Strep B

Sounds like you wouldn't be infected if you are having a cesarean, but for what it's worth, my midwife just told me that if you want to avoid the IV, you can wrap a garlic bulb in gauze & insert it each night. Many women end up not needing the antibiotics.

There's a lot of research showing that the ABX don't change the outcomes for the babies, especially in preventing death. PM me if you'd like the research because you're birthing at home or birth center and don't want to deal with ABX (or are willing to put up the fight in the hospital to not have the IV).

This is about as informed as I can get. I'm gonna give you my personal story, and then the answer straight out of my microbiology book:)

I don't remember the exact timing during my pregnancy, but my doctor tested me for Group B streptococci and I tested positive. He sent me home with an antibiotic prescription that lasted for five days. It felt pretty strong to me because I had diarrhea during those 5 days. I believe they rechecked me just before delivery to assure that I was negative, and I was. Delivery was normal and induced.

Now here's my micro book explanation: Most microorganisms a baby will encounter in the birth canal are harmless. Some of them will become intimately associated with it. They will live in and on the baby becoming part of it's normal microbiota and will accompany it throughout life. Normal microbiota protect babies by creating an environment that is unfavorable for the growth of pathogens.
This is a case study, and the baby is referred to as Baby girl A: Baby girl A was at risk of encountering Group B streptococci because this pathogen had been present in her mother's vagina. Although Group B streptococci can cause a variety of serious diseases, Baby Girl A's mother was unaware of being colonized by this pathogen because she had no symptoms. Between 5 and 35 percent of pregnant women are similarly colonized by Group B streptococci and like Baby Girl A's mother do not show symptoms. But about 1 percent of infants born to such colonized women become infected and 5 to 8 percent of them die. The disease newborns suffer when infected with Group B streptococci at birth can strike quickly ro be delayed. Either eventuality is dangerous. Early onset disease, which begins within the first 6 days after birth, usually develops into meningitis. Late onset disease typically begins at 3 to 4 weeks of age. It usually results in septicemia.
Doctors swab the vagina and rectum to test for Group B strep.
Baby Girl A's mothe was given intravenously large doses of penicillin G. (penicillin G kills only certain bacteria, including Group B streptococci) Because of this preventative treatment, Baby Girl A passed through a birth canal that was loaded with a variety of microorganisms, but not Group B streptococci. She began to acquire her normal microbiota.

Well, I think that's about as in depth as you can get.

It is standard in the United States to test moms for Group Beta Strep, but not in Europe. Here are a few links with more information about the incidence of Strep B and philosphies on treating it.

According to this link, it is not common:
http://www.storkreport.com/pg2pcg.html
"One of every four or five pregnant women carries GBS in the rectum or vagina... Approximately one of every 100 to 200 babies whose mothers carry GBS develop signs and symptoms of GBS disease."

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html
http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/strep.htm

Strep B is something all women have in their vaginal canal and it just lives there, our normal flora and fauna, kinda like the bacteria in our gut. Sometimes pregnant women get an overgrowth of the bacteria strep B and simply need antibiotics during labor. Don't worry, your doctor will take care of it, but do ask questions if you need to. God bless and good luck!!

I had it with my third pregnancy and they just started me on antibiotics during labor, even though I delivered via C-section. I have an acquaintance who wasn't tested and didn't get antibiotics and her son, healthy in all other ways, died shortly after birth. There are no side effects with the antibiotics, but there could be devastating effects if you don't take them. Just take them and relax!

Group B Strep is a bacteria that lives in your digestive system and is harmless to you, but it can make your newborn very sick if you have it.I found this on the pregnancy.about.com website, I hope it helps you!

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines are summarized as follows:

Every woman should be tested between weeks 35-37 of gestation with a simple vaginal and rectal swab.
If she tests positive she should be treated with antibiotics in labor.
If a woman has tested negative within five weeks of labor, she does not need to be treated in labor, even if she develops risk factors.
If a woman has an unknown GBS status in labor, she should only be treated if she develops risk factors.
A woman should be treated in labor if she has ever had a previous baby born with GBS or if she has tested positive at any time during her current pregnancy.

Strep B is an infection that can be passed from mom to baby during birth. I don't know if the c-sect will make the baby safe or not... I do know that what they told me when I tested pos scard me and I had the IV. He is a healthy little one... the only one that can truely answer your quesitons is you doc in this situation. You trusted him/her with your care - trust them to care for you and your baby and do the best for you and your little one. But make sure you are comfirtable and that they answer your questions.

Congrats and good luck!

Hi S.,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I'm assuming you're talking about Beta Strep B from a vaginal culture. It is not something you've gotten from anyone. It is a bacteria that some women have in their vaginal flora, some women have a tendancy to carry it. It's harmless to them, but the concern is when a baby travels through the birth canal during delivery. The baby may become infected & make baby very sick.

The treatment is IV antibiotics every 4 hours during labor. They usually like to have at least 2 doses in prior to delivery, which will give baby protection. They may prefer you go to the hospital before labor is too progressed so adequate doses can be given. If there is not enough time then they will monitor baby for signs of illness, possibly do a blood culture & give antibiotics to baby until the culture comes back negative. Talk to your Midwife or OB about their procedure.

Don't worry about it, just enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

Good luck to you & your family.

God Bless,

K.

From Google:

Group B streptococcus, or group B strep, is a bacterium that causes life- threatening infections in newborns. Group B strep can also cause disease in pregnant women, the elderly, and adults with other illnesses.
Many people carry group B strep bacteria in their bodies without developing infection or illness. However, the bacteria can become deadly to people with weakened immune systems.
Pregnant women can transmit group B strep to their newborns at birth. Group B strep is the most common cause of blood infections and meningitis in newborns.
Most cases of group B strep disease in newborns can be prevented by giving certain pregnant women antibiotics during labor.

What is group B streptococcus (group B strep)?

Group B streptococcus (group B strep) is a bacterium that causes life-threatening infections in newborn infants. Group B strep can also cause serious diseases in pregnant women, the elderly, and adults with other illnesses. The letter "B" refers to a classification of bacteria in the genus Streptococcus according to the makeup of the organism's cell wall.

Totally normal "Flora and Fauna" of your nether regions. If you're pregnant, it just means you'll have to be started on an IV antibiotic when you go into labor because if you have a vaginal delivery Group B strep can cause eye infections and lung infections. It's really no big deal.

streo B does NOT live in everyone's vaginal canal.... it lives in you rectum. Many women that wear thong panties end up with strep B (and is common and not harmful to you but for a baby to pass through that could make them ill). That is why when women are in labor they receive IV antibiotics so it does not harm baby.I worked for an OB-GYN for 5 yrs.

I don't want to come off sounding like a "b....", but I worked in labor and delivery for many years and some of the other responses you got aren't right, here is the deal....Not everyone carries this, it is a type of strep (not the same as the one which causes strep throat) and you can be a carrier and not even know it. However, if passed on to a newborn during delivery it can cause the infant to be extremely sick. It is carried in the intestines, vaginal, and or rectal area. All OB's will check for this and if you test positive you will be given an IV antibiotic while you labor and it needs to be in before you deliver. I'm sure when you had your 10 yo you were tested for it then and probably just didn't realize it. Hope this helps.

I tested positive for Group B strep with 2 of my 3 pregnancies. With the first baby I had antibiotics and everything was fine. With the 2nd baby, the delivery was too fast and I didn't get the antibiotics, but everything was fine. With the 3rd baby, I delivered before the test was completed, but everything was fine. It's really nothing to worry about. They will put an antibiotic in your IV during delivery and you will not be affected by it at all. Just keep it in mind in case you have to deliver unexpectedly somewhere other than the hospital that you planned for. Let them know, so they can use the antibiotic. Good Luck!

Dr's need to monitor pregnant women w/ Strep B more so than those w/o Strep B, b/c of potential transmission of the bacteria to the newborn in the process of delivery. So, what they do is give mother bunch of antibiotics through IV, to help keep bacteria at bay during delivery. Many women have this bacteria in their organisms, and chances of transmitting it to the baby are very low, given that mothers get antibiotics. Don't worry too much about it. It's just a part of screening procedure.

I tested positive for Strep B when I was pregnant with my daughter. It means exactly what the one detailed reply says about the transmission possibly being very harmful to your newborn. But this is with vaginal deliveries. I was induced with my daughter and they immediately put me on IV antibiotics throughout the whole course of the induction. I never did deliver vaginally though...ended up with a c-section. But the antibiotics were a just in case we did go vaginally. Don't worry about it...it just means that they're going to have you on antibiotics during delivery and doing that ahead of time should prevent the transmission to your newborn.

i tested positive for strep b with my fist baby, but not with my second.
i went to the hospital when i was around 3cm dilated (i planned to stay and labor at home more, but i wanted to be sure i was at the hospital with enough time to get IV anitbiotics). i personally chose to have a longer labor in the hospital, than risk all the testing on my newborn. the thought of the risks and him having all those tests just made me sad.
the most inconvenient thing was having to drag the IV pole with me to the bathroom and if i was walking around too much. but they let me labor for a while before they did the IV. and really it wasnt any worse than having to have the external fetal monitor on.

i had no complications. i had a natural, unmedicated birth with no problems. he was born healthy and with no signs of strep b complitcations.

good luck!