GBS + and natural birth

chasbride07 · April 2012

I was just wondering what types of experiences people have had. I have always been planning a natural delivery and part of what I know I really didn't want was being hooked up to an IV pole while trying to labor.

I found out today I'm GBS + so I believe my only option will be to be hooked up to an IV for at least a portion of labor. Can anyone who was in this situation please let me know how long they had to be hooked up to the IV to get all the antibiotics or if there have been other alternatives?

erin_asay · April 2012

I am also GBS+. I had the nurse ask the doctor for me to be heplocked (disconnected from the IV) in between antibiotics. So basically, i was given antibiotics every 4 hours and the infusion ran for 30 minutes at a time and then i was heplocked. I still got up and walked around while connected to the IV.

StefandTodd · April 2012

I labored at home too long to get a second dose of antibiotics (I was 8+ when I arrived, and by the time they had someone ready to insert an IV, I was feeling the urge to push), so I declined altogether.

My options upon declining were to have 5 vials of blood drawn from my 7 lb newborn, or stay in the hospital for 48 hours despite having had an "easy" and intervention-free birth. We (reluctantly) stayed 48 hours.

Another option you might have is to try to change your GBS status. Will your OB retest you? (Mine would not). If yours will, there are some things you can do to try to rid your body of the GBS and perhaps get them on board with not giving antibiotics.

GL

alice2Bcheshire · April 2012

I had a hep lock and only had time for one round of antibiotics before delivery (got to the hospital at a 4, but progressed quickly), so I was hooked up for about 30 minutes. Even though I missed a dose, no blood vials were taken from DS, and we were home about 27 hours after he was born.

katcarls · April 2012

My MW said it would take about 20 minutes and then they could unhook the IV. I barely had time for one dose last time, so I'm not exactly sure how often they do it. Maybe every 4 hours? Some people have said that they were able to get an antibiotic injection instead of the IV. You may want to check with your provider and see if that's an option.

StefandTodd · April 2012

alice2Bcheshire:
I had a hep lock and only had time for one round of antibiotics before delivery (got to the hospital at a 4, but progressed quickly), so I was hooked up for about 30 minutes. Even though I missed a dose, no blood vials were taken from DS, and we were home about 27 hours after he was born.

Oh, no doubt. I'm fairly certain if I had only gotten one dose, they would've let me go home quickly (despite the fact that one dose doesn't provide any additional benefit to baby than zero doses)...I believe they were just flexing their "you should do what we tell you to do" power since the nurse told me "one dose DOES help" and I knew better and told her as much. Anyway, I'll probaby suck it up and accept the antibiotics next time regardless of how far along I am because of it. So yay, they win again! What a great system...

alice2Bcheshire · April 2012

StefandTodd:
alice2Bcheshire:
I had a hep lock and only had time for one round of antibiotics before delivery (got to the hospital at a 4, but progressed quickly), so I was hooked up for about 30 minutes. Even though I missed a dose, no blood vials were taken from DS, and we were home about 27 hours after he was born.

Oh, no doubt. I'm fairly certain if I had only gotten one dose, they would've let me go home quickly (despite the fact that one dose doesn't provide any additional benefit to baby than zero doses)...I believe they were just flexing their "you should do what we tell you to do" power since the nurse told me "one dose DOES help" and I knew better and told her as much. Anyway, I'll probaby suck it up and accept the antibiotics next time regardless of how far along I am because of it. So yay, they win again! What a great system...

Figures. And that's kind of funny (in an ironic sort of way). Since it was such a pain, literally and figuratively, to have the hep lock (two different nurses tried to put it in for over 30 minutes) and I only had time for one dose, I was thinking that I'd just decline the antibiotics this time. That is, if I even get to deliver vaginally.

aliska · April 2012

I had a little drama with my antibiotics. I am allergic to one form of penicillin, and the midwives didn't want to risk me having a reaction during labor. They retested me on Tuesday to chose an anitibiotic specifically for my type of GBS. They put an order in that evening for the new antibiotics. Wednesday morning I went into labor...oops. They called up the local hospital, put in an order, and one of their staff drove over and picked it up for me. Whatever they gave me lasted 8 hours...not the typical 4. I came into the birth center at noon, got a heplock, and went back home at 1pm. I came back to the birth center at 5pm, and DD was born at 6:47pm...no need for another round!

I was still in early labor when I got the antibiotics. I needed to stand/sway/walk during contractions at that point, and the IV gave me enough feet to be somewhat mobile. I can't imagine being hooked up continuously.

WildcatPrincess · April 2012

I also have a penicillin allergy so the med I got was only given every 8 hours, I only had one dose last time. It was given via heplock and took maybe 20 mins. This time I got there about to deliver so no antibiotics. They still told me we could leave Saturday if we wanted, DS was born at 4 Friday AM.

Tash13 · April 2012

I was GBS+ and had a non-pain med birth. I went in and they put in the IV line and I got the first round of antibiotics while they monitored the baby and my contractions, checked me for dilation, etc. We then disconnected the IV and left the line in so I could get in the tub, move around, etc. I got the second round while I was in the tub, they just brought the IV pole in to me. It didn't really change how I labored and I was still able to go without pain meds through the whole thing.

We're having a home birth this time around and won't be getting the IV even if I am GBS+. I'd ask your doctor or MW how they normally treat GBS.

[Deleted User] · April 2012

Not sure if this is helpful for your hospital situation, but I was worried about testing GBS+ because I was planning on a water birth. My midwife told me that she encourages moms who test positive and don't want the IV to consider the tub because it can inhibit transmission.

ramsfamgrowing · April 2012

I was GBS+ for first two births and I stayed hooked to the IV the whole time. I didn't think to ask for any other options. I was fine being hooked up. For me, I was lucky my labors were fairly quick and I liked laboring laying down for the most part and didn't want to be walking around much once my water broke.

Ask your doc if there are other options, I heard of those doing heplocks and then getting the antibiotics put in intermittenly.

andkatiesays · April 2012

I was GBS+ for my third. We had a home birth and we were planning on doing the IV but I progressed too fast so I ended up with an antibiotic shot. It hurt worse than the contractions lol. About 45 minutes later I had a healthy baby in my arms

liz37 · April 2012

I was GBS+ with DS early in the pregnancy (only caught because of a UTI). I had them test me again at 36 weeks and I was negative. I declined the antibiotics. Because of that, I was not allowed to have a waterbirth. They didn't make me stay later and we didn't have any complications.

If you decide to do the antibiotics, definitely get the heplock, so you can be unhooked from the IV to get up and move around.

Liz

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