Good news / bad news re Group B Strep

[Bexybun]

Quick background: had group b strep when I had Pudding, was given a round of tablets to take from 37 weeks and was put on an IV of antibiotics as soon as I got into hospital. All was fine.

So this time around (at about 20 weeks) I asked my mw what medication I will be given in this pregnancy? She said: nothing. According to her, they don't treat for it when it's your second baby. Fine, says I. Personally it worried me, as it can be quite serious, but I figure hey, she knows best.

So I had my 34wk mw appt yesterday, and it's yet another mw I've not met before. The first thing she says when she clocks my notes is "Ooh, you had GBS- has anyone discussed with you what'll happen this time?" I said er, yeah, nothing, lol. She practically yells at me "Of course not! It's a very serious and dangerous infection! Don't be so ridiculous!" I ended up quite annoyed, told her it's not my fault that I have seen FIVE different mws throughout this pregnancy and none of them seem to bother communicating with each other. I don't mind that, for instance, I have asked three of the mws the same question about leg cramp remedies and they've all given me different answers, but I would expect them all to have the right info about something as serious as GBS!

Anyway, the upshot is they actually DO treat it for your second- no tablets this time, but I will get antibiotics as soon as I get to hospital. The downside is THE SECOND I go into labour I have to go in, as they need a minimum of four hours for the antibiotics to work properly. If I don't get four hours worth, they have to inject baby as soon as it's born, which for obvious reasons they don't like to do.
So bang goes my 'lovely calm labour day' plan, I have to go to hosp straight away. It's a pain, but whatever is best for baby I can deal with

 

[ForestLas80]

Pants! At least u know the score now and they have a plan for you. so sorry the MWs were so crap!!

 

[DW1978]

At least they know and are treating you for it. That mw is totally crap for telling you they dont do anything x

 

[Bexybun]

Thanks guys. Yeah that mw is rubbish, everyone I know who has had her before has agreed. When I asked her what to do about leg cramps, she said "Ooh, dunno... my mate reckons tonic water works. Just don't add too much gin, hahaha!" I'm not being funny, but aren't leg cramps a fairly common pregnancy ailment? So shouldn't she maybe have more of an answer than "My mate reckons"?!

 

[Me, My Girls & I]

I tested gbs positive with both mine! But I had been told they wouldn't do anything 2nd time I'd I didn't test positive! As it turned out, my labour wasn't long enough to get the antibiotics and they just monitored her temp etc after she was born!

 

[Bexybun]

See, I don't get why there isn't one rule about GBS fo the whole country- it's confusing

 

[mum2b410]

I've asked about a national screening programme for it and my MW reckons they will get there in the next couple of years......there's a lot of hoops to jump thru before getting something like that up and running apparently!.....It's crap tho, the more I've read about it the more it would make sense for everyone to be tested and for the nhs to use the most reliable test method, not what they currently do now, which apparently gives up to 50% false negatives!!

 

[Princess81]

There seem to be so many conflicting opinions regarding GBS. I asked my mw about it at my 25 week appointment and she said that they don't treat it. It's worrying because the outcome can be so disasterous if the little one gets it x

 

[mum2b410]

There seem to be so many conflicting opinions regarding GBS. I asked my mw about it at my 25 week appointment and she said that they don't treat it. It's worrying because the outcome can be so disasterous if the little one gets it x

I agree, very worrying!

 

[jomc]

Its shocking how the advice and protocol for such serious things can hugely differ