Group B Strep - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[HouseofPeace]

hmmmm- interesting.  i've never done the garlic.  i always added in a lot of probiotics and my midwife and i just had the discussion that we'll NOT do the test, but instead wait and see.  if the labor presents any risks, we'll then take steps to address possible problems.  my last 2 labors were so quick and no signs of possible infection.  and if i end up in the hospital, they will treat me as positive anyways.

i was positive w/ my 2nd (in the broth of that brothy test) so am not careless about it, but also know that it could change.  

so we'll be cautious, but since it's a homebirth, i'm not doing abx at that point anyways.  

the garlic thing makes me laugh- i'm 1/2 greek, so it probably wouldn't phase my husband anymore!  part of me wants to try it just to see his response!  he worked at a greek restaurant a while back and they always wanted him to be greek b/c he has a full head of curly dark hair, and is very tall, and he always said 'no, but my wife is.' and they said 'close enough, now you are too.'  and he reeked of garlic from eating there all the time!  all the kids eat garlic like mad as well.  i always think of garlic as killing off the bad but not necessarily as wiping out the entire flora of the gut/vaginal tract.  add in a yogurt rinse and you'll be set.  that's what many natural yeast infection treatments look like.  or just a yogurt suppository.  there's a lot online about that. you can even just put it on a pad and wear it for a couple hours.  i've only had one yeast infection, and it needed drugs, so never got to try any of these, but am considering it just to help my GBS status be safer for all.  

add cucumber and you can have some tzadziki!  eat it as well.    just in case this conversation wasn't fun enough!

[lovebeingamomma]

Originally Posted by HouseofPeace 

hmmmm- interesting.  i've never done the garlic.  i always added in a lot of probiotics and my midwife and i just had the discussion that we'll NOT do the test, but instead wait and see.  if the labor presents any risks, we'll then take steps to address possible problems.  my last 2 labors were so quick and no signs of possible infection.  and if i end up in the hospital, they will treat me as positive anyways.

i was positive w/ my 2nd (in the broth of that brothy test) so am not careless about it, but also know that it could change.  

so we'll be cautious, but since it's a homebirth, i'm not doing abx at that point anyways.  

the garlic thing makes me laugh- i'm 1/2 greek, so it probably wouldn't phase my husband anymore!  part of me wants to try it just to see his response!  he worked at a greek restaurant a while back and they always wanted him to be greek b/c he has a full head of curly dark hair, and is very tall, and he always said 'no, but my wife is.' and they said 'close enough, now you are too.'  and he reeked of garlic from eating there all the time!  all the kids eat garlic like mad as well.  i always think of garlic as killing off the bad but not necessarily as wiping out the entire flora of the gut/vaginal tract.  add in a yogurt rinse and you'll be set.  that's what many natural yeast infection treatments look like.  or just a yogurt suppository.  there's a lot online about that. you can even just put it on a pad and wear it for a couple hours.  i've only had one yeast infection, and it needed drugs, so never got to try any of these, but am considering it just to help my GBS status be safer for all.  

add cucumber and you can have some tzadziki!  eat it as well.    just in case this conversation wasn't fun enough!

The reason I test is for the reason you stated- they will try and treat you as positive in the hospital if you don't know your status.  Less stress to know my status either way.  If you have on record that you're negative, no fighting at the hospital should you end up there. 

[HouseofPeace]

Originally Posted by lovebeingamomma 

The reason I test is for the reason you stated- they will try and treat you as positive in the hospital if you don't know your status.  Less stress to know my status either way.  If you have on record that you're negative, no fighting at the hospital should you end up there. 

theoretically, yes- but my one experience in the hospital w/ a negative GBS birth, they went ahead and treated my son as if he were positive.  he ended up with a round of intense antibiotics for no reason except they wanted to be 'safe' and I was not allowed to have any say-so in that.  i found my hospital births were both fighting all the way!!!

[Teles]

Group B Strep positive. Looks like I'll be getting antibiotics during labour :(

[Chloe'sMama]

Teles- can you try and get rid of it and retest? You should ask your doc.

Garlic supositories have good results and I would rather do hibiclens than Abx. I think there is still time.

[kellybeth]

Originally Posted by Teles 

Group B Strep positive. Looks like I'll be getting antibiotics during labour :(

i get my results on monday. my hubby had to pull the doctor back in the room and tell her that actually, i am allergic to penicillin, after i said no. i really have no brain. they said it's only a 15 minute thing during labor, but that still sucks. 

[Jenny01]

Sorry Teles . I get my results next week.

[Teles]

I didn't realize there was anything that could be done about it but my doctor is so unpredictable with how cooperative she's going to be that I really don't know if it's worth the fight this close to delivery. Plus I have a tendency to get various infections (kidney, yeast, etc) and I feel like the next 2.5 week (or however long until baby comes) will be walking a tightrope trying to avoid infecting anything, so I'm not sure if it's worth testing ways to get rid of the bacteria. I would really like to, but I worry that I'll end up with something worse somehow.

I realize this belongs in another thread, but I need a moment to rant about my doctor after having yet another shitty appointment with her today. I chose her because she seemed reasonably well informed and appeared to work in statistics rather than just emotional beliefs when making decisions, but it's been my experience so far that she's insanely inconsistent with this. She gives me studies and numbers sometimes, then will throw me a curve ball when she announces that if I don't get a flu shot I could risk letting my baby get sick and possibly even die (!) without any empirical support. When I asked her about any possible alternatives with the antibiotics with the GBS she got really snappy and serious with me and just said "no." straight up without any other explanation or further discussion. She's also going on vacation starting next Friday when she'll be gone for over a week (returning just shy of my due date) and didn't even mention it, so I was surprised to learn that I have to see a different doctor for my next appointment.

I just finished watching the labour and delivery story of a woman that I had been following on youtube who just had her daughter and even though she tried to be in good spirits about the whole thing, her birth experience was pretty horrible from first being admitted to her eventual c-section, and was even bullied into supplementing with formula by one particularly pushy nurse (part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLxAAs-irVE&feature=youtu.be and part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxgEbksBoQ if anyone wants to see). I know that the hospital I'm going to is really forward-thinking and seem to be really balanced and reasonable, but I am absolutely terrified of a similar thing happening to me and having my doctor be so inconsistent certainly isn't making me feel any better about it. The thought of how much fighting I might have to do in such a vulnerable state is starting to overshadow an experience that I was actually looking forward to.

I hope you all have negative results so you don't have to worry about this antibiotic stuff

[Chloe'sMama]

Originally Posted by Teles 

I didn't realize there was anything that could be done about it but my doctor is so unpredictable with how cooperative she's going to be that I really don't know if it's worth the fight this close to delivery. Plus I have a tendency to get various infections (kidney, yeast, etc) and I feel like the next 2.5 week (or however long until baby comes) will be walking a tightrope trying to avoid infecting anything, so I'm not sure if it's worth testing ways to get rid of the bacteria. I would really like to, but I worry that I'll end up with something worse somehow.

I realize this belongs in another thread, but I need a moment to rant about my doctor after having yet another shitty appointment with her today. I chose her because she seemed reasonably well informed and appeared to work in statistics rather than just emotional beliefs when making decisions, but it's been my experience so far that she's insanely inconsistent with this. She gives me studies and numbers sometimes, then will throw me a curve ball when she announces that if I don't get a flu shot I could risk letting my baby get sick and possibly even die (!) without any empirical support. When I asked her about any possible alternatives with the antibiotics with the GBS she got really snappy and serious with me and just said "no." straight up without any other explanation or further discussion. She's also going on vacation starting next Friday when she'll be gone for over a week (returning just shy of my due date) and didn't even mention it, so I was surprised to learn that I have to see a different doctor for my next appointment.

I just finished watching the labour and delivery story of a woman that I had been following on youtube who just had her daughter and even though she tried to be in good spirits about the whole thing, her birth experience was pretty horrible from first being admitted to her eventual c-section, and was even bullied into supplementing with formula by one particularly pushy nurse (part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLxAAs-irVE&feature=youtu.be and part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKxgEbksBoQ if anyone wants to see). I know that the hospital I'm going to is really forward-thinking and seem to be really balanced and reasonable, but I am absolutely terrified of a similar thing happening to me and having my doctor be so inconsistent certainly isn't making me feel any better about it. The thought of how much fighting I might have to do in such a vulnerable state is starting to overshadow an experience that I was actually looking forward to.

I hope you all have negative results so you don't have to worry about this antibiotic stuff

If I was you (and Kellybeth) and whoever is having a hospital birth and are strep positive, I would ask if you can get retested at 39 weeks after 2 weeks of the garlic supositories.  Worst case-  you are still positive and will have to get abx anyways.... so, in the same boat as you are now.

Abx can cause thrush and terrible diaper rashes (DD1 had it for a month, awful bleeding rash) as well as killing all good bacteria in the gut (yours and the baby) and I believe this caused food intolerances in DD1 and leaky gut.  I don't want to scare you, but there are some negative reasons to try and skip the abx.  If you can, just try and get retested (the garlic I don't think will have any negative effect on your body).  

Anyways, just my opinion having been there, having a hospital birth and been gbs positive and did the abx route with DD1 .  You have to do what you feel is right for your family.

Good luck ladies.

[waywornwanderer]

so sorry, teles and kellybeth  I have my test next week and am DREADING it. trying not to put too much stock in whether or not I have to have the abx, but I know I'll be disappointed if I do. I fear what you fear, teles, with the whole nightmarish medical staff thing happening. 

chloe'smama, that's a great suggestion to keep in mind...

[typebug]

My test is in two weeks also. I think i had the option to opt out but now I'm curious if i have it. If the test is positive i'll give some of the remedies a go. I'm unsure if i really want to do the abx if i have it.

[Adaline'sMama]

I've had the abx with all three of my labors- 2 of which I was positive and this time my test results didn't come back before babies were born. If they had, I would have taken oral abx, just bc my previous labor was so fast that we barely got the full dosage in. My ob says the test is good for five weeks and that you can either take abx orally or through iv.

[Chloe'sMama]

Hey ladies-
Just got my results... negative!!! Hurray!!!
I was positive with DD1 and got the ABX in the hospital. I got tested 2 times with dd2 and did some chinese herbs and vaginal washes (in between) to try and have a negative test....my body just is prone to it and both were positive, so I did hibiclens at the birth.... this time I did crazy probiotics and the garlic supositories and I am negative. Those who are positive, I think you still have time.

Good luck

Oh, I am continuing the probiotics and garlic until the birth.

Edited to add:
I also have been on a low sugar, low carb diet for the past 20 days and that could have helped too. Keeping up with everything until the birth!
Edited by Chloe'sMama - 1/19/13 at 12:28pm

[Sunshine_Amy]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMama 

Abx can cause thrush and terrible diaper rashes (DD1 had it for a month, awful bleeding rash) as well as killing all good bacteria in the gut (yours and the baby) and I believe this caused food intolerances in DD1 and leaky gut.  

I have a friend (who is an acupuncturist, for what it's worth) whose son was given antibiotics at birth, and he has the worst food allergies of any child I know.  She told me she has seen this pattern with enough other friends (antibiotics = food allergies) that she is considering conducting a study.   

A retest seems like a good idea, whether or not you've taken any garlic or such thing. My midwife says that three days after taking a test, you can easily retest and have a different result. She doesn't like the test, only for that reason--it's not reliable.  In the hospitals here in Western Massachusetts, she says the protocol is that if you are positive for GBS, or decline the test, they want to do the antibiotics, and if you don't they then "reserve the right" to keep the baby in the hospital for three days for observation.  She said, in the hospital I'm using as my (home birth) back up, that they would give me this speech, but that in her experience, despite the talking-to, once they see a healthy baby, they'll send you home--with instructions to come back in if the baby is wheezing or showing other specific symptoms (which is perhaps what they should just be doing in the first place??).  

Teles, I'm sorry about your results, and even more so your doctor's stubborn attitude. :(   How about a doula?  Doctors have to do their doctor thing--offering things you don't want, so they can say they offered it (and avoid getting sued because they didn't), but you should have the final say in anything.  Someone to help advocate (and give feedback if you're in doubt) for what you want could be just the thing!   

Kellybeth, I hope you had good news yesterday!   

Edited by Sunshine_Amy - 1/21/13 at 10:30pm

[HouseofPeace]

my oldest 2 both had antibiotics around birth- my son struggled w/ thrush for a few months (and this was good only b/c my husband's life-long yeast issues suddenly were addressed and treated as well) after his round of antibiotics.  w/ my 2nd, i had GBS and IV antibiotics, and she is my pickiest eater and only carb crazy kid.  My other 2 homebirth babies never have had antibiotics and their systems have been so much stronger, healthier and sturdier.  

my sister who is a labor and delivery nurse says that there is a shift to change protocol in GBS as monitoring the babies and the mothers is actually more effective than the abx.  but currently, we have to jump through hoops.  I'm definitely stocking up on probiotics and shifting my diet away from carbs (potatoes are my only starch, and then my paleo treats) and to a GAPS diet for the next 2-4 weeks.  this has worked great on my last 2 births, and my midwife and I had the discussion and she's going to oversee any risk factors.  Which is why we have professionals, right?!

[kittn]

Ive never tested positive for group B out of 5 babies.I just did my strep test yesterday

I know my MW tests for which antibiotic is best. Hospital protocol is for antibiotics but if I refuse they monitor baby for 48 full hours. monitoring 48 hours I can live with.

[kellybeth]

results just came back in-negative. the nurse said that if it takes this long for results that usually means it's positive and they were trying to find an alternative to penicillin for me, so the negative results are a very welcome. so relieved. 

[Gillmoro]

Originally Posted by kellybeth 

results just came back in-negative. the nurse said that if it takes this long for results that usually means it's positive and they were trying to find an alternative to penicillin for me, so the negative results are a very welcome. so relieved. 

Yay for a negative!!

[Dakota1235]

Negative here too, so happy that I don't have to deal with the antibiotics.

[Sunshine_Amy]

Phew!!! Yay, Kellybeth and Dakota!