Would you give infant probiotics to newborn after round of abx?

[naturalmummy]

I am GBS+ and have to consent to the 1-2 doses of penicillin before birth. I am very concerned but do not have a choice if I want to birth in the hospital (I am due tomorrow). Switching to HB is not an option at this point.

So, should I start my DD on probiotics as soon as I can start pumping and adding to a bottle, or do I just trust that the breastmilk will do the best possible as I know it contains pre and pro biotics.

Also, does anyone know approx how long it takes to build back up the healthy flora in the BABY after a dose of abx such as this at birth? (I am less concerned about myself, I will up my probx and immune boosting supplements for a while).

My cousin's baby was given abx after birth b/c she had a fever, and she has already had a stomach bug at a month old even though she is EBF.

I hate abx! But I have also read some mama's posts about having a septic newborn due to GBS. (I wish I had tried to get rid of it naturally before testing and birth, but I am too late at this point). 

Thanks for any advice!

[lovebeingamomma]

I've never heard of a provider that will dump you if you decline the Penicillin.  I mean if you want them that's fine, but have they really told you you can't birth at a hospital if you decline them?  sounds like a big ol scare tactic to me.  I'm declining them.  I know women have posted about babies getting sick, but you don't see the moms who have died from severe allergic reaction to the Penicillin posting.  It's not a one sided issue and a provider/hospital should respect a patients right to make an informed choice.

[~Amy~]

I considered giving my DS probiotics after our c-section, since I received antibiotics during the surgery.  I don't think I ended up actually doing it, though.  In that situation, he was basically out before I really got much (if any, I don't remember exactly at what point in the surgery they hung the antibiotics), though so I didn't worry about it too much.  If I were getting antibiotics during labor for GBS, I'd absolutely give probiotics afterwards.  I'd probably just dissolve the powder in a tiny bit of water on a spoon & give it that way, though, rather than messing with pumping and mixing it into milk.

[womenswisdom]

You don't HAVE to consent to AB just because you are birthing in a hospital.  If you CHOOSE to, that's a different story.  If I chose to receive antibiotics, I would probably go ahead and do a probiotic.  I would get a really good brand, with a high colony count, break open the capsule and put it on my nipple while breastfeeding.  However, no matter which probiotic you choose to go with, it won't be the same as the bacteria your baby would have receiving during a trip through the birth canal, which is where they pick up some of their colonizing bacteria.  They pick up others from the environment after birth, both their mother and hospital or home.  There are only a few types of probiotic that are commercially available, so you'd have to pick which one you wanted to use.

[Jaimee]

As pp's have said there is a lot to think about in regards to the AB's.  If you do decide to do them, I would recommend probiotics for your newborn and yes it is safe.  Breastmilk has a lot of great probiotics, but it will be beneficial to assist her gut further after the AB's.  There have been studies showing that infants (including newborns) who are given probiotics have less issues down the road with allergies, immunity, diseases of the gut, etc.  I would highly recommend these:  http://www.professionalsupplementcenter.com/PharmaxHLCNeonate.htm

You don't have to express breastmilk to feed them, just put them on the tip of your finger to feed.  So much easier!

[LiLStar]

My gbs status was unknown in my both pregnancies. Both planned home births, but the 1st one I transferred to the hospital in labor. since I was unknown AND my water had been broken over 12 hours, they wanted to give abx. I started raising a stink and refusing, but my midwife kinda whispered the potential that if I refused, they were going to watch that baby like a hawk and at the slightest hint that MAYBE something was wrong (slightly elevated temp due to being bundled a little more than necessary?) they would jump in to whisk her to the nicu for iv abx. So while it IS true that you can refuse abx in labor while gbs + (the ob on call just sort of shrugged and said "well, i cant force you if you dont consent" so there wasn't going to be a fight there) I think its important to keep in mind that if you refuse, you may be in for a less than pleasant PP experience! 

Anyway, to the OP's question! Yes, I would definitely give some infant probiotics. I can't recommend a specific brand but I'm sure people over in health and healing could give suggestions. There's no need to mix it into a bottle, you can dip your finger in the powder and have baby suck it off your finger, or even put some on your nipple before nursing. Be sure that YOU have some probiotics too!

[tracymom1]

I second what Jaimee said.  We gave both kids HCL Neonatal probiotics from birth on and they did not receive any anitboitics - we just believe that whatever we can do to help their gut, the better. I just let them suck it off my finger.