the paramedics and the extra lab work, my bill for the baby was a lot more than if she had just waited to be born at the hospital.

In short, follow your doctor's advice on the GBS and your baby will be fine.

Good luck

Amy

[Zansu]

Please don't worry about the GBS.

The reason they test for it and treat it automatically is b/c of the costs associated with treating a newborn who ends up infected b/c mom wasn't treated.

Treating the mom costs pennies. Treating an infant that goes septic b/c mom didn't get treated costs thousands.

However, even without treatment, the possibility of transmission is still very small.

Check with your hospital and ped, though. Some facilities will make a GBS-positive mom and baby stay in the hospital 48 hours, even though she was treated w/antibiotics during labor, in order to verify that the baby wasn't infected.

HTH
Suzanne

[atlbaby]

Amy,

Hayden's delivery sounds *wild* !!! Is it true then what I've heard that with each subsequent birth the labor time generally gets shorter? Although I'm sure you would have preferred to make it to the hospital and have a quick labor there!!

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01

[Rachels]

It's not universally true, but pleasepleaseplease let it be true for me! I read that post, and I thought, "Having a baby on the kitchen floor because there's not time to get to the car? That sounds GREAT!!!"


-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[gravymommy3]

It held true for me. My first child was incuded (due to Gestational Diabetes) and from the time of IV hookup to delivery, it was 7 3/4 hours. Not too shabby for an induction on a first baby. The second one (also induced) was just shy of three hours (got the epidural 20 mins before DS got here!) And by the time I figured out that the contractions were not Braxton-Hicks but the real thing, #3 was here in less than 30 mins. I am a real big wimp and this was not that big of a deal. The contractions were the worst part. Here is hoping that all of you can have it as easy as I did.

Good luck

Amy

[egoldber]

One of my college roommates had her second baby a few months ago. She had the baby 6 MINUTES after arriving at the hospital!!! No time to get her epidural and she was NOT happy about that!! :)

[gravymommy3]

Beth,

From experience, it is better not to get an epidural than to get one too late. I was terrified getting one with my son because the contractions (with the pitocin) were so intense that I could not stay still and I just knew I was going to end up paralyzed. It truly sucked. If they had bothered to check me (they check right after the insertion and I was plus 1 station) they would never have given it to me. I went through all that and then it did not work until after he was out. Course, I was nice and numb the rest of the day :)

[momathome]

I also tested positive for GBS before I got pregnant with my 2nd baby and had the added complication of a heart condition (ventricular septal defect, VSD) which also required me to have antibiotics during labor. They had to find a special antibiotic that would work for both conditions - oh, joy! Luckily, everything turned out fine for both me and the baby, which was truly a blessing considering I also had 8 weeks of unexplained pre-term labor,several weeks of bed rest and anti-contraction medication, but luckily delivered her only 2 weeks early. I did have to fight the hospital to leave before the 48 hour mark (had to get home to my 3 year-old dd who had Gymboree class the next day - couldn't disrupt the little princesses' schedule!) The hospital made me promise to take the baby to my pediatrician the next day just to be sure she was ok, which she was. For the record, I was in the hospital for about 42 hours after her delivery. Good luck! Not everyone has the adventure that I did!
-Lauren