https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:16:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209897 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 10:19:27 +0000 PawPrints 2209897@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a med free birth (other then the antibiotics) after testing GBS positive. I'm so so glad I tested positive because I was all set for a long labor at home before going in, but turns out my water broke and I gave birth two hours later. If it hasn't been for the GBS diagnosis I would have stayed home and probably given birth in the car or something. </p> <p>Obviously there wasn't enough time between the antibiotics and the birth so we had to stay 48 hours for observation. Fortunately LO was fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209719 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 08:57:59 +0000 LindsayInNY 2209719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Chocolate: Apparently the antibiotic I'll be getting is every 12 hours. So that's a plus, I guess. Downside is that it's a one hour course which will probably suck in the peak of labor. I'm gonna look for your birth story now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209300 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 20:02:09 +0000 IRunForFun 2209300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: Wow! I mean I understand the research saying that exposure to antibiotics in infancy can upset the balance of bacteria in the GI tract, and therefore shouldn't be over-prescribed for things like, say, ear infections, but I guess I am just surprised that the risks of something as serious as GBS wouldn't hold more weight than the risks of the antibiotics. I've had clients who have talked to their midwives about falsely testing negative for GBS (intentionally) by doing things like a hibiclens wash right before the swab, and they've been warned against it and told to just take probiotics to hopefully minimize any effects of the antibiotics and then to give probiotic drops to baby. </p> <p>GBS in a baby is just so scary to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209299 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 20:01:44 +0000 Mrs. Chocolate 2209299@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayInNY: No but I had to stay at the hospital. I went in because I had a little spotting and had an appointment with my Dr that day and when I called she was doing a C-section so they said to just go early and meet her there and do my appointment right after (my Dr's office was attached to the hospital all which was within walking distance of my home at the time) I went in and apparently was already 3 cm dilated and having contractions but I never felt anything (I had a weird labor with my son which I did blog about if you care to even look back and read) but since I tested positive and my water hadnt broken yet they admitted me and I could leave. I checked in around 10 AM and he wasnt born til 420 AM the next day and a lot of my labor was painless which is why I was able to do natural I think but it just sucked having to stay at the hospital all day hooked up to the IV without food or being able to rest. I wish I could have labored more at home especially since my water never broke naturally but I wouldnt have known that then either so I guess better safe than sorry, It just sucked to be stuck in the unit for so long. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209273 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 19:29:11 +0000 LindsayInNY 2209273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Chocolate: Did the antibiotics affect that in any way? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth/page/2#post-2209241 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:37:21 +0000 Mrs. Chocolate 2209241@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tested positive with my son and had a natural birth in the hospital </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209227 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:24:47 +0000 sarac 2209227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@IRunForFun: I have. My hospital based midwife supports not doing them unless there is an indication for them. I went prepared to speak to her with that study that I linked in hand, but she was already familiar with the research. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209164 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:22:09 +0000 MsMini 2209164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As an NICU nurse I get really sad when I hear of people refusing antibiotics for GBS. You can't know you made the wrong call until your baby gets ill, and all the GBS infected babies I have seen have gotten VERY ill. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209151 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 16:10:00 +0000 IRunForFun 2209151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: @catomd00: This happened to a co-worker of my sister's as well, her baby contracted GBS and was horribly ill and in the NICU for 5 weeks. It's not something to mess with, in my opinion! It can cause meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis. </p> <p>@sarac: I'm curious if you've discussed this with your midwife yet? I haven't met a midwife who practices in a hospital setting who has not highly recommended doing the antibiotics, so I'm just wondering what other experiences are. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209127 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:50:59 +0000 IRunForFun 2209127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. J: @LindsayInNY: If you are GBS positive and need to receive IV antibiotics it won't necessarily impede your ability to have a natural birth. They can do a hep lock so you can be disconnected from the IV between doses, plus, even with the IV in, as long as they don't need the baby on the monitor continuously, you can walk with the IV pole or sit/bounce on a birth ball next to the pole, etc. With the hep lock you should be fine to labor in the tub between doses, too. </p> <p>@Mrs. J: Having GBS in your urine means you're probably heavily colonized, meaning there'd be even more bacteria in your urogenital tract. It definitely wouldn't be confined to the bladder and urethra. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209121 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:44:03 +0000 catomd00 2209121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: how sad! I too know someone who had a baby die a few days after birth from contracting gbs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2209040 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:49:21 +0000 sarac 2209040@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayInNY: Yes, I just had them run in continuously. It was awful, and I regret exposing my daughter to so much of it so early in her life. </p> <p>@Anagram: That kind of personal story would convince me too, I'm sure. But it's very uncommon. The overuse of antibiotics is pretty big deal, and exposure to them in early infancy can be really problematic in terms of gut health and such. </p> <p>Here is a link to a recent study about it:</p> <p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2881665/" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2881665/</a></p> <p>My policy is that antibiotics are for live saving or terrible pain situations only, and not preventative if at all avoidable. So I won't do a course of antibiotics while I'm laboring if I have no other indications of needing them. If I have a fever, or my water is broken for an extended period, or my midwife thinks it prudent, I'll go for it. But only for those reasons. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2208526 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 09:07:40 +0000 Anagram 2208526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: What's the benefit of refusing the antibiotics?</p> <p>I haven't read much about Group B strep, since I was negative this time and am not far enough along to know this time. But one of my best friends tested negative at 36 weeks but then ended up having it (they didn't know) at delivery, and her newborn developed a 105 fever within the first 24 hours. They couldn't give any medications for the fever, since the baby was too young, so they had to wait it out in the NICU for 3 weeks....and her daughter is brain damaged. =( I mean, she's 8 now and a joy, but she's mentally delayed and will never live on her own. So her personal story has me totally convinced I would sign up for antibiotics and maybe just take probiotics after. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2208500 Mon, 15 Jun 2015 08:53:52 +0000 LindsayInNY 2208500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: Yikes! Was that every 4 hours? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2207129 Fri, 12 Jun 2015 17:19:08 +0000 sarac 2207129@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had 5 courses of antibiotics for GBS during my very long induction. If I'm positive again this time, I'm going to refuse routine antibiotics for it. I'll accept them if I had a fever, or my water is broken for too long, or any other reason my midwife thinks I need them. But I won't have them otherwise this time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2207101 Fri, 12 Jun 2015 16:29:09 +0000 LindsayInNY 2207101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dr. Pepper: Ahh. Maybe? I can see why the longer time would suck a bit mid-active labor. Sounds like it's gonna suck either way - whether I get it right away because my water breaks or mid-active labor. Oh well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2207077 Fri, 12 Jun 2015 16:01:08 +0000 Dr. Pepper 2207077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayInNY: it is a 60 minute infusion vs a 30 minute infusion for the other two. I'm not sure if that's what the doctor meant by "more difficult" but it could be. Like you said, it is only every 12 hours which is a plus. Clindamycin is every 8 hours and penicillin is every 4 hours, so I think the hour infusion is worth the trouble. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2206692 Fri, 12 Jun 2015 11:22:16 +0000 LindsayInNY 2206692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dr. Pepper: I have my test results so I'm guessing I'm/it's resistant to clindamycin? My OB definitely mentioned Vancomycin which she said is a bit more difficult to give (not sure why?) but it's every 12 hours which I definitely like. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2205542 Thu, 11 Jun 2015 14:44:45 +0000 Dr. Pepper 2205542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayInNY: The "gold standard" is penicillin, however, if allergic to penicillin or medications in the penicillin family (like amoxicillin), they give clindamycin. Sometimes the GBS is resistant to clindamycin (which they will test it for) or a patient is allergic to clindamycin also, then they will give vancomycin. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2205329 Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:02:10 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2205329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had it the 2nd time and was able to proceed with my unmedicated birth! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2205319 Thu, 11 Jun 2015 12:55:12 +0000 Mrs. J 2205319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayInNY: that's what I hope too! With my first (I was neg though), I labored at home for 2.5 days before going in! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2205289 Thu, 11 Jun 2015 12:20:07 +0000 LindsayInNY 2205289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bumping! Hoping my water doesn't break so I can labor at home first. Anyone take an antibiotic other than penicillin? I have an amoxicillin allergy so they'll be giving me something else. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010844 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:42:54 +0000 littlejoy 2010844@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sapphire: @QBbride: I have a bladder condition, and my midwives were always saying that UTIs and bladder infections are so common (without many symptoms). No wonder they are checking urine at every visit! </p> <p>I'm assuming they'll want you to do the vaginal swab around week 36. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010693 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:01:53 +0000 sapphire 2010693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlejoy: it is routine to send a urine sample for bacterial culture at the first appointment, because UTIs (even asymptomatic ones) can cause problems in pregnancy. They don't send the culture specifically to look for GBS but for any bacterial infection. Urethral/bladder colonization or infection DOES matter! Bladder infections are one of the most common causes of premature rupture of membranes!</p> <p>Treating for GBS in the urine is part of the CDC guidelines that most providers follow. Asking for a retest and possibly getting a false positive (the swab at 36 weeks only catches 9/10 mamas with GBS!) is risky. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010566 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:38:31 +0000 QBbride 2010566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. J: that's exactly what my midwife told me. I figure better be safe than sorry. It won't interfere with your plans for a natural delivery, don't worry!!</p> <p>@littleveesmommy: when you pee in a cup at your appt it's to check glucose/protein in your urine. The urine culture is usually done with your bloodwork at the beginning of pregnAncy. It doesn't test specifically for GBS but rather just a urine culture. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010473 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:44:17 +0000 Mrs. J 2010473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlejoy: Thanks! I just found this in my internet persual : "GBS can also cause bladder infections, with or without symptoms. Your provider should do a urine culture for GBS and other bacteria (this is not the standard prenatal urine “dipstick” check) at the first prenatal visit. GBS in your urine means that you may be heavily colonized which puts your baby at greater risk. (2) If your urine tests positive, your provider should consider you as “GBS colonized” for this pregnancy so that you receive IV antibiotics for GBS when labor starts/your water breaks." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010462 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:40:30 +0000 littlejoy 2010462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. J: Yep! My midwives recommend it for every woman in their practice. Of course, I would run it by your doctor. The idea is good vaginal flora. It will not make strep b go away, but since it does come and go, it will help it not come back or get there in the first place. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010458 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:38:38 +0000 Mrs. J 2010458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@QBbride: Thank you!<br /> @Greentea: with my previous group, they only swabbed at 36ish weeks, at least to my recollection. I don't remember them testing my urine.<br /> @littlejoy: Is that probiotic safe during pregnancy?@littleveesmommy: I think it was just a routine pee cup. I had some blood drawn and they took a urine sample. Everything else was normal, minus the GBS in my urine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010456 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:36:54 +0000 littlejoy 2010456@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Greentea: Same here. The worry is that it's transferred during birth, which wouldn't matter in the urethra, right!? I would totally request a vaginal swab retest at 36 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/group-b-strep-positive-and-natural-childbirth#post-2010448 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:31:47 +0000 Greentea 2010448@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@QBbride: that's not what I know to be true. Interesting. Here they only check you at 36 weeks because it can come and go, is my understanding. </p>