Gbs +.

[Penelope]

So I'm GBS positive. Crap. I'm in my 38th week and my midwife, at my request, prescribed a round of antibiotics for me and will test me again next week...

Has anyone tried to change their GBS status like this or in some other way? Even unsuccessfully? I wanna know!

I'm *really* uncomfortable with needles and don't want to labor with a stupid hep lock or an IV. I am prepared to comply because a. I don't think my midwife really has wiggle room on this and b. no needle looms bigger for me than the slim chance of trauma or death of my baby. But I don't really want to have this hanging over my head during labor.

I was negative with dd three years ago and somehow I was counting on being neg again, which I know is silly. But I'm bummed.

[Artisan]

I have heard that garlic and probiotic supplements help!

[Greaseball]

Is she going to retest you again, and will she accept a negative result as being truly negative?

I've heard tea tree oil suppositories help, as well as sperm. Have sex the night before or morning of the test. Eat lots of garlic or take garlic caps.

[Evergreen]

I tried (unsucessfully) with garlic caplets, acidolphilous, cranberry pills, and yogurt. I ddint try as hard as I could have, though, I often forgot to take them. In the end I opted for the antibiotics and fortunately did not have nay bad complications with them. I heard of a garlic and cocoabutter vaginal supository recipe toward the end of my regiment, but didn't think I would have time to implement it. DD was 15 days late, though, so I should have tried.

[Ravenmoon]

I believe acidopholous would help but especially if she put you on antibiotics now.

I was GBS+ for my last two births.Essentially your water would have to be broken for 18hrs minimum for there to even be a risk to the baby.The antibiotics they administer during labor have to be in your system for at least 12 hours to even work.I have quick births.With my son my water was broken in the last 6 seconds so there was no need and with my dd my water broke 45 minutes before.Neither midwfire expressed a need to administer the antibiotics with such a short time of the waters broken.Good luck!

[ebethmom]

Have you read Aviva Jill Romm's Natural Pregnancy book? She has a section on treating GBS. I've been looking for information since I was + with my ds. I'm hoping to avoid the antibiotic IV. My midwife has told me that she complies with hospital policy and routine hep lock/antibiotic treatment. So I'm really hoping to test - with this baby.

I'm only 22 weeks, but I've started taking acidophilous and extra Vitamin C. I've also been rinsing with tea tree oil and water. Once I hit 32 weeks, I'll start with the other treatments (can't remember them all off the top of my head).

[sarahwebb]

When I tested positive, my NP prescribed (at my request, her first choice would have been IV antibiotics during labor) a course of oral anitbiotics then I retested and got a negative result. I also took a regimine of echinacea & garlic capsules prescribed by my midwife and the midwife stayed longer after my birth to monitor the baby.

The baby was fine, and I think we--especially he--were much better off without the antibiotic exposure during labor. He had his first col at seventeen months...

Good luck,
Sarah

[bebe luna]

I tested posative for GBS at about 37.5 weeks..
I promptly began taking colloidal silver (a natural, safe antibiotic), 2000 mg vitamin C daily (fights infections), high doses of probiotics (acidophilus, primadophilus, etc), raw garlic daily, lots of probiotic foods (yogurt, sour kraut, miso, tempeh, kefir, etc) and cut back on sugars...

I didn't get retested but I believe I was fighting the GBS naturally...

Also, I delivered in a hospital yet I refused the antibiotics... You have the right to say no to antibiotics. If you choose to refuse them you'll be asked to sign a consent form...

The babies chances of contracting GBS are very, very low... the baby is at a greater risk of problems developing from antibiotics...
If the baby does contract GBS, it appears as an infection w/in the first 48 hrs after delivery (fever, etc); and is treatable w/ (of course) antibiotics...

[copslass]

You have so many wonderful suggestions here.

I just want to say that I SO regret ever consenting to the test. I refused at first, and my cnm handed me the "dead baby" card, and I gave in out of fear. Can't believe I was so stupid after everything I've learned the hard way about "their" tests, "treatments," etc., which I've seen change 180 degrees over the years.

Wouldn't you guess, my water broke prior to labor. Long story short, I ended up being induced, stuck at 9 cm for 7 hours, etc.
Wonder what my labor would have been like if I'd refused the current fad test and gone naturally? My poor baby!

Even the latest I've read from acog admits that actual infection of a healthy, full-term baby is extremely low. I wish I'd refused the standard treatment...

Think carefully before consenting.

[azyre]

I tried too, it didn't work. I went to a naturopath and she gave me suppositories, I can't recall what they were and some tablets that had antibacterial properties and probiotics. I retested and was positive still.

It's well worth a shot tho! GBS is a big old can of worms. Good luck with your research.