What did you guys end up doing about GBS?

[AmieV]

I know this was discussed awhile back...just curious as to what people here had decided. I tested + and my midwife is recommending garlic suppositories for 5 days and taking echinacea, then if I have any risk factors in labor doing the hebicleanse (I don't feel like I will...my daughter was born within 5 or 6 hours after my water breaking). Most of the time I feel very ok with this but every once in awhile I freak myself out about the antibiotics and feel like I'm taking some huge risk. I'm just curious what ladies here did, especially those who've already had their healthy babies and can restore my confidence in the normalcy of our bodies!!

[phoebemommy]

This is my first baby so I don't have an outcome to share yet, but I decided to skip the test and do the garlic treatment, plus take this stuff I have called Agrisept every day, which is a powerful citrus extract that has zapped yeast infections and UTI's for me in the past better than antibiotics. I did two weeks of the garlic, and may start doing it again if baby doesn't come soon.

I'm pretty comfortable taking these steps rather than taking the GBS test, which would have railroaded me into antibiotics, though my homebirth midwife said we'd do them orally, not IV. From everything I've read, the risks and dangers of using antibiotics for GBS outweigh the rewards. For me, anyway.

[BetsyS]

I decided to do the test, and I tested negative.

[BirthFree]

I tested positive last time and did the hibicleanse - but I didn't do DH AND myself (I just did myself) so we were passing it back and forth b/c my second test (which we got the results of when DS was 3 days old) was also positive - and "abundant" which isn't good. DS was born 15 minutes after my water broke which obviously limited his exposure.

This time I tested (I'm doing an unassisted pg, but I did get tested for peace of mind (or proactivity)) and the results were negative. Had they been positive I would have done yogurt up there, coloidial silver, etc.

I still would choose to skip any antibiotics (same choice we made with DSs labor) had we been positive. They don't gaurantee that you are not going to have a baby with GBS and really... they are SO invasive when it's just a slight chance - I know GBS is a serious illness so I don't mean to make light of it... but you know what I mean. My MW at that time said she's seen a baby come out covered in hives from an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Eee.
~Julie

[marymamma]

I have tested positive and my midwife recommended as series of douches (homemade) for 8 days to reduce the amount of cultures. The douches are like water/vinegar, water/tea tree oil, water/boric acid, water/yogurt - just rotate through them and do one or two a day. This also works well for yeast infections too btw. She's going to test me again, if we have time, before the birth to see if the beta strep cultures have been reduced. If they are reduced, then I probably won't get the antibiotics.

I was positive with DD too and I had 1 bag of antibiotics through an IV and then it was taken out. DD and I were both fine afterwards. No ill effects from the antibiotics or beta strep.

[Ursula Rose]

i tested positive twice -- once at 38 w and once at 39 w.

we did not take antibiotics.

babe is healthy. i am healthy.

[eightyferrettoes]

I wound up doing the test and coming up negative, but hadn't decided on a plan of action in case I was positive. Lucked out, I guess.

Tough call, IMO.

[KarmaChameleon]

I did the Hibicleanse douche when labor began...healthy baby here, grateful mama.

[veganf]

I did nothing. No test, nada.

[JenMidwife]

Originally Posted by eightyferrettoes

I wound up doing the test and coming up negative, but hadn't decided on a plan of action in case I was positive. Lucked out, I guess.

Tough call, IMO.

: Me too. I did a clove of garlic vaginally every night & double dosed my probiotic supplement for a week before testing.

BTW, the probiotic is cause the GBS infection actually comes from your intestines to your vagina via your bum. So the thought is that the probiotics keep the bad bacteria in your gut under control to prevent the infection in the first place.

[autumnfaery]

I went ahead and got tested. I figured it would be good info to have should I (or the baby) have needed to transfer. I was neg, but had I been positive, I would have only treated if I ran into one of the risk factors in labor (prolonged ROM, fever, etc). My mw was equipt to give IV antibiotics had I needed them and choose to have them.

[AmieV]

Jen, thanks for the probiotic idea!! That makes a lot of sense.

Man, I feel like I'm on a million supplements for the last few weeks here...between the extra iron, l-lysine, echinacea, prenatals, fish oil, probiotics...I don't even remember when to take what anymore!! (or what all I've taken on a given day). Hope I remember to "uninsert" my garlic.