ugh found out that my group B strep is positive

lcourter24

So we have been planning on laboring at home as long as possible before transferring to the birth center, but now I have to time it so I can get the antibiotics for group b strep.  Have any of you ladies had experience with this?  I hate that I have to have an IV now too. Just hoping you ladies will have some insight. TIA!

pepomntpat

You don't have to have a full time IV. You can get a hep lock and get your meds and then get detached. You can also probably get your meds and go back home. I'd just ask your MW what your options are.

barnwife

I was GBS +. I tried Hibiclens and asked to be retested, but I was still GBS +. I still had a homebirth and didn't have antibiotics.

DH and I did tons of research of GBS and decided that we were fine with my midwife's protocol for GBS + moms in labor. She only insists on antibiotics if you have prolonged rupture of membranes or run a fever (there may have been a few other instances that I can't remember now). Again, we did our own research and were fine with this. It seemed odd to us that all GBS+ laboring women are treated with antibiotics when only a very small percentage will develop problems. So we went with my midwife's protocol.

None of the situations applied to me, so I didn't get antibiotics.

CurbsideProphet

pepomntpat:

You don't have to have a full time IV. You can get a hep lock and get your meds and then get detached. You can also probably get your meds and go back home. I'd just ask your MW what your options are.

I did not go back home, but I did have a hep lock. So I was hooked up for a little while and then detached. When I got in the birth pool they just put a long glove over my arm and the hep lock. 

youleen

I'm trying to figure this out too.  My doctor didn't seem too concerned but my mom was only in labor with me for 2 1/2 hours and they seemed pretty insistant that I need four doses one each hour.  But they also keep telling me not to come to the hospital too soon.  

balibaby

youleen:

I'm trying to figure this out too.  My doctor didn't seem too concerned but my mom was only in labor with me for 2 1/2 hours and they seemed pretty insistant that I need four doses one each hour.  But they also keep telling me not to come to the hospital too soon.  

Your mom's labor sounds like my last one,

StefandTodd

I was GBS+.  I asked my OB if I could be retested at my 40 week appt (it wouldn't have mattered since I went into labor at 40+1), but she said no.  Then she asked what I was so concerned about, and I told her that I had hoped to labor at home as long as possible to avoid an epidural.

I know she was very pro-antibiotics for GBS+ (based on her reaction to me telling her that my Bradley teacher had declined them with her last birth), but even being very adamant of my "need" for them, she said, "as a first time mom, I think it's very unlikely you'll get to the hospital with less than 4 hours of l&d left.  So you will still, in all likelihood, be able to get your 2 doses."  She basically told me not to worry and to just do what I would otherwise do if not GBS+, but just plan for antibiotics.

My doula contacted a midwife friend of hers who suggested I start a probiotics regimen in case I didn't get to the hospital in time for the antibiotics...she thought probiotics *might* eliminate the GBS.  I'll never know, but it was a little peace of mind to labor at home and really not worry about it, in case I couldn't get them. 

My labor went fast.  I labored at home for 7 hours, but I remember thinking we were going in too soon, and that it really wasn't *that* bad when we got to the hospital - and I was already at 8cm.  At that point, I knew I'd had a very fast labor to 8cm, my water had JUST broken at the hospital, and I could feel things intensifying, so it became clear to me that the baby would be born in less than 4 hours.  I asked to decline the antibiotics.  Some nurses were pretty appalled that I wouldn't at least get one dose, but one dose does nothing anyway, and I knew my risk factors were super low.  The midwife that delivered me was very supportive of my declining it.

So I guess my approach was - planned to get the antibiotics if risks seem high and/or there's time, took a probiotic to feel better about possibly eliminating the GBS (retesting would've been preferable), labored at home same as I would've without GBS, got checked once at the hospital and evaluated then whether I thought there was time/necessity for the antibiotics.

I know that if my water had broken very early, or I was only dilated to 3-4 or something, I would've accepted the antibiotics though.  I know it seems like you might be too out of it to make a decision like that at the time, but I sort of feel like it's something you can play by ear and follow your instincts on once you're in the situation, if you've done your research, know the risk factors and what's important to you.

GL. 

reederah

I was GBS+ and "labored" at home for 12 hours (I wasn't in terrible pain though), and went into the hospital at 7cm. They gave me my first dose of antibiotics, then disconnected me from the IV so I could do whatever. After 4 more hours my water still hadn't broken and I was still 7cm so they gave me another dose and broke my water. They disconnected me and let me labor in the tub, and m son was born 3.5 hours later.

You should be fine laboring at home for awhile because first time moms tend to be in labor awhile... and at the hospital they SHOULD let you disconnect after receive the antibiotic (it takes about 15ish minutes to run) so you can still do what you want and not be tied down to an IV pole. I was devastated when I found out I was positive because I didn't want to be connected to an IV the whole time, but my midwives and nurses were awesome and it didn't make much difference in my birth plan at all.

GPeterson24

Test again!  My naturopath had some natural remedies to reverse it so that I could test again and avoid the antibiotics.