Infection prevention before testing?

[JamieCatheryn]

Midwives, etc, would you recommend a pregnant woman take oral supplements to prevent infection before any sign of infection was indicated? For example, beginning before a GBS test and continueing until after birth? Such as Vitamin C, garlic, probiotics, grapefruid seed extract, echanacia? Would there be any downside to doing so? For those less rigourous, would extra OJ and garlic in the diet do much at all to prevent/cure GBS and avoid the IV antibiotics as a result? Here, OB's test late and keep the results secret until you show up in labor, no chance to cure it and retest, and avoiding it unless preterm/ water broken a long time isn't an option, they threaten and manipulate to take the baby away if you don't get the IV.

[Reha]

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn

Midwives, etc, would you recommend a pregnant woman take oral supplements to prevent infection before any sign of infection was indicated? For example, beginning before a GBS test and continueing until after birth? Such as Vitamin C, garlic, probiotics, grapefruid seed extract, echanacia? Would there be any downside to doing so? For those less rigourous, would extra OJ and garlic in the diet do much at all to prevent/cure GBS and avoid the IV antibiotics as a result?

We have clients that choose to skip the GBS test and simply take supplements, etc. that they would take if they were to have a + result. (others simply skip the test and don't do anything, as it is a non-issue: we don't administer IV antibiotics at home) I think of the above listed things, the most important aspect would be the probiotics, so if you wants to be 'less rigorous', I would be sure to inlcude that at least. As far as OJ for Vit. C, there are lots of higher sources of food vitamin C (like raw bell peppers!!).

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn

Here, OB's test late and keep the results secret until you show up in labor, no chance to cure it and retest, and avoiding it unless preterm/ water broken a long time isn't an option, they threaten and manipulate to take the baby away if you don't get the IV.

This is appalling!!! : (that they keep the results from the mom until you show up in labor). Isn't that illegal? It is the mother's own lab results, she has a right to them!! I'm not shocked that they don't allow a re-test, as in the medical world, once you test positive, you are always positive (even if it is a different pregnancy!). I don't know if you are asking these questions for yourself, a friend, a client, etc., but personally, I would find a different care provider if they are using CPS scare tactics to force IV antiobiotics on anyone and withholding test results.

[JamieCatheryn]

This was my experience and that of a few friends too. They didn't say they were keeping the results from me they just didn't return my calls. The taking the baby away thing was supposedly for monitoring the first 2-3 days, quarintined at the hospital away from me. They didn't say they'd get CPS involved. I knew they were bluffing and I'd just have to sign AMA stuff but they were persistant and DH didn't want to put up with it (they kept bothering me, I was in transition). I'm asking for anyone I give advice to, friends and family now, and in my future life as a CBE. So, probiotics, high vitamin C diet, immune system boosting supplements, all good ideas. Cool.

[mwherbs]

probably a good idea to follow diets and lifestyle that would reduce your GBS
(Streptococcus agalactiae)load all the time- live culture lactobacillus is one of the most important preventives.
GBS is all about colonization rates and even though it is considered "normal" flora the body reacts to it as if it is and infection- so you could probably say a wide spread sub-clinical infection instead of normal flora- it likes alkaline pH 4.5 up so keeping your vaginal flora in the more acidic range helps to get rid of this weed--
here is a study on lactobacillus

Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 2006 Aug;43(2):174-80.

Influence of probiotic vaginal lactobacilli on in vitro adhesion of urogenital
pathogens to vaginal epithelial cells.

Zárate G, Nader-Macias ME.

Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA)-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucuman,
Argentina.

AIMS: Lactobacilli, the predominant micro-organisms of the vaginal microbiota, play a major role in the maintenance of a healthy urogenital tract by preventing the colonization of pathogenic bacteria. The aim of the present study was to assess the ability of four vaginal Lactobacillus strains, previously selected for their probiotic features, to block in vitro the adherence of three human urogenital pathogens to vaginal epithelial cells (VEC). METHODS AND RESULTS:
Three types of assays were performed in order to determine the inhibitory effect of lactobacilli on adhesion of urogenital pathogens to VEC: blockage by exclusion (lactobacilli and VEC followed by pathogens), competition (lactobacilli, VEC and pathogens together) and displacement (pathogens and VEC followed by the addition of lactobacilli). Bacterial adhesion to VEC was quantified by microscopy (x1000) after Gram's stain. All the strains were able to inhibit by exclusion and competition the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus to VEC but none was able to decrease the attachment of Escherichia coli by neither of the mechanisms assayed. Only Lactobacillus acidophillus CRL 1259 and Lactobacillus paracasei CRL 1289 inhibited the attachment of Group B streptococci (GBS) to VEC by exclusion and competition respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Lactobacillus of vaginal origin were able to inhibit the attachment of genitouropathogenic Staph. aureus and GBS to the
vaginal epithelium.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results support the
probiotic potential of these Lactobacillus strains as anti-infective agents in
the vagina and encourage further studies about their capacity to prevent and
manage urogenital tract infections in females.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 16869901 [Pubmed - indexed for MEDLINE]
-----------------------------------
and another

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2006;85(6):726-35.

Lactobacilli in the female genital tract in relation to other genital microbes and vaginal pH.

Rönnqvist PD, Forsgren-Brusk UB, Grahn-Håkansson EE.

Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Umeå University, Sweden.
[e-mail]

BACKGROUND: The relationship between lactobacilli and other microbes and the association with vaginal pH in the female genital tract were examined. The study also included evaluation of the possibility of supplying probiotics to the genital tract by using panty liners impregnated with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum LB931.
METHODS: This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter study involving 191 healthy fertile women. Specified microbes were counted and vaginal pH was measured once a month
for five consecutive months.
RESULTS: Major individual variations in the genital microflora composition and the vaginal pH were found among the women. The number of lactobacilli was significantly related to vaginal pH (p<0.001) and approximately 70% of the women were permanent carriers of individual lactobacilli strains. Women with high numbers of lactobacilli were less prevalent with Group B streptococci than women with low numbers (p=0.036), and these women had a lower
mean vaginal pH. The number of lactobacilli also correlated with the prevalence of yeast. LB931 could be found in 86% of the labial samples and 54% of the vaginal samples.
CONCLUSIONS: High numbers of lactobacilli may contribute to a
low vaginal pH and seem to have a negative influence on Group B streptococci. LB931 could be transferred from the panty liners to both the vagina and the
labial fold.

[Reha]

Originally Posted by JamieCatheryn

The taking the baby away thing was supposedly for monitoring the first 2-3 days, quarintined at the hospital away from me. They didn't say they'd get CPS involved. I knew they were bluffing and I'd just have to sign AMA stuff but they were persistant and DH didn't want to put up with it (they kept bothering me, I was in transition).

So, even if they were insistant on monitoring baby, why would they need to monitor the baby for signs of infections AWAY from you??????: This makes me so sad and angry.