All about Group B - Add your thoughts too. - Page 2

[apelilae]

I did not test for it this time around as I wouldn't use antibiotics if I were to test positive. IMO, the problem is that you test between 35-37 weeks and from the research I've done you may come up positive but be negative when you go into labor or vice-versa. Had I tested and tested positive, the midwife has lots of ideas to help boost immunity -which I'm doing now anyway.

[heatherRN]

I could go on and on...
I was positive for my first pg and I ruptured prior to active labor and so had 50 hours of IV antibiotics (every 4 hours) in the hospital. This pregnancy I have been combating GBS really since before conception! I was just taking probiotics and unfortunately have GBS in my urine at 8 weeks. After that came back I ramped up my efforts. I have been doing probiotics, garlic tabs, vitamin C, and as much fermented food as I can tolerate (FYI yogurt has a very low concentration of cultures). I have included kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, cultured butter, and yogurt in my diet and for a short time took grapefruit seed extract. I am waiting on my vaginal swab results and if I am positive I know my MW will have me do hydrogen peroxide douches and I think some other herbs/tinctures like echinacea and vaginal garlic. We have discussed hibiclens douches every 6 hours while in labor in I am still positive and I will accept IV antibiotics if I am ruptured for an extended period and/or develop a fever.
My sister was able to change her status in her last pg, but I have known many women who have made huge efforts similar to mine and still ended up testing positive. Carriers tend to stay carriers, especially health care workers

[holothuroidea]

I tested negative. If I were positive I would have refused the antibiotics because I am against their use as routine or preventative, but it's good information to have.

I'm slightly horrified by all the inserting this and that into vaginas and douching and so forth... I was always under the impression that the less you do to your vagina the better it is at cleaning itself. For the record, I've never had any vaginal problems. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[robertandenith]

I already did the test just waiting for results. I always test negative. I been taking probiotics, lots of fruits (vit C) and vit C tablets too, so hopefully I'll be okay...

[Mamatolea]

I was + with DD and did a homebirth and used the hibiclens douche. No infection.

I am + with this baby as well and will do the hibiclens again.

This is what my midwife sent me as protocol:
140 ml of 0.2% chlorhexidine vaginal wash at the onset of labor or at rupture of membranes, whichever comes first, and to be repeated every 6 hours

Prepare the 0.2% chlorhexidine solution by combining 7 ml (1 1/2 teaspoons) Hibiclens© (4% chlorhexidine) with 133 ml (1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons) of water.
Use the entire amount each time, and mix a fresh batch for every application.

Hibiclens© can be purchased at most pharmacies, without a prescription. Please purchase this ahead of time, as some pharmacies do not stock it, and may need to order it for you. The smallest bottle should be sufficient. Tranfer your diluted solution into a disposable douche bottle. Use as a vaginal wash/rinse, not under pressure, at the onset of labor and every six hours thereafter until birth.

Based on:
1: Int J Antimicrob Agents 1999 Aug;12(3):245-51(Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Aker Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway)
This prospective controlled trial demonstrated that vaginal douching with 0.2% chlorhexidine during labor can significantly reduce both maternal and early neonatal infectious morbidity. The squeeze bottle procedure was simple, quick, and well tolerated. The beneficial effect may be ascribed both to mechanical cleansing by liquid flow and to the disinfective action of chlorhexidine.

J Matern Fetal Med 2002 Feb; 11(2):84-8 (Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Pediatric Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena Italy)
Conclusion: In this carefully screened target population, intrapartum vaginal flushings with chlorhexidine in colonized mothers display the same efficacy as ampicillin in preventing vertical transmission of group B streptococcus. Moreover, the rate of neonatal E. coli colonization was reduced by chlorhexidine.

So in case anyone wanted another option than antibiotics and/or another opinion!

[Love_My_Babies]

Originally Posted by Mamatolea

I was + with DD and did a homebirth and used the hibiclens douche. No infection.

I am + with this baby as well and will do the hibiclens again.

This is what my midwife sent me as protocol:
140 ml of 0.2% chlorhexidine vaginal wash at the onset of labor or at rupture of membranes, whichever comes first, and to be repeated every 6 hours

Prepare the 0.2% chlorhexidine solution by combining 7 ml (1 1/2 teaspoons) Hibiclens© (4% chlorhexidine) with 133 ml (1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons) of water.
Use the entire amount each time, and mix a fresh batch for every application.

Hibiclens© can be purchased at most pharmacies, without a prescription. Please purchase this ahead of time, as some pharmacies do not stock it, and may need to order it for you. The smallest bottle should be sufficient. Tranfer your diluted solution into a disposable douche bottle. Use as a vaginal wash/rinse, not under pressure, at the onset of labor and every six hours thereafter until birth.

Based on:
1: Int J Antimicrob Agents 1999 Aug;12(3):245-51(Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Aker Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway)
This prospective controlled trial demonstrated that vaginal douching with 0.2% chlorhexidine during labor can significantly reduce both maternal and early neonatal infectious morbidity. The squeeze bottle procedure was simple, quick, and well tolerated. The beneficial effect may be ascribed both to mechanical cleansing by liquid flow and to the disinfective action of chlorhexidine.

J Matern Fetal Med 2002 Feb; 11(2):84-8 (Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Pediatric Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena Italy)
Conclusion: In this carefully screened target population, intrapartum vaginal flushings with chlorhexidine in colonized mothers display the same efficacy as ampicillin in preventing vertical transmission of group B streptococcus. Moreover, the rate of neonatal E. coli colonization was reduced by chlorhexidine.

So in case anyone wanted another option than antibiotics and/or another opinion!

Thanks so much for the details. I have gbs, and another midwife had suggested the hibiclense.

We are just now switching to a homebirth after going to the hospital in active labor. I was stabbed six times by three different nurses trying to get an iv going. They finally called the anesthesiologist on duty and it took him three more stabs to get an iv going. My hands and arms are so bruised that I look like a drug junkie. By that time, I had lost focus and my body went into protect mode stopping my labor. On the ride home dh and I decided that we needed a homebirth.

Oh, I should add that the same thing happened to me with ds2. Went to the hospital after my water broke in active labor. It took 6 stabs to get my iv in, and by then my labor stopped for the next 12 hours. They then pumped me with pitocin.

[kochanyk]

Wanna hear something interesting? Goes to show how unreliable an early test can be. At 33 wks I got food poisoning and had to go to L&D- they did GBS test and checked dilation, etc. So...

33.5 wks GBS NEGATIVE
35.5 wks GBS POSITIVE (with MW)
36.5 wks GBS NEGATIVE
37.5 wks GBS pending

why so many? I have serious allergies to most abx (penn, ammox, eurythro, and more) so they were *supposed* to do a strain resistance after the +. They couldn't do it of course b/c next test was neg. I blame the + on the fact that I couldn't eat for a week and so of course my whole body was way out of sorts. This is my 3rd child and first ever + GBS.

[jule924]

I used garlic vaginally for 8 nights (there was a link posted in one of these GBS threads and I followed those directions) before my GBS test. I was positive with #2 and really wanted to be neg. with this one. I got my negative! They also recommended using the garlic about once a week after to maintain until birth. I plan to do that as well. I have also been taking garlic pills as well as acidopholys (sp?). I guess something worked! I really didn't want to be hooked up to anything this time.

[violets8]

This may be a dumb question but.....I have never had strep in my life. I heard from a friend that you were either a carrier or not. If I have never had it can I still be a carrier? I have my test in 2 weeks so I guess I will know then. If I had it I would do the IV antibiotics. I would rather me be treated just to be safe than something having to happen to the baby. I want his first few days to be as peaceful as possible.

[jule924]

GBS is different than regualr strep. It is a bacteria that is harmless to you and can colonize randomly (from my understanding). It lives in your vagina and/or rectum.

[heatherRN]

2 positives (35 weeks, 37 weeks)
I tried everything and I mean everything!
We will use Hibiclens every 6 hours while in labor and I will take IV antibiotics if I get a fever or are ruptured longer then 18 hours.
I am fine with this plan.
I have heard healthcare providers are more likely to be positive and I was positive last time too. Just part of my natural flora I guess :

[mommyshanti]

just had my lil one and did test positive for gbs
did probiotics vit c and hibiclense douche when water broke every 6 hours
I like to test just so i can make educated decisions on how to proceed
if it was a test that had a high false postive or highly invasive or something wouldnt get but im glad i did

[Klynne]

Just googled group b since I've never heard of it. On a women's site in the uk I found this:

"In the UK, ENGBSS occurs in 0.3/1000 neonates. In the US it is 3/1000."

I live in scandinavia and have never ever heard of testing for this or the use of antibiotics after birth... with #1 I went to 1 dr and 4 state employed mw's and non of them mentioned any testing.

Maybe it's impossible for us to know, but when did this become a hyped issue in the US (much like the glucose test)? And why is it a non-issue in other medically modernized western countries?

I can't help but be skeptical to the whole thing.

[heatherRN]

Originally Posted by Klynne

Just googled group b since I've never heard of it. On a women's site in the uk I found this:

"In the UK, ENGBSS occurs in 0.3/1000 neonates. In the US it is 3/1000."

I live in scandinavia and have never ever heard of testing for this or the use of antibiotics after birth... with #1 I went to 1 dr and 4 state employed mw's and non of them mentioned any testing.

Maybe it's impossible for us to know, but when did this become a hyped issue in the US (much like the glucose test)? And why is it a non-issue in other medically modernized western countries?

I can't help but be skeptical to the whole thing.

Good point! Up until 10 years ago we didn't seem to care about it in the US, but infants do die occasionally and there is an easy test, so I guess that is why we test and treat. There is a great deal of resistant GBS (probably from over use of antibiotics) and maybe that is why our incidence is higher??

[naturegirl]

Does anyone know the incidence of hospital vs homebirth? Maybe it is higher in the hospitals too with more "super" bugs around. ??

BTW, I tested positive at 37 weeks. I then did garlic suppositories, probiotics, tea tree oil and hibiclens (Hibiclens just once earlier in the day of the appt.) and my 39 week re-test came back negative.

I will likely still do a hibiclens wash when labor gets really going but I am also a little skeptical of the whole GBS thing...

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by jule924

GBS is different than regualr strep. It is a bacteria that is harmless to you and can colonize randomly (from my understanding). It lives in your vagina and/or rectum.

Strep throat is caused by group A streptococcus. The difference between group A and group B bacteria are their cell walls, so they are considered different organisms.

Group B strep is normal flora (and is generally beneficial) in the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and vagina. It only creates problems in the immunosuppressed (non-breast-fed infants), where the bacteria can colonize in large amounts and travel to parts of the body that they're not supposed to (lungs, blood, or brain causing pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis respectively).

I would imagine that the best treatment for newborns of GBS+ mamas is to give them as much of the mother's colostrum in the first hours of life as possible. If you have GBS, then you have antibodies and can give them to the newborn.

The routine use of antibiotics can only make the problem WORSE and not better. If your baby shows signs or has a very high risk of infection (pre-term, for example), that's when antibiotics should be used.

It is helpful to know if you are GBS+ or not, though, I believe... because you can look for symptoms in the newborn and get treatment right away if need be.

[Klynne]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

I would imagine that the best treatment for newborns of GBS+ mamas is to give them as much of the mother's colostrum in the first hours of life as possible. If you have GBS, then you have antibodies and can give them to the newborn.

The routine use of antibiotics can only make the problem WORSE and not better. If your baby shows signs or has a very high risk of infection (pre-term, for example), that's when antibiotics should be used.

Now this makes total sense, can you get a job with some clout somewhere in the medical field please

[hae703]

I just found out I'm positive and will be doing the IV antibiotics. I read the stats and thought it was worth it. Supposedly with antibiotics the chance of the baby contracting it is 1 in 4,000 but without the chances are 1 in 200. As much as I think we overuse antibiotics this is one time I won't refuse them.

Heather

[robertandenith]

glad you guys brought this back up again, my mw found out the HOUR prior my delivery that I was positive! We didn't do any antibiotics and we are doing just great I do have to admit that I spent my last month of pregnancy taking probiotics, eating lots of fruit and taking extra vitamin c.

[Gwendolyn's babies]

I was talking to my mw about the gbs. I did take it and was negative. She told me that the swab is taken from the rectum and vagina in most testing. Which didn't make much sense to me or her. If the baby is coming out of the vagina why not just test that?

She also told me that some doctors will insert the swab into the vagina and then into the rectum. How can that be even accurate.

I actually tested myself (not very comfortable to say the least). Just swabbed the vagina and carefully put it in a tube.