Homebirth and GBS -- need help please

[fellow_cyster]

I'm GBS positive, 37 weeks pregnant, planning a home birth (possibly a water birth) and have been researching this for weeks now and I am frustrated at the lack of information out there...hoping you guys can help.

Everything I read either says you have to take antibiotics or your baby will die, OR that antibiotics are worthless and the worst decision. That they don't really show to be a huge help, can create AB resistance, etc.

I have been trying for weeks to rid my body of the GBS (garlic, vitamin C, cranberry, etc) but nothing works, the swabs are still positive and its been found in my urine a few times.

I do not want antibiotics, especially since my midwife only gives Amoxicillin which has been deemed useless against GBS. But everything I read says I may have a higher colonization since its in my urine.

I've read many midwife sites recommending tea tree oil tampons or suppositories, inserting cloves of garlic (which I'm starting tonight) and hibiclens (chlorihexidine) flushes or washes during labor to prevent the GBS.....

My midwife is alright. She wasn't my first choice but all I have due to insurance. She's been great but doesn't provide much relief and mostly blows off the concern, saying there's a 1% chance of the baby getting GBS infection.....however I'm concerned she never treated the GBS in my urine - no sign of infection but I'd have thought she would've or should have treated it?

I know i sound neurotic, I probably have lost my mind by now trying to make a decision on this. Any thoughts or advise would be GREATLY appreciated.

I'd love to hear from some midwives if possible, I was not sure which board to post on to get responses from professionals.... I am just exhausted over trying to make this decision.

Thank you in advance,
Pamela

[sarahr]

I too was gbs pos at 36 wks. I thought about it this way: if the baby did get gbs, that would be worse than anything that the antibiotics could do. But the risk, in most circumstances, is very low. So I decided to do abx only if my water broke for a prolonged period of time. It didn't break until I started pushing and baby came shortly after, so no issues.

[jeslynmo]

Originally Posted by sarahr

I too was gbs pos at 36 wks. I thought about it this way: if the baby did get gbs, that would be worse than anything that the antibiotics could do. But the risk, in most circumstances, is very low. So I decided to do abx only if my water broke for a prolonged period of time. It didn't break until I started pushing and baby came shortly after, so no issues.

Thanks for sharing this Sarah. I'm thinking about this too. I'm only 19 weeks right now, but have been GBS pos with both of my previous births (OB, hospital births). I got the antibiotics even though I really didn't want to...

This time I'm planning a home birth and not sure what I'm going to do (kind of assuming I'll be pos again...)
My midwife recommends doing the hibiclense flush before the test. and then again before the birth if you still test positive. There were several other things on the GBS sheet she gave me.

Anyway, I love your take on it, Sara. I don't have to decide now...

[fruitfulmomma]

This page might help...

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html

I think I hear Hibiclens recommended a lot but not sure how that works.

Are you doing probiotics as well?

[meesh933]

I was not GBS+, but I did a Hibiclens risk every morning for a week prior to the test just to be safe. (I only consented to the test to have it on record in case of transfer, just a CYA measure because the hospitals around here will call CPS if you don't have a - test on file and refuse abx.) I also took probiotics and garlic pills for a couple of weeks, and upped my vitamin C. The Hibiclens is cheap and non-invasive, so I thought it couldn't hurt.

If I had been positive, I would have done a Hibiclens rinse every few hours, especially if my water had broken. My MW can order abx, but she didn't think it was vital.

[jeslynmo]

Originally Posted by meesh933

I only consented to the test to have it on record in case of transfer

My midwife mentioned that too.

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

Are you doing probiotics as well?

I need to learn more about probiotics... where do you suggest reading up on that? any tips?

[Calleiah]

I have always been GBS+, always in my urine. With my 2 girls, I did the antibiotic thing but since then I've done a TON of research. I found this article to be a huge resource and it really changed the way I looked at it. I also had my hubby read it and after crunching the math numbers and statistics, we've decided not to do the antibiotics this time. The US is one of the only first world countries that even treats for GBS in labor, and as a result, GBS has become more resistant both in mothers and babies to antibiotics. We are *making* it more resistant!

http://www.mothering.com/treating-gr...tics-necessary

[jeslynmo]

That is an awesome article! It makes such perfect sense, I found myself feeling like "duh" why didn't I already think of that... at almost every point.
Thanks so much for posting!

[lyshy]

My midwife told me to take acidophilous throughout the pregnancy as studies showed that that helped. I decided to do it anyway since I seem to really fight yeast infections while pregnant anyway. I was GBS pos with DC1 but not with DC2. I figure it is worth a try but I have no idea if that would help you out at this point in your pregnancy.

[claddaghmom]

this 2010 Cochrane review finds that giving antibiotics is not supported by conclusive evidence

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab007467.html

[AlexisT]

That review doesn't distinguish between women who had a positive swab and those who tested positive in urine, however. I know the NHS does not do the routine swab, but they do do the urine test and have protocols for known GBS+.

[S.Elise]

With my first birth, I was in another country where they don't routinely test for GBS, so I probably had it then and did nothing and everything was fine! I was in a birth center and was planning a waterbirth then. Ended up being on land. So keep that in mind...the country I was living in loses a lot fewer babies than we do and the women there never even think about GBS in routine cases.

Also to keep in mind is the fact that quite recently even here in the US, no treatment was prescribed for GBS unless it was a preterm labor, your water was broken for a long period before delivery or you developed a fever during labor.