Who is skipping Group B Strep testing? - Page 2

[StarCat]

i'm planning on birth center/water birth.  she will do antibiotics in labor and I am okay with it and other than having an IV that doesn't really change any plans.  of course I would prefer being negative like i was the first 2 times!!!  i am wondering about doing hibicleanse now and retesting.  and we don't do erythromycin for eyes and I am thinking of reconsidering that.  although as far as I know it is specifically for gonorrhea/chlamydia infections.  I need to research if GBS would impact this at all.   this really throws me off. 

[kittn]

i dont think the eye goo does anything for gbs but i could be wrong. im going to have to look that one up too. we do not do the goo here

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

i'm planning on birth center/water birth.  she will do antibiotics in labor and I am okay with it and other than having an IV that doesn't really change any plans.  of course I would prefer being negative like i was the first 2 times!!!  i am wondering about doing hibicleanse now and retesting.  and we don't do erythromycin for eyes and I am thinking of reconsidering that.  although as far as I know it is specifically for gonorrhea/chlamydia infections.  I need to research if GBS would impact this at all.   this really throws me off. 

This is all I have ever read the eye ointment to be useful against.

I am having a hospital birth so declining the GBS test isn't in our best interest. I was GBS+ with DD so I know I carry the bacteria.

[StarCat]

just curious...do you do the antibiotics and do you do the eye ointment?   Can't really find any research on it. 

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

just curious...do you do the antibiotics and do you do the eye ointment?   Can't really find any research on it. 

ETA: The eye ointment and antibiotics are meant for two separate things.

We will be declining the eye ointment (which is an antibiotic) because I do not have the STDs (or any) that it is used to prevent infections/blindness in the baby (if the mother has it and the baby passes through the birth canal and gets it in the eyes). I can't remember where I read all my info from, but I'm not concerned that I will putting the baby in danger. If I did have one of the STDs that it's used for or DH was unfaithful then I would use it in a heartbeat.

As for the GBS antibiotics, if I test positive, I would see what other options my MW and hospital will allow before doing IV antibiotics. I know if I decline, they will most likely want to give the baby antibiotics and monitor for GBS infection. I can't find my links from what I read before, but from my understanding the likelyhood of infection is low, but it's not something I would want to happen. I'm going to start rinsing with Hibiclens on Sunday and I have been eating more garlic this week. I test Monday and if I'm + and IV antibiotics are my only option, then I guess that's what I'll do.

[acdmama]

I've seen hibicleanse mentioned several times...can anyone tell me more about it?

[nadia105]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

just curious...do you do the antibiotics and do you do the eye ointment?   Can't really find any research on it. 

When I was + with #3, I had the abx and didn't do the eye ointment.

[StarCat]

I was just trying to find if the erythromycin was only gc/chly related or if there there was anything else potentially that it was for- i never worried about it since I am neg for all stds.  but since i am gbs + now I was wondering if that bacteria (although i know its not an std related bacteria) was an issue that possible would warrant reconsidering the erythromycin.   I can't really find anything to support it so probably will not get the erythromycin as originally planned. 

 

Originally Posted by mrsberman 

ETA: The eye ointment and antibiotics are meant for two separate things.

We will be declining the eye ointment (which is an antibiotic) because I do not have the STDs (or any) that it is used to prevent infections/blindness in the baby (if the mother has it and the baby passes through the birth canal and gets it in the eyes). I can't remember where I read all my info from, but I'm not concerned that I will putting the baby in danger. If I did have one of the STDs that it's used for or DH was unfaithful then I would use it in a heartbeat.

As for the GBS antibiotics, if I test positive, I would see what other options my MW and hospital will allow before doing IV antibiotics. I know if I decline, they will most likely want to give the baby antibiotics and monitor for GBS infection. I can't find my links from what I read before, but from my understanding the likelyhood of infection is low, but it's not something I would want to happen. I'm going to start rinsing with Hibiclens on Sunday and I have been eating more garlic this week. I test Monday and if I'm + and IV antibiotics are my only option, then I guess that's what I'll do.

Nadia- were you negative with the first 2 and the positive with #3?? 

I really am still researching the hibicleanse.  you can search for it.  its chlorhexidine and is a topical solution you can use that is supposed to kill the bacteria.  i think some midwives recommend it in a certain concentration as a rinse or douche in labor. 

[CookAMH]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

I really am still researching the hibicleanse.  you can search for it.  its chlorhexidine and is a topical solution you can use that is supposed to kill the bacteria.  i think some midwives recommend it in a certain concentration as a rinse or douche in labor.

My midwife uses it (straight chlorhexidine as opposed to hibiclens which has suds and dye, I think) and said it is very effective. It's what is used to scrub in, and I heard elsewhere that it's shown to be very effective as a wash during surgeries in Europe.  So, she'll have some of that and we'll treat based on risk factors.

[EricaRN]

I just wanted to mention to all that are doing preventative measures before their GBS test that this is not recommended. The biggest concern being that you do these preventative measures in order to get a negative result and then slack off on the measures and end up actually being positive during the birth. My MW recommends doing nothing preventative before the test in order to see what the natural results are- then if I test positive then we'll start a garlic/yogurt/probiotic regimen and then retest after a week or 2 of that and see if the results have changed. If the results DO change then we just have to make sure I'm consistently doing the same treatment to make sure I'm negative during delivery. At first I was kind of "whatever" about her suggestions but the more I thought about it the more I realized that if I were to receive a negative test I'd be more likely to slack off on the garlic/probiotics than I would be if I knew I was positive and that was the only thing keeping me negative. Good motivation.

Also wanted to add a bit about my past for those who are skipping the testing altogether. I was GBS- with my daughter (3) and GBS+ with my son (23 months). With my son they found bacteria in my urine at my first prenatal checkup at 8 weeks so it was definitely systemic even that early on. They retested me at 32 weeks and my colonization count was through the roof. I had no real symptoms up until about 33 weeks when I noticed an increase in mucousy discharge which I attributed to losing bits of my mucous plug. Turns out the GBS infection was running so rampant in my body that it was doing some serious damage. My water broke at 35 weeks due to the GBS infection and even though I had 3 doses of abx during the 13 hours of labor (before my csection- booo!) my son still developed an infection. He had a spinal tap at 12 hours old, spent a week in the nicu and had some pretty touch and go times while there. I say all this because the results can be so life threatening of a baby who "catches" GBS and who isn't treated immediately. Menengitis being the most serious. My midwife's son developed menengitis from her GBS + status. It's just too serious of a thing to mess with. The GBS test is so simple and uninvasive that there's really no reason NOT to. Especially if you're considering a home birth it's something that you should be armed with going in. If you're GBS+ and have a homebirth, you're going to pay alot more attention to anything that might be "off" with the baby for a bit. we're having a home birth this time and there's no way I would do it without knowing my status. I'm testing tomorrow and will still have a homebirth even if I'm +, but will definitely be looking out for certain symptoms and be more cautious than I would if I knew I were negative. It's just too big of a risk to take. Anyway, I'm sure many won't agree or will think "yea but the % of babies who actually contract it..." etc., but it's one of those things that until it's YOUR baby, the numbers are just numbers and you're ok with taking the risks. Again, I just urge you to question what the disadvantages of testing would be? There dont seem to be many (if any) and it's one of those things that to me will never be worth the risk.

Good luck to all of us in our final weeks of being pregnant! 37 weeks Monday here and SUPPPPER excited to meet this baby!!

[dayiscoming2006]

Originally Posted by EricaRN 

Again, I just urge you to question what the disadvantages of testing would be? There dont seem to be many (if any) and it's one of those things that to me will never be worth the risk.

I'm UPing (unassisted pregnancy) because I can't handle the treatment that one of my midwives in the midwife hospital group was giving me. She was extremely rude to me and doing things I didn't want before I had a chance to say anything. Never letting me know in advance. I had only started going there at 24 weeks and didn't decide I really disliked it until 30 weeks. I was hearing bad things about the OB's available to me as well and I'm just not interested in dealing with it. I've already had two awful hospital births with crappy OB's. I completely UP'd except for one ultrasound with my last pregnancy as well. 

If a person is like me and hates prenatal care, then the GBS test is a bit impossible unless there is a private lab available. I'll watch my baby for any signs of struggle and go in if I think they need help. 

One thing that annoys me, is seriously, what do you think people did before all this prenatal care stuff? I find myself having a much more relaxing pregnancy (which I think is good for baby) when I just do things myself. 

[EricaRN]

Dayiscoming2006- I just noticed you're from Montana. What part? My aunt is a birth center MW in Great Falls. Just curious if you've ever heard of her? :-) It's cool to see someone from MT!! I'd love to live there one day. My whole family that lives out there loves it and I imagine it's so peaceful to be in such a laid-back place all the time. How do you like it out there?

[dayiscoming2006]

We moved to Montana a couple years ago. I'm near Billings. It's pretty here for sure. We're honestly trying to move southeast at this time because we have good friends that way. If we had some good friends here, I wouldn't mind staying. 

Originally Posted by EricaRN 

Dayiscoming2006- I just noticed you're from Montana. What part? My aunt is a birth center MW in Great Falls. Just curious if you've ever heard of her? :-) It's cool to see someone from MT!! I'd love to live there one day. My whole family that lives out there loves it and I imagine it's so peaceful to be in such a laid-back place all the time. How do you like it out there?

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

My midwife at the birthing center has informed me that since i have declined the GBS testing....that if my water breaks they will only give me 18 hrs to deliver...or be in active labor. ....before they would send me tot he hospital. Now....if i did do the GBS test.....they would give me 24 hrs to go deliver or be in active labor. My last baby was born in the caul and the water never broke...so i'm praying that my water doesnt break with this baby. But to me 6 hours isnt that much of a difference to risk taking antibiotics and all the issues that come with them.

[nadia105]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

I was just trying to find if the erythromycin was only gc/chly related or if there there was anything else potentially that it was for- i never worried about it since I am neg for all stds.  but since i am gbs + now I was wondering if that bacteria (although i know its not an std related bacteria) was an issue that possible would warrant reconsidering the erythromycin.   I can't really find anything to support it so probably will not get the erythromycin as originally planned. 

 

Nadia- were you negative with the first 2 and the positive with #3?? 

I really am still researching the hibicleanse.  you can search for it.  its chlorhexidine and is a topical solution you can use that is supposed to kill the bacteria.  i think some midwives recommend it in a certain concentration as a rinse or douche in labor. 

Yep, it was not a very nice surprise.  I will find out on Monday what my status is with this one, hoping for another negative!

 

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by StarCat 

I was just trying to find if the erythromycin was only gc/chly related or if there there was anything else potentially that it was for- i never worried about it since I am neg for all stds.  but since i am gbs + now I was wondering if that bacteria (although i know its not an std related bacteria) was an issue that possible would warrant reconsidering the erythromycin.   I can't really find anything to support it so probably will not get the erythromycin as originally planned. 

 

Nadia- were you negative with the first 2 and the positive with #3?? 

I really am still researching the hibicleanse.  you can search for it.  its chlorhexidine and is a topical solution you can use that is supposed to kill the bacteria.  i think some midwives recommend it in a certain concentration as a rinse or douche in labor. 

My MW mentioned it helping if there is a potential E. coli infection from feces, but I'm not worried about that. From my understanding, it's not commonly used for that anyways.

As for Hibicleans, from what I've read on this forum and elsewhere, you're supposed to use it every 6 hours while in labor to kill the bacteria. You shouldn't use it to get a negative test, then not use it in labor.  I don't remember the exact ratio to dilute, but it's simple to find by searching.

[Bird Girl]

"One thing that annoys me, is seriously, what do you think people did before all this prenatal care stuff?"

Um, they had babies that got sick and sometimes died, is what. Or, in the case of pre-ecclampsia, they got sick and died. Why do you think midwives have journals and go to conferences and do continuing education? Fun? No--they want to make birth as safe as it can be.

I wouldn't use the Hibicleans, personally. It's not recommended for mucus membranes by the manufacturer, so douching with it is definitely off-label. And there's no study or other evidence that suggests that it will prevent the transmission of strep. The whole recommendation reminds me of the use of nonoxynol 9 on condoms and in lubricants based on the finding that the stuff killed the AIDS virus in test tubes. When they finally got around to testing it on women, they found that it INCREASED the likelihood of transmission, because the chemical chewed up women's mucus membranes and interfered with natural lubrication and gave the virus more ports of entry.

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by EricaRN 

Also wanted to add a bit about my past for those who are skipping the testing altogether. I was GBS- with my daughter (3) and GBS+ with my son (23 months). With my son they found bacteria in my urine at my first prenatal checkup at 8 weeks so it was definitely systemic even that early on. They retested me at 32 weeks and my colonization count was through the roof. I had no real symptoms up until about 33 weeks when I noticed an increase in mucousy discharge which I attributed to losing bits of my mucous plug. Turns out the GBS infection was running so rampant in my body that it was doing some serious damage. My water broke at 35 weeks due to the GBS infection and even though I had 3 doses of abx during the 13 hours of labor (before my csection- booo!) my son still developed an infection. He had a spinal tap at 12 hours old, spent a week in the nicu and had some pretty touch and go times while there. I say all this because the results can be so life threatening of a baby who "catches" GBS and who isn't treated immediately. Menengitis being the most serious. My midwife's son developed menengitis from her GBS + status. It's just too serious of a thing to mess with. The GBS test is so simple and uninvasive that there's really no reason NOT to. Especially if you're considering a home birth it's something that you should be armed with going in. If you're GBS+ and have a homebirth, you're going to pay alot more attention to anything that might be "off" with the baby for a bit. we're having a home birth this time and there's no way I would do it without knowing my status. I'm testing tomorrow and will still have a homebirth even if I'm +, but will definitely be looking out for certain symptoms and be more cautious than I would if I knew I were negative. It's just too big of a risk to take. Anyway, I'm sure many won't agree or will think "yea but the % of babies who actually contract it..." etc., but it's one of those things that until it's YOUR baby, the numbers are just numbers and you're ok with taking the risks. Again, I just urge you to question what the disadvantages of testing would be? There dont seem to be many (if any) and it's one of those things that to me will never be worth the risk.

Good luck to all of us in our final weeks of being pregnant! 37 weeks Monday here and SUPPPPER excited to meet this baby!!

Just wanted to say, this has made me rethink my original plan. I've had a ton of mucous discharge that could be mucous plug (I've also had cramps and back pain), but I would rather know for sure that negative or positive. If I'm positive I'd like to start probiotics and test again in 2 weeks. If I'm negative, I'll still do a rinse before leaving for the hospital. I was positive with DD, so I know I have the bacteria present in my system.

[EricaRN]

Originally Posted by mrsberman 

Just wanted to say, this has made me rethink my original plan. I've had a ton of mucous discharge that could be mucous plug (I've also had cramps and back pain), but I would rather know for sure that negative or positive. If I'm positive I'd like to start probiotics and test again in 2 weeks. If I'm negative, I'll still do a rinse before leaving for the hospital. I was positive with DD, so I know I have the bacteria present in my system.

I'm glad to hear my experience has helped someone. Hopefully it's just your mucous plug and NOT gbs, but to me it's just better to know. You don't have to do anything with that information, but you just never know how you're going to feel about things until they happen. Good luck with your test- I REALLLLLY hope you're negative! And if you're not try not to stress because it can be treated (like you said, probiotics, garlic, and/or antibiotics). It sucked having to go through it with my son but hopefully I've helped someone else with that story. Let us know how it goes! I did my GBS test today and will hopefully hear back soon. I've had NO mucous whatsoever this entire pregnancy as compared to last pregnancy when there was a TON so I'm feeling pretty good. If your GBS test comes back negative and you're still concerned you might look into bacterial vaginosis, which could also be causing the extra mucous. Crossing my fingers for you for a negative GBS test!!

[mrsberman]

Originally Posted by EricaRN 

I'm glad to hear my experience has helped someone. Hopefully it's just your mucous plug and NOT gbs, but to me it's just better to know. You don't have to do anything with that information, but you just never know how you're going to feel about things until they happen. Good luck with your test- I REALLLLLY hope you're negative! And if you're not try not to stress because it can be treated (like you said, probiotics, garlic, and/or antibiotics). It sucked having to go through it with my son but hopefully I've helped someone else with that story. Let us know how it goes! I did my GBS test today and will hopefully hear back soon. I've had NO mucous whatsoever this entire pregnancy as compared to last pregnancy when there was a TON so I'm feeling pretty good. If your GBS test comes back negative and you're still concerned you might look into bacterial vaginosis, which could also be causing the extra mucous. Crossing my fingers for you for a negative GBS test!!

Ugh, bv would suck! I haven't had that for years, but this doesn't mimic my usual symptoms. I had my test yesterday and I go back for a check up next week. Hopefully it's just mucous plug, but I'm only 36 weeks. I've had tons of BH, menstrual cramps and lower back cramping/pain so who knows. I didn't get any of this with DD.