Strep B

[whiteynow]

JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS HAD STREP B DURING PREGNANCY BEFORE (I THINK THAT IS HOW U SPELL IT):rolleyes:

IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR STREP B YOU ARE PUT ON A DRIP DURING LABOUR SO THAT IT ISNT PASSED ON TO YOUR BABY....

JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS EXPERINCED THIS OR HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT?

[sexy_minx]

i dont know what the test really is or what the out come may be, as i was never tested for it sorry im no real help

[Mummy2Noah]

Good Thread ive also been wondering about this as im going next week to be tested!!!!

[werdxela]

I had it. I didnt have any probs or complications. I had to stay in hospital for 48hrs after my sons birth just to make sure he didnt develope an infection.

[mytwolilprinces]

I also had it with both my births, and yes basically they give you some anitbiotics via IV drip during labour which is supposed to help prevent infection of your baby.

Both my bubs were fine and never had a problem with it. They do need to have their temp checked regularly for 48 hours after the birth though.

Apparently it is really common. I was told that 1 in 4 mothers carry Strep B.

[whiteynow]

Guess What I Was Told Off The Midwife.... That You Actually Catch Strep B From Toilet Seats.... They Say So Many People Have It But Unless Your Pregenant You Will Not Notice Any Side Effects

[the_queen]

Testing is notoriously unreliable - if you test positive for it today, you can test again next week and come up negative. There isn't any need for anti-biotics, the risk is very very miniscule of "something happening to the baby". I never even did the swab test. My advice would be to RESEARCH this issue before worrying about it. Being hooked up to a drip during labour can actually cause more problems (ie not being able to labour actively, not being able to get into shower/bath for pain relief) than the tiny tiny tiny risk of "something happening to the baby".

[whiteynow]

Yeah Apparently Strep B Is A 6 Week Cycle...

[werdxela]

Group B streptococcus (also known as 'Strep B') is a naturally occurring bacterium commonly present in various parts of the body (in both men and women).

Stupid Middy. I dont think you would of caught it from a toilet.

[BOSS302WMOM]

You would be surprised where you can catch these diseases and infectious germs ....My mom was told a lot of things by middy's/nurses while working in Arukun(SP) that contradict the info the public is given.:eek: Apparently they don't want to scare the public.

[the_queen]

I doubt that.

[jungle_queen]

Wish I had read this post when DD1 was born 3.5 years ago .. the worst thing about the anitbiotic IV was the trainee nurse who didn't know how to insert it properly - blood everywhere and her continued efforts to insert it were almost more painful than the actual delivery as it turned out ... :eek:

[the_queen]

Don't worry Sheena - my favourite saying is "When you know better, you do better" :hugs: you will know better for next time.

[mythreelittlemonkeys]

I had it and the drip but to be fair it couldnt have impeded me any further as I already had had a ballsed up catheter induction (due to no doctor available when I dilated) and was stuck on syntocin so all my plans of active birth went down the toilet anyway!
Yes it is a naturally occuring bacteria and yes you can be positive one week and not the next...but seeing as infant mortality rates are lower these days because of things done to protect the baby and mother I would probably have the antis again if I was positive...the effect it can have on babies is pretty horrid I would hate to be the one who did pass it on...
And this is coming from someone who hates pills and rarely touches any antibiotics...
But that just my opinion - have a read on it and make your own mind up...sure if you really anti the antibiotics you can sign a waiver...

[jkate]

I had strep B with both my boys, and will be having antibiotics with bub number 3 as well. Both times I was given the antibiotics by a injection and never had to worry about a drip. My own opinion, is better to be safe then sorry, I would prefer to have it then have any problems. I had a wonderful stress free labour with DS2 - even nearly had a water birth - with no other drugs.

[the_queen]

:laughing:

Here you go Pony! Here's a can of lion spray. Keeps the lions away. You don't see any here, do you? See, it works!!

:laughing:

*off to dig up some info about the effect of anti-biotics on newborns*

[BOSS302WMOM]

I doubt that.

Maybe not strep I don't know but don't doubt the middy straight away. After all they are the professionals who get the info first hand and then pass what they are allowed to on to the public.

[the_queen]

http://www.aims.org.uk/Journal/Vol15No4/WarOnGroupBStrep.htm


....ever since antibiotics have been used to treat large numbers of women whose babies were deemed at risk of GBS disease (whether on a risk-based or culture-based policy), the rate of Escherichia coli infections in premature babies has more than doubled. Around 85 per cent of the E. coli infections in one study were resistant to the drugs prescribed to treat GBS. There is a huge debate over antibiotic-resistant bacteria in general, and these policies involve giving antibiotics to a lot of women, which may have ramifications for the population as a whole. It has also been suggested that giving antibiotics while babies are still in their mother's uterus might delay the baby's gut being colonised with normal, "good" bacteria while allowing dangerous penicillin-resistant bacteria to become established there instead

[the_queen]

Maybe not strep I don't know but don't doubt the middy straight away. After all they are the professionals who get the info first hand and then pass what they are allowed to on to the public.

sorry, I wasn't clear: I doubt that medical professionals withold information in order to prevent scaring the public. The opposite is more likely to be true, actually.

[the_queen]

http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=520


The widespread use of antibiotics is known to contribute to the development of resistant organisms.This is a particular risk when broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ampicillin are used but should not be ignored as a possibility when using penicillin.
There is also a possibility that exposure to antibiotics in the neonatal perinatal period may affect neonatal faecal flora, with a subsequent impact on immune development and later allergy

[OscarTheGrouch]

Wish I had read this post when DD1 was born 3.5 years ago .. the worst thing about the anitbiotic IV was the trainee nurse who didn't know how to insert it properly - blood everywhere and her continued efforts to insert it were almost more painful than the actual delivery as it turned out ... :eek:
Hmmm, considering trainee Nurses aren't allowed to insert IV cannulas or administer AB's.:confused:

[Jester]

I had it with my DS and had the drip thing in. It really did not both me and had a very active birth. From memory (which is not great at the best of times) I think the drip is only based on if you water breaks first before contractions because then it is open to make it more able for infections.

Not sure on all the pros and cons but it was fine for me and not a problem... one healthy DS!

[mythreelittlemonkeys]

Okay some other stats to balance this out...
(I admit from the UK but must be similar here?)
GBS colonises up to 30% of adults in the UK, without symptoms or side-effects. However, GBS can also cause infection, most commonly in newborn babies before, during or shortly after birth. GBS can more rarely cause infection in adults (typically women during pregnancy or after birth, the elderly and people with serious underlying medical conditions which impair their immune system).

In newborn babies, there are two types of GBS disease: early and late-onset. Roughly 80% of GBS disease is early-onset, occurring in the first 2 days of life and usually apparent at birth. Early-onset GBS disease is normally characterised by the rapid development of breathing problems, associated with blood poisoning. Late-onset disease - which usually presents as GBS meningitis - occurs after the baby is 2 days old and, normally, by age 1 month but, rarely, up to age 3 months. After age 3 months, GBS infection in babies is extremely rare. GBS infections cause death in approximately 1 in every 10 infected babies.

GBS is also a recognised cause of preterm delivery, maternal infections, stillbirths and late miscarriages. GBS infections are rare in adults, especially so for men and women who are not pregnant.

Overall, without preventative medicine, GBS infections affect an estimated 1 in every 1,000 babies born in the UK. Each year, based on 700,000 babies born annually in the UK, approximately:

230,000 babies are born to mothers who carry GBS; 88,000 babies (1 in 8) become colonised with GBS; 700 babies develop GBS infections, usually within 2 days of birth; and
75 babies (10% of infected babies) die.
Of the survivors of GBS meningitis, up to a third suffer long-term mental and/or physical handicaps, from mild learning disabilities to severe mental retardation, loss of sight, loss of hearing and lung damage (in around 12% of the survivors, the disabilities may be severe). The great majority of survivors of early-onset disease do so with no long-term damage.

and here is a link to a website about people affected by it http://www.thejessecause.org/pages/stories.php

I think people have strong views about it either way...and that antibiotics can be overused that is for sure...but thought I would just find a balance :yes:
Here is some info on natural remedies if you really anti the drugs...

At 32 weeks, begin to take a supplement of 500 mg of vitamin C and one cup of burdock root and echinacea root infusion. To prepare the infusion, steep one-half ounce of each of these herbs in four cups of boiling water for two hours. Strain and take the above dose, storing the rest in the refrigerator for the next day.

Eat a lot of fresh garlic every day.

Take one-half teaspoon each of echinacea and astragalus tinctures twice daily. You can also get dried astragalus in the herb department of your health food store, and cook two strips into a pot of rice or soup two to three times per week Remove the strips when done cooking and eat the rice or soup. Astragalus is an immune system tonic, well known in the Chinese pharmacopoeia but also found in America
Oh and how do you Quote from another website??

[BOSS302WMOM]

sorry, I wasn't clear: I doubt that medical professionals withold information in order to prevent scaring the public. The opposite is more likely to be true, actually.

That was the impression I was under as well, maybe it's just the nurses there, or where I am. These nurses lived in close quarters with most of the "Caucasian" population and shared this information.

Sorry if I offend I am only going of what we were told my these nurses.

Anyway I hope the OP finds the answers she was after.