GBS thread?

[Nate'sMama]

Went to the OB today and we're going to do the GBS test next week at 38 instead. I told her I wanted to do the whole probiotics/ garlic thing and she said sure we can wait. I love my OB btw!

I was GBS + with DS and it was what lead me down the ill fated csection path, just in my particular case. I meant to do it in prep for this appt but I lost my garlic in the move and couldn't spare one sec to get more!

Can someone point me to the thread that had to do with GBS prevention? I can't seem to find it. I need explicit directions

[Tulafina]

This is what I did-

I started probiotics awhile ago but I'm sure it would help if you went on them now anyway(help with thrush etc)
I did one week straight of garlic- take a clove, cut both pointy ends off, make sure it's peeled, and put a thread through it with a needle(easier to find the next morning)and insert it into the vagina. Make sure it's before bed because you can taste it...

I also did hydrogen peroxide(3%) washes morning and night. I took my peri bottle filled it with 2oz of HP and 1oz of water and the closer to my test date I got the less water I mixed with it. I sat on the toilet and just sprayed the outside of my parts with the solution. I washed with this about an hour before my test. I was + with my DS1 but this time I'm - yippee!!!!

Anyway, I hope it's negative for you!!! Take Care, Julie

[Shanana]

Do you know if they do a rectal swab? Or just vaginal? Probiotics should help with rectal GBS, but I'm on a monster dose and I still got a + . My mw is almost positive it was the rectal swab that made me +, because she had me doing boric acid suppositories for a yeast infection, and she said that really, really should have killed any GBS in my vagina.

Anyway, I would do the probiotics and garlic. And I think the hydrogen peroxide will kill it too. Just spray the outside, and squirt towards the vaginal opening, but you don't have to really get it inside. They swab just inside, and my mw said the GBS lives outside and at the opening.

There are also a ton of threads on this in the I'm Pregnant forum. The MDC search function sucks, but I figured out a trick. If you go to advanced search and tell it to search only the titles, and also search only in the I'm Pregnant forum, then put GBS into the search field and you should get some good threads that way.

[theatermom]

If you can find a way to avoid the rectal swab, that would help! They actually started doing rectal swabs to catch more lightly colonized women -- don't get me started on why that makes me angry! :

I tried to find MDC threads for you using the search here, and failed miserably. You can try googling it, and the threads will usually pop up.

At any rate, I recommend the garlic suppository nightly until the test (since you only have a week), oral garlic and probiotics, and peroxide washes. You can also use plain yogurt or kefir on your outer regions (including rectum) after the washes to help with proper colonization.

This mothering article gives amounts for natural garlic:
Herbal Remedies I highly recommend the garlic elixir and the garlic w/honey several times a day.

I've also heard of using Tea Tree Oil -- you can use just a dab of a Tea Tree Oil ointment on the rectal area (I would probably save this for the morning of the swab, after a peroxide wash). If you're super serious about being negative, you can google Hibiclens washes. GL!

[Shanana]

I did a search for "strep" and came up with this:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...archid=7757933

[Nate'sMama]

Thanks ladies!! I never find what I'm looking for when I search and I knew we were all just talking about this a few weeks ago, when I was unplugged for a bit.
I appreciate the recap!

My doula suggested the hibiclens wash as well.

Not sure if she does a rectal swab or not --didn't think to ask.

Off to whole foods tomorrow

[emilysometimes]

gbs

My midwife (who let me do my own swab) said NO RECTAL SWAB. If you do the rectal swab, you will come out positive. Just fyi.

[Molck]

Originally Posted by emilysometimes

My midwife (who let me do my own swab) said NO RECTAL SWAB. If you do the rectal swab, you will come out positive. Just fyi.

I did the rectal swab and came out negative, so it's not impossible-- but I agree, it does seem to skew things that way.

[theatermom]

Originally Posted by emilysometimes

My midwife (who let me do my own swab) said NO RECTAL SWAB. If you do the rectal swab, you will come out positive. Just fyi.

It definitely catches many very lightly colonized women, but it's not a given that a person will be positive with the rectal swab. I was GBS positive with my 1st son, and negative with my 2nd, and had the rectal swab the 2nd time, but not the first.

I do recommend avoiding it, though.

[cj'smommy]

Does anyone know how long it takes for the results to come in?

[Molck]

Originally Posted by cj'smommy

Does anyone know how long it takes for the results to come in?

I'm sure it varies, but I swabbed last week Monday and got my results this week Thursday. I think my MW had them sooner, though, and was just waiting for my appointment to tell me.

[cj'smommy]

Originally Posted by Molck

I'm sure it varies, but I swabbed last week Monday and got my results this week Thursday. I think my MW had them sooner, though, and was just waiting for my appointment to tell me.

Thanks, I have an appt Tuesday so I hope to find out then since I was swabbed this past Tuesday.

[Molck]

Originally Posted by cj'smommy

Thanks, I have an appt Tuesday so I hope to find out then since I was swabbed this past Tuesday.

Good luck! Hope it's negative .

[cj'smommy]

Originally Posted by Molck

Good luck! Hope it's negative .

Thanks me too. I did nothing about it except probiotics when I remembered them, maybe I'll get lucky.

[Shanana]

I think I did my swab on a Tuesday, and my mw had the results by Saturday. Hope you come up negative!

[Nate'sMama]

Hope everyone' is negative!

I have been doing the garlic - not as awful as I thought it might be :-)
I get tested Thurs.

Thanks for the help!

[kgrace]

I'm thinking of starting the garlic/probiotics/hibaclense and re testing. I just got my results yesterday and might cancel the home birth because my primary care MD was scaring me stiff about GBS ( then she said to check with my midwife!!)
My urine was negative but swabs "very colonized 4+".

I had a thought of admitting us to the hospital after the birth or go when I'm at the end of labor and they can watch for all of these things for fevers etc...
If anyone has had experience with monitoring everyone and declining the systemic penicillin unless symptomatic baby i would love to hear. This caused me so much stress I was crying in my bed last night.I'm at my most vulnerable right now and just want to be holding my healthy breathing newborn.Ah!

[GiGiQ]

I'm nervous about this test. I didn't know I'd be getting it yesterday and was too flustered to ask to wait, so I didn't really prepare and there was a rectal swab.

[cj'smommy]

Mine was negative, thank goodness! I took probiotics when I remembered but that was about it.

No GBS : going out to those who need them and kgrace hope you can re-test.

[Nate'sMama]

Just wanted to come back to calm some nerves going on here.

While it is a pain to be positive it's not the end of the world. You and your MW/ OB can manage it just fine. I don't know how they handle it with homebirths but I hope you don't cancel it because of being +. The OB at the hospital has to take a hard stance on it because of legal issues I am sure. You should definitely retest

I hope to be negative, but I will deal if positive. The reason it had me headed down the csection path was because the wouldn't let me go home after they induced and that was the plan- to go home. My water broke ( a trickle) I was GBS+ so they insisted on keeping me, then I was on the clock .

I know better this time around. No induction, come in pushing etc. If I get there for their four hour window, I get there, if not we'll watch the baby closely after.

There's lots to worry about these days -it comes with being a mother.
Let's all just breathe