Group B Strep Positive :(

Lucky_N_Love

Sorry if this question has been asked multiple times before. I don't usually post here but do often lurk.

 I am hoping for a med free VBAC with my son due in 4 weeks. I just got my test results back and I am positive for Group B Strep I am SO bummed!  I was positive with my daughter and it created a horrible experience for me from the get go.

I was hoping to hear some positive stories about ladies that had to be tied to an IV for hours but still were able to have the peaceful and relaxed med free birth you wanted.

SunnyMuffin

You are within your right to refuse the IV antibiotics and and just ask to be treated if any risk factors are present.

You can look up GBS risk factors if this is something that interests you.  The outcomes are the same, there are just 2 ways of apporaching this problem. 

SunnyMuffin

If you are having trouble with your search, here is some info to help you:

 You have 2 options that your dr probably didnt tell you about.  You can receive IV antibiotics if you test positive for GBS, OR, you can receive antibiotics only if certain risk factors apply to you.  

GBS risk factors:
-Preterm labor (before 37 weeks)
-Women whose membranes have ruptured longer than 18 hours.
-Women who have a fever of greater than 100.4 degrees in labor

There are concerns to treating all women who test positive for GBS with antibiotics:

a. Severe allergic reactions to antibiotics can occur.

b. The overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistant bacteria that no longer respond to common antibiotics.

c. Increases in other serious newborn infections (especially E Coli and yeast causing thrush) as a result of over treatment of GBS may be outweighing the benefits of GBS treatment

https://www.espanolavalleywomenshealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/GBS-Informed-Consent.pdf

https://www.healthychild.com/treating-group-b-strep-are-antibiotics-necessary

nosoup4u

SunnyMuffin:

You are within your right to refuse the IV antibiotics and and just ask to be treated if any risk factors are present.You can look up GBS risk factors if this is something that interests you. nbsp;The outcomes are the same, there are just 2 ways of apporaching this problem.nbsp;

This is true, but the hospital may insist on treating your baby with abx if you refuse them in labor, quite honestly.

Have you talked to your provider about a lower intervention GBS IV? You don't have to have the active IV after you get a dose of abx. Also, CDC recommends getting retested every few weeks, so you could test negative the next time. I would take a lot of probiotics, eat yogurt, fermented foods and cut back on sugary foods to see if that can help, too. I would also talk to your provider about your concerns! I'm sure they'll be sympathetic about your worries.

Good luck with your VBAC! You also might want to ask this on the VBAC board, too. hth

xnbride

Don't fret. The IV will not undermine your natural birth. Typically it only takes about 30min to administer the medication and then it can be removed and re administered 4 hours later.

I have been GBS+ every single time and the IV is not a big deal at all.  They did a hep lock this last time and it worked well. My midwife even would have allowed me to get a dose of the antibiotics and then leave and come back for the second round so that I would not be on the hospital's time.

Definitely talk to your provider about your options. You can do this!

Lucky_N_Love

thank you ladies for the resources to explore. Looks like I will have a fun weekend of research before my next appt.

LadyMadrid08

I was GBS+ with DD.  I was not tied to an IV for hours and the time I was hooked up for the doses of antibiotics (mine gave me a dose that lasted about 15 minutes every 4-6 hours during labor) I was able to move around, be in the tub, etc because I had an IV on a walking pole (not sure what those are called?).

My labor started with my water breaking and I was able to go into the hospital, get the first dose, then return home to labor until I felt I needed to come back or until 5 hours had passed to get the next dose.  It was such a tiny blip on my radar that day and did not inconvenience me in the least.  When not hooked up to the IV for the antibiotics they just left the hep lock in, but it did not interfere with my moving around or laboring in the tub.

It sounds bad at first, but even if your hospital doesn't let you go home after the first dose you should be fine.  Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable refusing the antibiotics, but as PP said that's also a choice.  It just wasn't a big deal at all.  HTH! 

bekkabrat

I would definitely request to be tested again in a couple weeks. I haven't even been tested yet (mine is next week), but I am nervous about getting positive results (even though  I was neg my first two pregnancies) because I hate IVs so much!

 I was looking into natural ways to treat GBS the other day and found this website:

https://thecontrarianmom.com/2010/09/10/group-b-strep-simple-treatments-for-group-b-strep/

 
I started taking some probiotics and eating a lot of yogurt now. If I do get a positive result, I plan on requesting a retest and trying some of the other treatment methods and continuing until birth whether or not I am able to get a negative result. HTH...good luck!

pdilly2b

I was GBS+ and did the antibiotics because I didn't want to risk them treating DS with antibiotics when he came out. 

Really wasn't a big deal.  I had a hep lock and ended up getting 3 doses total because I was in labor so long (36 hr total but only about 13 in the hospital).  I had to get out of the tub for about 30 min for each but was able to sit up in bed or on a birth ball during that time.  I would definitely push for a hep lock instead of IV regardless of GBS status.  Also try to intermittent monitoring instead of continuous, but I'm not sure if they will allow that with a VBAC.  I think that would have a bigger impact on experience than needing the antibiotics every 4 hours.

Good luck! 

wifeofadam

I doulaed for a friend three months ago.  She went into the birth wanting to refuse the IV, but the doctor and nurse bullied her into it after thirty minutes of fear tactics.  I was irate.

Anyways, she ended up having a wonderful natural birth despite the IV.  She was even able to get into the shower.  I just kept the pole outside and made sure her hand was out of the water.

A few times she mentioned that the IV meds were stinging, but we talked to the nurse and she did something to fix it for her.

StefandTodd

I arrived to the hospital too late for abx, they did not even mention giving my son abx after birth.  They wanted to either take some blood from him, or force us to stay 48 hours.  We stayed 48 hours (and are planning a home birth this time - no GBS testing, will treat as positive only if risk factors present).  

Find out the rules at your hospital, but don't be bullied into abx if the research you do suggests to you that they're unnecessary (many, myself included, will agree that universal abx administration is unnecessary and perhaps even dangerous).

bandwife

Lucky_N_Love:

Sorry if this question has been asked multiple times before. I don't usually post here but do often lurk.

 I am hoping for a med free VBAC with my son due in 4 weeks. I just got my test results back and I am positive for Group B Strep I am SO bummed!  I was positive with my daughter and it created a horrible experience for me from the get go.

I was hoping to hear some positive stories about ladies that had to be tied to an IV for hours but still were able to have the peaceful and relaxed med free birth you wanted.

May I ask why?

I was GBS+ last time with ruptured membranes and no contractions.

I was still able to have a fantastic home birth with those factors. 

I did some natural induction methods, had a candula/hep lock put in at the hospital so my MWs could come and administer antibiotics to me at my home and was able labor effectively while getting an IV. My MWs and doula set up a laboring station for me for the 30 mins it took for the antibiotics to go in - they did this twice during my 17 hrs or so of labor.

I also chose a broader spectrum 8hr antibiotic instead of a 4hr. 

Only internal exam I got was about 1 hr before DS was born. This greatly reduced infection risk.

GBS+ should not affect your ability to go med-free.

 

bornmommy

I was GBS+ with my last one and I thought it was the end of the world when I found out, too.  I was VERY wrong! I was terrified of PROM because I figured I could labor at home as long as I wanted and had a very supportive midwife... but it turns out that PROM was in the cards for me so we went to the hospital about an hour after my water broke.  

Contractions didn't start for me until I got hooked up to the IV, which BTW, you aren't tied to for more than 20 minutes every four hours.  I had two rounds of antibiotics during my labor and I don't even really remember the second because I was so in the zone.  DS was born intervention free, no problems and I don't regret a thing.

ncbelle

What happened the first go round that made it such a bad experience?  Maybe with some more details we could help you avoid whatever happened last time.

I've been GBS+ both times.  For me, the risks of not doing the abx outweigh the negatives of doing them.  I had a heplock and was only hooked up for 10-15 minutes twice in labor.  I suppose it was a bit annoying but I still moved around as much as I wanted while hooked up.