[cricketsmomma]

Hi
I'm desperately hoping to pass my GBS test in a few weeks. here's what I found to take:
twice a day-
Acidophilus 4 billion cells per dose
Echinacea 350 mg capsules x2 caps
Vit. C 500 mg

any other suggestions?
I plan to use vaginal garlic too, but maybe for the 7 days before the test?
Please let me know what you think, and what else might help me out!
I am planning for a vbac and want to keep as many creepy drugs out of me as possible, plus I've reacted to penicillin in the past and don't know what they'd use if i am GBS+
thanks!

 

[bananapancakes]

i too am trying to test negative in a few weeks for GBS.... my midwife told me basically the same thing except she said Vit C in 1000mg rather than 500... not sure if that makes a difference or not! She also suggested including lots of garlic in what i eat as well as supplementing it. What do you mean by vaginal garlic..?

Good luck to you!

 

[cricketsmomma]

Here's the best garlic link I've found...

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbsCohain.html

sounds kinda weird but what the heck, it has to be better than IV antibiotics!

my mw suggested that I take garlic supplements (orally

) last time, which I did, but I still tested + so this time I'm prepared to be a bit more drastic!

 

[lillyfire]

I was GBS+ with my first pregnancy and took herbal measures this time around and it worked! I took 2 probiotics capsules daily plus 2 grapefruit seed extract a day for a couple of weeks. I also tried to drink lots of kefir, which is easy because I love the stuff. I didn't want to do anything (like garlic suppositories) that I couldn't keep up until the birth since the levels of the GBS can change quickly. I just wanted to feel like I'd be keeping the conditions the same so that the test would be an accurate representation of conditions at birth. Echinacea and Vit C were also recommended to me by my MW, but I felt iffy about them since I've also read elsewhere that they're contraindicated in pregnancy. Silly, since i completely trust my MW. Just wanted to share with you that I only did a couple of easy things and was negative this time around! Although, I'm still going to use Hibacleanse in labor just to be extra safe since I know I'm a carrier of gbs.

 

[herbanmama]

I'm GBS+ and here's what I'm doing:

15 drops Astragalus, 15 drops Echinacea 3X daily
10 drops grapefruit seed extract daily
3 probiotic pills daily
1,000 mg Bee Propolis daily
Kefir and Kombucha daily, lots of unsweetened yogurt
raw garlic orally (I can't do vaginal because I had a bleeding episode and MW has cautioned against any vaginal suppository - I agree)
2 Packs Emergen-C daily
Herbal sitz baths

I didn't prepare myself in any way before I was tested because it never occurred to me that I may be +. I'm not retesting 'cause colonization levels are so up and down, just following my regimen to the end, with possible chlorhexidine wash during labor.

Re: vaginal garlic, I have had great success using it to cure yeast infections.

 

[cricketsmomma]

how does a drop of echinacea compare dose-wise to a capsule?
another question - the swab part is vaginal first, then rectal... the supplements are to kill gbs in your digestive tract, making the rectum gbs- too, right? (I was under the impression that babies don't come into the world via your bum....)
is there something you can clean your bum with before the test to make extra sure you're negative?

 

[adoremybabe]

A couple of questions here too. I was GBS- with my first and GBS+ with my second. I want to avoid antibiotics in the hospital this time around so I am interested in starting a routine several weeks before labor.

Do all GBS swabs include a rectal swab? I never recall "feeling" my doc swab in that particular area.

Also, if a mother like me has been GBS + in the past, can I still test negative this time around yet have low levels that can't be seen? Are there concerns for this?

I hope that the OP doesn't mind me adding my questions to her thread!