GBS+ and natural birth - a couple ?'s if this was you

StefandTodd

I found out this morning that I'm GBS+.  I'm disappointed that it'll mean (according to my doula and her experience with my hospital/provider and their protocols) a little longer hospital stay and of course, the antibiotics.

Can you tell me what were the most difficult aspects of being GBS+ and laboring naturally?  How limiting/difficult is it to be connected to the IV antibiotics during labor?  How long did the doses take?  Did you feel it was manageable?

If your water broke, did you head in immediately like they suggest?  I mean, I think they suggest this GBS+ or not, but I had planned to still labor at home quite a bit.  Now, I'm reading it's especially important to head in right away if my water breaks.  Any thoughts on this?

My doula mentioned I could be retested after 30 days, which would be right at my 40 week appt...has anyone asked to retested and had success getting your doc to do it?  On my birth month board, even moms who were tested for it in first tri/early second tri (or in previous pregnancies!) are being advised to take antibiotics, so I feel this is a long shot.

My doula did mention that it's 2 doses every 4 hours and that it can continue during pushing, so it's still okay to labor at home a long time before heading in in most cases.  Would love your thoughts and experiences on all of this.

TIA!

barnwife

I was  GBS+ and had a homebirth. My midwife only insists on antibiotics if you have prolonged rupture of membranes or a fever in labor. (They may have been a few more cases that I don't remember now.) Anyway, none applied to me. That is, I didn't have a fever during labor, nor did I have prolonged rupture of membranes. So I didn't get antibiotics.

DH and I researched it ahread of time and were perfectly fine with that. It seemed crazy to us that all GBS+ women are treated with antibiotics when only a small percentage will pass it on and and it will only be a problem in a small fraction of those cases.

Again, we researched it and were fine with my midwife's protocols.

I was originally tested at 36 weeks. I did ask to be retested at 38 weeks after trying Hibiclens to get rid of it. I was still GBS+.

laurau1982

So I had to be induced and also get the antibiotics because I was GBS+. I had wanted to have the port when I thought I was just GBS+, but had to have the constant IV for the induction.  The penicillin did sting at the IV site but they can give you warm packs to help with that.  I was still able to walk around and labor in the tub.  I did still have a med free birth and I am a first timer so that did work out for me.  I also had a huge bruise on my forearm from the IV site.  I have small veins so they had to put it in a less than ideal spot on my arm. 

 Good luck!  When labor really gets going, you won't even notice!

kcvasquez

I was only given two doses of penicillin through and I.V then could have it removed. It depends on your hospital/birthing centers policy. I was still able to be up and moving around so you don't have to be attached to the bed just because you have to get penicillin for the GBS.

StefandTodd

Thanks guys!

One more question for anyone else who can answer - did you take probiotics beforehand to help decrease the risk of thrush?  I will be asking my OB about this too.

My Bradley instructor declined the antibiotics with her last baby, and they required a 4-day minimum hospital stay because of it.  I don't know what my OB would require, but since one of the things I'm most bummed about is an already extended stay due simply to being +, I will probably opt to get the antibiotics. =/

abell77

I am gbs+ this time around so while I haven't experienced it yet, here are my thoughts:

Ask for a hep lock so that you don't have to be hooked up in between doses.  I have been told it takes about 20-30 min for a dose to go through.  If my water breaks, I am heading into the hospital right away since my first labor was pretty quick once contractions started.  Where are you delivering?  I will be at Sutter Davis and since I have complete faith in them to not rush my labor along if it does go slower than last time, I'm not nervous about going in too soon, although I would preferred to be able to labor at home longer, but the gbs kind rules that out for me.  I know you have no way of predicting how quickly your labor will progress, and that makes it tough.  For me, a huge part of my decision to go forward with the antibiotics and to go to the hospital sooner rather than later has been influenced by the circumstances following my son's birth, and I realize I may have a bias because of this.  Long story short, my son developed an unanticipated problem shortly following his birth and was transferred to Sutter Memorial because there is no NICU at Davis.  I will spare you the details, but the whole experience of having him transferred and having me discharged from the hospital soon after delivery to go be with him was quite upsetting and experience I hope to never repeat again.  I'm just not willing to take the risk that this lo gets sick because I was slow to act.  If this one were to develop an infection, it would mean another transfer to Sutter Memorial

I hadn't heard about taking probiotics prior to labor, but I will ask my mw about that at my appt. tomorrow.  I do have a bottle packed in my hospital bag and plan to begin taking them after delivery to help reintroduce good bacteria to my system.

 Good Luck to you!

CircleInTheSea

I was GBS+ for our last pregnancy.  Our hospital considers you positive, even if you test negative at a later date.  We had the heplock and the dose took less than 15 mins.  It was itchy and annoying, but toIerable & we did the baseline heartbeat reading at the same time since I had to sit down anyway.  I did not go in immediately when my water broke.  I labored at home for about 3 hours first before heading over (and we stopped for breakfast, hee hee).  I only received one dose because they have to be given four hours apart and labor at the hospital only lasted two hours (oops.....).  We left the hospital 24 hours after we were admitted, but we had to bring ds in for a checkup the next day.  When you first read about GBS, it is scary as all get out.  Then you start really looking at the numbers, and it's not as terrifying.  It's still something to keep an eye on, and your docs/nurses aren't kidding when they say it's a nasty illness, but still.  Hugs and good luck mama

StefandTodd

Thanks abell!  I am delivering at Kaiser South Sac, and with a very experienced doula (with lots of experience at Kaiser SS).  And their midwifery program has an excellent reputation, so I feel pretty good about everything.  I do believe they'll let me have the hep lock.  I was more thinking how long do I have to be connected to the antibiotics with each dose they do.  20-30 mins or so sounds manageable.  I'm sure it'll be okay. 

Hopefully my water won't break since that's my biggest "worry"...having to go in and get pitocin or something as well.

There's probably nothing I can do to increase my chances of going into active labor without my water breaking?...

And thanks for sharing your story.  Kaiser SS also doesn't have a NICU, so there is a rare chance baby could transfer to Roseville...I've thought about it and know it's a small chance and still more worthwhile for me to go to SS, but it's good for me to think about.

Thanks for all the responses.  I'm feeling better about this.

StefandTodd

CircleInTheSea:

I was GBS+ for our last pregnancy.  Our hospital considers you positive, even if you test negative at a later date.  

See, this is what I heard and it kind of bothers me.

But my doula said specifically that an L&D nurse at my hospital recommends the testing 30 days later, so maybe there's still a chance it's possible for me.  I really think my OB will just poo-poo the whole idea of retesting though.  Especially since it'd be at my 40 week appt.  Blah.

Anyway, thank you!!!

bestmaid6

My first test came back positive but I re-swabbed after three weeks of taking a live probiotic, echinacea and garlic supplements daily. I had two negative swabs at two different appointments and my midwife changed my status to negative. I didn't have to have the antibiotics and my pediatrician wasn't concerned about a potential transfer of the GBS to LO.

MustanGTbaby13

I was GBS+ and had my membranes rupture at 9:30AM, I headed into the hospital to meet my MW at 2:30PM, Antibiotics were started a little after 3PM. At 5PM we started pitocin because they wanted to augment because of my GBS status w/ ruptured membranes. I was on a wireless monitor, and I was able to walk around, use the bathroom, etc,  but it was still crappy as I had to have continued monitoring and once I was in strong active labor we had to switched to the wired ones and I had to remain in bed because it kept losing contact and baby was showing decels. I was upset because I really wanted a water birth, but the monitors were not allowed to be submersed in water. I labored and gave birth pain med free. It was difficult, I hated being strapped in the bed and seeing the damn birthing tub mocking me, but it is possible to do.

katcarls

StefandTodd:

I found out this morning that I'm GBS+.  I'm disappointed that it'll mean (according to my doula and her experience with my hospital/provider and their protocols) a little longer hospital stay and of course, the antibiotics.

Can you tell me what were the most difficult aspects of being GBS+ and laboring naturally?  How limiting/difficult is it to be connected to the IV antibiotics during labor?  How long did the doses take?  Did you feel it was manageable?

If your water broke, did you head in immediately like they suggest?  I mean, I think they suggest this GBS+ or not, but I had planned to still labor at home quite a bit.  Now, I'm reading it's especially important to head in right away if my water breaks.  Any thoughts on this?

My doula mentioned I could be retested after 30 days, which would be right at my 40 week appt...has anyone asked to retested and had success getting your doc to do it?  On my birth month board, even moms who were tested for it in first tri/early second tri (or in previous pregnancies!) are being advised to take antibiotics, so I feel this is a long shot.

My doula did mention that it's 2 doses every 4 hours and that it can continue during pushing, so it's still okay to labor at home a long time before heading in in most cases.  Would love your thoughts and experiences on all of this.

TIA!

The main things being GBS+ changed for me was that I would need to go in right away if my water broke and I would have an IV.  I didn't ask my midwife about being retested. 

As far as movement goes, you don't need to have the IV in the entire time.  They can disconnect the IV and just leave the hep lock in between doses.  Some people have also said that they pushed the dose of antibiotics through their hep lock and skipped the IV altogether. 

Fortunately, my water didn't break on it's own and I was able to labor at home.  DS was born an hour after arriving at the hospital, so the IV didn't affect my movement at all.  I would have been in the bed that whole time anyway.  I also never felt or noticed the IV until after DS was out.  The short time did mean that I didn't receive the full dose, so they monitored DS a little more closely to make sure he didn't develop an infection.  Just being GBS+ didn't automatically mean a longer hospital stay for him or me.

 

JLG95

I was GBS+ with my first pregnancy.  I got to the hospital and was about 9cm, so there was no time for antibiotics.  I was so dehydrated from all the vomiting/diarrhea while I labored at home that they couldn't get an IV in me anyway.  My midwives just ended telling the the L&D nurses to stop trying to poke holes in me and let me push the baby out.  He was born about 2 hours after I arrived.  In the end, my son got a dose of antibiotics shortly after birth.

Crystal318

I lurk here sometimes and I just want to share a little bit of my story so take it for what its worth.

Long story short, I tested NEGATIVE for GBS. I was induced, in labor for 30 hours and ended up with a c-section. My son was GBS positive (see siggy for details). I did not have a fever, my membranes were not ruptured for over 24 hours, my blood pressure was perfect, etc. There were no signs of fetal distress until I started pushing and that was becuase the cord was around his neck. The point is that you can NEVER be too careful. My son almost lost his life before it even started. He was in critical condition and stayed in the NICU for 17 days. GBS can cause menigitis. He was actually treated for menigitis but we are still not sure if he ever had it because they tried to two spinal taps and couldnt get enough fliud. Please do not mess around with GBS. We all want the least invasive birth experience as possible but I would not take any chances at all. The possibilies of GBS may be small but the consequences are HUGE and could mean the difference between life and death.

Thanks for letting me share. 

 Good Luck!

roundtheworldgirl

barnwife:

I was  GBS+ and had a homebirth. My midwife only insists on antibiotics if you have prolonged rupture of membranes or a fever in labor. (They may have been a few more cases that I don't remember now.) Anyway, none applied to me. That is, I didn't have a fever during labor, nor did I have prolonged rupture of membranes. So I didn't get antibiotics.

DH and I researched it ahread of time and were perfectly fine with that. It seemed crazy to us that all GBS+ women are treated with antibiotics when only a small percentage will pass it on and and it will only be a problem in a small fraction of those cases.

Again, we researched it and were fine with my midwife's protocols.

I was originally tested at 36 weeks. I did ask to be retested at 38 weeks after trying Hibiclens to get rid of it. I was still GBS+.

I was also GBS+ with my first homebirth.  I researched, and like pp, was kind of surprised to find how low the risks were.  So I told my mws that I only wanted abx if I ran a fever or had prolonged rupture of membranes.  They were unsure, but what I love about them is their willingness to work with you and your preferences.  I ended up not having any of those issues, thus no abx.  And no problem.  I was not GBS+ the second time around.