Antibiotics

[* guest *]

I am being coerced into having antibiotics during labour because I am GBS positive. I have read mothering's article about it and even when I bring those points about antibiotics and how 0.5% of babies get sick from GBS, they still freak out and say that I shouldn't take that chance. What do I do? I don't want antibiotics but I feel that if I refuse them, they'll try to keep my baby there for a week after she's born. Help?

[MommytoTwo]

I personally would rather take the antibiotics than risk them wanting to take the baby for "observation" or some other bs. My first was in the NICU for 4 days and I will do anything to avoid them taking the baby.

[alegna]

Find a different care provider. I would never trust a care provider who strong-arms like that.

Check into homebirth midwives.

-Angela

[* guest *]

I can't switch. I'm a few days over my due date as it is. This is the 3rd provider I've been with and she is a CNM. She's fine with me refusing eye drops and vitamin k though. That's a big relief. The first two were threatening to call DSS. Ugh. But I think it may be for liability purposes for the hospital. If I were to refuse the antibiotics, could they really keep the baby or could I leave AMA if they tried to?

[bobandjess99]

Originally Posted by kireiemiri

I can't switch. I'm a few days over my due date as it is. This is the 3rd provider I've been with and she is a CNM. She's fine with me refusing eye drops and vitamin k though. That's a big relief. The first two were threatening to call DSS. Ugh. But I think it may be for liability purposes for the hospital. If I were to refuse the antibiotics, could they really keep the baby or could I leave AMA if they tried to?

They can really keep the baby. And they will likely do a SPINAL TAP(seriously painful!), and probably get a court order to do anything they want, eye drops and vit K as well.......

I don't understand why you would choose to fight with your care providers about the services you are PAYING them for, and run the risk of having them kidnap your child and force procedures you don't want on either you or the baby...but that's up to you. I agree with alegna.

[alegna]

It depends. It's entirely possible that they could keep the baby : This is a reason I refuse GBS testing and find a cooperative provider.



sorry you're dealing with this!

-Angela

[AugustLia23]

I wish I could help you out. It's so disturbing that you can't simply refuse treatment and have that be it. I would hold my baby tight and not let him go if they tried to do that to me. My baby won't be leaving my sight if I have to give birth in hospital. I haven't tested for GBS, so they would probably assume me to be positive.

[caedmyn]

Could you be tested again for GBS? I've read that the status can change from day to day, so perhaps you can try some natural methods to kill off the bad bacteria for a day or two and then be re-tested (assuming you don't go into labor before then, of course). Might be worth a shot, anyway...

[MyBoysBlue]

This was one of the main reasons I had a UC. My doctor told me at 38 weeks to find a new doctor or accept the antibiotics. I told him i would find a new doc. Which I did the day after DS was born.

[Nan'sMom]

Are you able to homebirth? Many HB midwives will take you days from your due date and tend to be mellower on abx, etc. Also on the Vit K and eyedrops, I think it's the ped who decides so you should make sure you have a ped at the hospital where you'll give birth who will sign off on this...and maybe see what s/he says re GBS and what will happen if you decline abx. Another thought--can you repeat the GBS test after doing stuff to get rid of it?

Best of luck!

[Severine]

Which state are you in? I thought it was only New York that was really harsh on this?

I am GBS+ and I am not taking antibiotics. The abx protocol is a relatively new one, starting around 1997. Before that, nobody got abx in labor just because she was GBS+. Prophylactic use of abx can have lifelong consequences affecting digestive and respiratory health. It wasn't worth it to me for the slim chance of illness in my child, especially since you would likely know there's a problem and be able to treat it. Also prophylactic abx use has been linked to resistant GBS and (worse!) E Coli, where the child gets very ill and can't be treated by normal methods.

I had 2 options with refusing abx... I could leave the birth center with my early discharge, as originally planned, and sign a waiver saying I was leaving against their wishes... or I could agree to a 24 hr stay for observation (with the baby roomed in with me the whole time). I agreed to the 24 hr stay, which is only 12 hrs longer than the typical stay for a birth center birth.

Have you spoken to your pediatrician? Having somebody on your side could help. Our pediatrician was totally in favor of skipping the abx (having been around since before the protocol and understanding the risks of resistant bacteria strains due to abx at birth). This helped because 2 of the 4 midwives at my practice (the 3rd for this pregnancy) weren't in favor of refusing the abx.

Just do the research and arm yourself with information. This way IF something were to happen and child services were called, you could at least prove you weren't negligent.

[AuntG]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99

They can really keep the baby. And they will likely do a SPINAL TAP(seriously painful!), and probably get a court order to do anything they want, eye drops and vit K as well.......

(Ahh, nobody is going to order anything unnecessary for my baby without my permission, not without legal ramifications, that is.....)




Care providers are not, as most of the Western world erroneously thinks, solely responsible for "holding the ball" when it comes to women's health. First and foremost, it is the PATIENT'S responsibility to be informed about her own body and any procedures that a care provider is recommending. Limply lying down and taking it, as if there was no other choice, is irresponsible. Even if she CHOOSES to accept this or any procedure, it should be after careful rumination and fact-gathering, to know whether it's right for her. To suggest otherwise is to suggest that we are not governors of our own bodies ... and a blatant insult to the women who thoroughly researched and educated themselves about their bodies/their babies, as well as to the many women who regretably, either blindly accepted or were coerced or misled to accept procedures that harmed them.

Always strive to learn more.

***Edited: I originally had quoted another post but I re-read it and now understand I was taking it in the wrong context. The recommendation was she find another doc, I see that now. But I still left my missive because I think it echoes what most of us here believe.

Originally Posted by Severine

Prophylactic use of abx can have lifelong consequences affecting digestive and respiratory health. It wasn't worth it to me for the slim chance of illness in my child, especially since you would likely know there's a problem and be able to treat it. Also prophylactic abx use has been linked to resistant GBS and (worse!) E Coli, where the child gets very ill and can't be treated by normal methods.

Our pediatrician was totally in favor of skipping the abx (having been around since before the protocol and understanding the risks of resistant bacteria strains due to abx at birth).

:
Education, education, education.

Refuse or limit internal exams.
As long as nobody is repeatedly putting hands or objects into your vagina after your water breaks, the infection risk goes down to nearly nil.
And good luck! You'll have your sweet child soon!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by AuntG

(Ahh, nobody is going to order anything unnecessary for my baby without my permission, not without legal ramifications, that is.....)

I'm of the same mind, and have shouted it from the rooftops, BUT the climate is such that right now, the chances are the hospital WILL get some sort of court order and WILL keep the baby. It's happening all over. A number of moms here have had it happen.

-Angela

[AuntG]

And most have won settlements.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by AuntG

And most have won settlements.

Personally I'd take my baby not having a spinal tap over a settlement any day. IMHO it's worth the hassle to try to prevent even the possibility of something like this occurring if you know in advance that it may be a problem.

[mom2talus]

I'd just go with the antibiotics, if it were me. It's just not worth the risk or the fight.

[surprisesarefun]

I did get antibiotics with Molly, but because I am allergic to penicillin, I got Clindomyicin. They were refusing to discharge her before the full 48 hours were up because I didn't get penicillin and apparently that's the only acceptable antibiotic at that hospital. We did leave AMA.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by AuntG

And most have won settlements.

Most? How do you figure? *MOST* are just so glad to have their kidnapped baby back they run out of there and don't look back.

-Angela

[AuntG]

Originally Posted by alegna

Most? How do you figure? *MOST* are just so glad to have their kidnapped baby back they run out of there and don't look back.

-Angela

Working for medical-malpractice defense firms for the last ten years is how I figure. It's not always rosy.

Others have said before, if you don't like their standard of care, don't tread on their turf. Unfortunately, that is not enough to change rules and laws. Someone has to fight back.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by AuntG

Working for medical-malpractice defense firms for the last ten years is how I figure. It's not always rosy.

Others have said before, if you don't like their standard of care, don't tread on their turf. Unfortunately, that is not enough to change rules and laws. Someone has to fight back.

Oh.... most who FILE, win. Most I know of never file. I agree. If you don't like their care, go elsewhere....

-Angela