I went to my midwife appointment yesterday and found out I was Strep B positive which means I will have to be hooked up to I.V. antibiotics during my birthing time. I'm quite frustrated and annoyed. I know it's important, it's just I don't want to be hooked up to any type of anything. It will be annoying to lug around a pole everywhere I go. I want to move as freely as possible. AHHH. Anyway, the most annoying thing about it is that my midwife told me to come in sooner than later when I go into my birthing time. I was hoping to do most my birth at home and come in to the hospital when I was close to the end. But with having to be on antibiotics I need to have 2 doses 4 hours apart so I need to go in a little earlier than I would otherwise. She also told me I would have to come in immediately if my water breaks. I really hope that doesn't happen before I go into labor. How annoying to have to be at the hospital that long. I don't sound like a doctors wife do I:-).
Another thing is I HATE antibiotics(well, most the time). I think our society uses them way too much and then the body builds up a tolerance to them so when they are really needed they don't work anymore. I have only taken antibiotics a few times in my life, but I try to avoid them at all costs. I know this is one of those times that it is necessary because it will keep Caleb safe, but what I'm concerned about is that it can cause yeast infections. Yeah, it might not sound like a big deal, but for any mother who nurses, she will understand. Ashlee my sister had an incredibly difficult time nursing Tanner the first quite a few weeks because of a yeast infection she got in her breasts due to the antibiotics (she is also strep B positive). They kept passing it back and forth. If anyone can give me any info on this I would appreciate it. Also, I was hoping to do a homebirth for my next baby and was wondering how that can be possible if I have to do antibiotics for each of my kids. Also, I am planning on eating a lot of yogurt and would love info on probiotics you can recommend to me. Is it safe to get on probiotics during pregnancy? Thanks a million!
You do not need antibiotics!
http://www.healthychild.com/antibiotics-group-B-strep.htm
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_p...
Hi B.,
With my son, I had 6 or 8 rounds of antibiotics for my GBS, and I didn't get a yeast infection. So hopefully you don't have to get that many rounds and you don't get a YI either! However I did have some other issues that made nursing almost more painful than being in labor if anyone can believe that but somehow I hung in there and it was 100% worth it! Nursing is going great now and I plan to nurse for a year - I never want him having any formula!
As for the feelings you're having about things not going your way, my advice is, just embrace whatever happens and love it because it is your own unique experience. I was dead set on a natural labor but I had pre-eclampsia, had to be induced, after 2+hours of pushing had a c-section because my little guy was nearly 10 pounds and just too big to come out. I've met moms who are so bitter about their c-sections, and it is a big bummer, but I personally don't want to have those kind of feelings about my experience...so I don't. I don't know if any of this makes sense to you, but my advice is, know what you want- but be okay with it if it has to change. If complications arise, it will be okay.
I wish you all the best, and hope it will be just what you are hoping for. Hang in there with the breast feeding, even if you do get a yeast infection, it will totally be worth it by the time you get past it.
Good Luck Mama!
R.
I'm sorry you're not going to have the birth experience that you dreamed in your head. However, being GBS+ is fairly common and while unharmful to you it's very dangerous for the baby. So, being hooked up to some antibiotics during labor & delivery is really the only decision to make. You can still have the natural delivery you're hoping for and you should still be able to move about relatively freely. You can carry the bag to eliminate needing to drag an IV pole. After all, antibiotics are not pain meds or induction meds, so if you're concerned about going it all natural, then I think you can still make that claim. I would just advise that you go into it all with an open mind and the knowledge that you may need to be flexible. It's great to have a birth plan in place and I hope you get to see yours through. However our babies sometimes have other ideas in mind and going with the flow will ease you along.
If you're prone to YIs then I'd start eating yogurt with live active cultures now. I also think that diflucan is safe while breastfeeding, though I never took it. I breastfeed for 18 months and was on antibiotics a few times and neither I nor my son had a YI.
Good luck.
I would certainly ask your midwife or a doctor if it's safe to take probiotics for a couple weeks before and after your antibiotic doses. I myself have never (knock on wood) had yeast infections from antibiotics so not everyone is prone to having them and maybe that's the case for you. I have more stomach issues from antibiotics. Of course the yogurt is fine so I see no reason why you couldn't switch to acidophilus milk as an added precaution. Luckily it will be short lived and you will have a beautiful baby to love. I too had high hopes of a natural birth but it didn't happen the way I wanted it to and I also had high hopes of breastfeeding my son which didn't happen for me either but once I accepted it, it didn't really matter; because I had a healthy baby and what more can you really ask for? Try not to be too rigid about your plans when it comes to pregnancy, birth, baby and kid because things don't always go as planned.
I was strep b positive with my first and only got one dose of antibiotics before my daughter was born. While she was fine they did watch her closely since I only received one dose of antibiotics. With my second I was negative for group B strep and it was a good thing because my labor went so fast we never made it to the hospital and he was born on the way.
I just want to say that everything will be ok .Congratulations!!
I'm a mom of 2 boys and pregnancy is not easy but you need to focuses on whats coming next; be a mom.Medicine this days is very good so I'm sure you will be ok just pray so you can enjoy the beauty of nursing your baby. And if you can't for any medical reason then lest be positive and think this way if you use formula now your husband can help you at night to feed the baby and you can sleep :). I live in ft Hood TX my boys is 6 and 2 and my husband is go in to Iraq this Monday so I stay along for 15 month just me and the kids. So welcome to Mommy life and I will pray so everything will be ok with you and your pregnancy
I.
I completely agree with you on everything you said, especially the antibiotics thing. Parents especially are so "give me drugs!" anytime they or their kid gets sick, even with a virus. Doctors are mostly to blame- they need to explain to people more clearly that most times antibiotics are unnecessary or uneffective, and not give in and prescribe them to parents who insist on medicine. But parents, too, need to be more educated. My daughter (21 months old) has NEVER had antibiotics. Once the doctor prescribed them because he said she "might" be coming down with a sinus infection (she wasn't sick, we were just at a well baby appt). Needless to say, I never gave them and she never got sick. But in this case you don't have many options (sorry!). Don't be too upset about it, though, you will still be able to move around, though, which is key. And in any case you are supposed to go in as soon as your water breaks because it significantly raises the risk of infection to both you and the baby, and there is also more risk of a cord prolapse, which is a really scary thing that basically means they have three minutes to save the baby (and was my #1 fear for my last month of pregnancy). However, unlike on TV and in movies, only 10% of women have their water break before labor starts (that's off the top of my head, it might be lower even).
As for a home birth for your next, I'm not sure how that works, but I would imagine that a midwife (a certified nurse midwife, since they can administer medicine) can give you the antibiotics at home just like in the hospital. If not, you could probably still give birth in a birthing center, which would have a home like feel. My upcoming child (my 2nd) will, if all goes well, be born in a birthing center. I prefer that over a home birth because, frankly, I don't want that mess in my house (you may feel the same way after you see the amount of STUFF that comes out of you before and after birth), but otherwise it has all the perks of being at home- freedom of movement, freedom to eat/drink, calm setting, etc. And they only make you (at least at my birth center) stay for 2 hours after the birth, then you can go home whenever you feel able. So you get to go home and recoup almost immediately afterwards. For me, the first time, I had a very good experience with the hospital in general, and the post partum ward in general was great, but it was not at all restful. Because I had a big baby they had to poke her heel every 3 hours to make sure she wasn't diabetic (I knew she wasn't, big babies run in my family and diabetes doesn't) which my midwife said is totally unnecessary even if I have another big baby. So no one got any more than three hours sleep, often less between her also needing to eat and other stuff. It will be awesome to come straight home and just rest (well, as much as you can with an infant and a toddler!).
Anyway, I am so off topic. Good luck in everything, and don't let it get you too down about this antibiotic thing! Oh, and there are TONS of probiotic products out there if you get tired of Yogurt- just check out a health food store.
yes it is safe... i had my son at 33 weeks and 4 days and i was hooked up to I.V.'s the whole time because i didnt go far enough in my pregnancy to be tested for strep B. the I.V's burn a little because of the antibiotic but the nurse should explain that to you. its nothing bad. i had no bad reactions to the antibiotics whats so ever. :] good luck
How exciting for you to have your first labor and delivery experience. Always remember, the most important outcome in healthy baby and healthy mommmy. Once the antibiotics go in the iv can be heplocked so that you will not have to lug around an iv pole. Best suggestions I ever got, was to not go in with any preconceived notions. Let the experience take you for the ride. Whatever way it goes, it is your own unique road that you and your husband will travel together. Just think about the end result - holding and loving your newborn baby! Congrats.
I was strep B positive with 2 of my six babies. I felt the same way you do. I really liked when I was able to go natural without an epidural, antibiotics, IV, etc. I was only able to get 1 dose of the med because my labors are so fast. So they made me stay another 24 hours in the hospital. And I hate staying in the hospital that long! But my babies were both fine. Only 1 out of 20,000 babies will have problems from the strep B without antibiotics. But to be safe, you just have to do it. My advice to you is, make sure you replace your good bacteria after the birth. I take Natren Life Start to replace what the antibiotics killed off. The good bacteria is needed for you and the baby to protect from colds/viruses and any complications from viruses like ear/throat infections. I give this to my kids and it works great. Enjoy your new baby!
