Tips on treating GBS throughout pregnancy

[lovebeingamomma]

I know it can come and go, so I don't want to just "beat the test" and try and get a negative when I know it can come back, I want to have a diet or other natural supplements to help reduce my risk throughout the pregnancy all the way up to delivery. Ideas? My midwife does not offer alternatives to Penicillin, which she can can still give me at home, which I cam thankful for. But I really really HATE the painful feeling of an IV during labor.

[St. Margaret]

Well, there's a natural protocol for beating GBS, and most of it you could do easily throughout. I treated myself for maybe two weeks before doing the test last time, and it would have been easy to keep doing parts of it until birth.

I don't have the whole protocol written down anymore, but it was stuff like probiotics (just acidopholus--sp?), grape seed extract, oral garlic capsules (no way I was sticking garlic in my vagina at night because you can taste it, and sleeping was tricky enough ), etc.

[Sihaya]

There are benefits to "beating the test" and benefits to actually being GBS- at the time of birth, but I can't see the benefits of being GBS- throughout your entire pregnancy unless you are heavily colonized early on (i.e.: GBS in your urine in the first trimester). Until the baby is actually born, GBS poses no risk to you or your baby.

It seems to me that besides taking normal precautions that you might take anyway to strengthen your immune system, doing a bunch of stuff to ensure a GBS- status throughout your whole pregnancy would be overkill. I'd personally rather spend my time, energy, and money elsewhere.

I want to both get a negative result on paper in case I transfer to the hospital and also be negative at the time of birth to reduce the risk for my baby, but I still don't start treatment until 34 weeks, about 2 weeks before the test.

Here is the protocol I plan to use with this pg. I recognize it is probably overkill, but I post it because it has a lot of ideas of different things you can do in the last weeks of pg to prevent GBS overgrowth.

Originally Posted by Sihaya

For different reasons, I need to test negative on my GBS test as well. I recently looked at a lot of different threads and developed my own protocol which I plan on using this time around. As a disclaimer, I have not used this or known anyone who used it. I did a couple of preventative things last time around, but not an in-depth regimen, and I tested negative for GBS. My regimen is meant to both help me test negative and to keep GBS away for the birth as well. Hopefully, this can be a place for you to start in developing your own protocol.

What I plan to do:
Starting at 34 weeks (or 2 weeks before GBS test), begin taking powdered probiotics orally daily and continue until birth. At 34-35 weeks (or 1-2 weeks before GBS test), start taking Vitamin C to bowel tolerance and continue until birth. Starting at 35 weeks (or 1 week before GBS test), increase oral intake of garlic, at least 2-3 cloves/day, raw if possible. Also aim to eat 1 cup of yogurt daily for 1 week prior to test. Drink 1 cup Echinacea tea daily for two weeks starting at 35 weeks (or 1 week before GBS test). Five days before GBS test (approx 35w2d), insert halved garlic clove dipped in tea tree oil vaginally overnight three nights in a row.

After GBS test, continue aiming for at least 1 garlic clove/day orally, raw if possible, until birth. Aim for 3-4 cups yogurt/week until birth. Also repeat vaginal garlic dipped in tea tree oil once weekly until birth. At 39 weeks, begin drinking 1 cup Echinacea tea daily again for two weeks or until birth, whichever comes first.

A few other options:

• Elderberry (to boost immune system)
• Grapefruit seed extract (taken orally)
• Tea Tree Oil: Take a tampon or cotton ball and roll lightly in olive oil and then in a few drops of TTO. Insert vaginally and leave overnight.
• Yogurt: Get a rubber glove and fill the fingers with yogurt and tie/rubber band them off and snip off your little yogurt pops. Freeze. You could also put a few drops of TTO in there. Unwrap and insert vaginally. Wear pantyliner/pad as it may get messy

Hope that helps you!

[lovebeingamomma]

thank you that's what I'm looking for. You're right, there's no benefit to me starting now, but I did want to make sure I was continuing to ensure - until the birth, not just for the test. Thanks!

[ShwarmaQueen]

I tested positive w/ DD and had the standard ABX. With DS, I didn't test but instead I just did Hibicleans (sp) the days before labor started (DS was born at 40+3) and during early labor. He was a born in the caul and was a water birth on top of that, so the risk of transmission was low anyhow.

[lovebeingamomma]

yeah I've read about douching but my midwife doesn't offer that nor does she think it's effective. Don't really know if she's right, I don't see any clear research on this.

[Monarchgrrl]

I started my midwife's protocol 2 weeks before the test. I test this Friday. I'm planning a homebirth and there won't be antiobiotics even if I'm positive (just hibiclens) so I definitely want to have a negative on my record in case my water breaks early or in case of transfer. This is what I'm doing:

Jarrow brand Probiotics (2 pills 4 times/day)
Gaia brand Olive leaf extract (2 pills 4 times/day)
large doses of Vitamin C (already been doing this the whole pregnancy)
lots of greek plain yogurt (been doing this the whole pregnancy)
vaginally-inserted garlic clove (Dang I hate this part! I hate the taste!)

Keeping my fingers crossed for the test in a few days!

[BirthIsAwesome]

I don't have the link offhand, but there was a study done that determined that gentle hibiclens douching (in a bulb syringe) during labor was just as effective at killing GBS as antibiotics. I believe I saw it on Navel Gazing Midwife's blog...going to look now and see if I can find the link.

ETA: Here is the link to the blog post by Navel Gazing Midwife, in which she quotes from several studies and also links to them: http://navelgazingmidwife.squarespac...gbs-women.html

[Lit Chick]

I was GBS+ with my second, and my midwives gave me Hibicleans for when I went into labor. Except that my labor was SO fast that I did not have time... I was prepping the douche but pushed out the baby instead. I was totally comfortable with using that as opposed to abx.

[kittywitty]

I am pretty much following Sihaya's routine. With my 4th I did echinacea from 38-40 weeks (I tend to go on my due date). From 36 weeks I did garlic capsules, vitamin C 2000, and probiotics. I think I took GSE as well from 36 weeks, but can't quite remember.

This time I've already started 1 Emergen-C packet and probiotics. I will start garlic capsules as soon as I get them, fem-dophilus when it comes in the mail, and echinacea here in about 2 weeks.

I also will probably volunteer to do another hibiclens rinse during labor like I did last time, also.

[MsBlack]

Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma

yeah I've read about douching but my midwife doesn't offer that nor does she think it's effective. Don't really know if she's right, I don't see any clear research on this.

Hibiclense works for the UK-why wouldn't it work here?

I hope you will look into the links provided, and get your mw to do the same. Just to give you even more (and your mw) links...here is a link to my GBS commentary on my blog, links following my comments:

http://womynwisespeaks.wordpress.com...group-b-strep/

There are so many reasons to avoid using antibiotics when at all possible! They are among the worst of 'preventative medicines', because the potential for backlash is so great--both for individuals receiving them, and for the population at large because of the creation of superbugs caused by antibiotic overuse. I hope you will find your way (with your mw, too) to methods of prevention that are friendlier to you and baby, and without the potential for side-effects that antibiotics have.

good luck!

[BirthIsAwesome]

Thanks for that extra info Ms.Black! I am highly opposed to routine ABX and it is nice to have as much info as possible in my arsenal

Just FYI for everyone, I'm being cared for by a pair of Italian midwives in Italy and they don't even test for GBS here. Apparently, they personally have never had a problem with it, but I will be taking garlic/echinacea/Vit.C during the last two weeks of my pregnancy and douching gently with Hibiclens during labor, just in case since I don't know my status (testing negative is no guarantee you'll be negative at birth anyway). I will also receive no internal exams unless medically necessary.

[lovebeingamomma]

MsBlack thanks for the info. My midwife has a reputation to uphold because she also does hospital births. So she only goes with what's officially recommended. I have to talk to her again about it. I'm just not comfortable with the antibiotics, but also not comfortable doing nothing if I end up positive.