I'VE GOT GROUP B STREP

[roxanne080]

I received my results this morning, am quite shocked but i think they are the best thirty two quid ive ever spent. I cant give birth in my local midwife led hospital, and i cant have a waterbirth either..im so disapointed and worried..im seeing my midwife on tuesday so probably they ll put me on antibiotics immediately. does anyone else have it?

 

[Londoner Claire]

Oh sorry, that's really unfair you can't have the birth you want. Never had it myself.

 

[Jaidy]

Im sorry to hear you have this Roxanne...what is the procedure now?

Will you have antibiotics all the way up to the birth?

Does anyone know what happens if you have Group B Strep but dont know about it and have your baby??

Im a bit concerned now!

 

[Rubys mummy]

Me too Jades, I asked my midwife about it at parent craft and she said its not routinely tested for here...

I think if baby gets it during birth, it can cause problems with breathing/infection etc???

Its always been on the back of my mind, but I didnt know if it was something else to worry about..I wish I had sent for the test now

 

[Jaidy]

Me too Jades, I asked my midwife about it at parent craft and she said its not routinely tested for here...

I think if baby gets it during birth, it can cause problems with breathing/infection etc???

Its always been on the back of my mind, but I didnt know if it was something else to worry about..I wish I had sent for the test now

It hasnt been mentioned to me throughout my antenatal care at all, if its that dangerous and an issue why dont they routinely test for it, thats what gets me???

Its a bit late for us to test now isnt it Zoe!

 

[nathanmum]

the odds of baby getting it if you have it are really small and then becoming ill are even smaller. there probably more chance of a plane crashing in the delivery room dont scare yourself silly its so easy to focus on all the stuff that can go wrong than the fact that millions of women give birth no probs at all....

 

[Rubys mummy]

Really? Thanks Nathanmum...I was just starting to flap a bit then There is always something to worry about isnt there??

Its not something you hear a lot of, but I have read about it in baby mags....

 

[nathanmum]

have a look on that homebirth website im always yacking on about im pretty sure theres loads or fact and figures about it on their proper research not scaremongering stuff. its www.homebirth.org.uk god im obsessed with that bloody website

 

[roxanne080]

sorry girls i didnt mean to worry you..i was a bit worried about it as well until i read the percentage. Well apparantely now they give me an antibiotic through the vein during labour..i made sure that joe will tell each and every midwife during labour that im +ve to gbs. also im more disapointed about my water birth, my midwife said that they ll let me have it depending on the midwife on shift at the big hospital...I DONT WANT TO GO TO A BIG HOSPITAL..but as they say everything happens for a reason and i might ask for an epidural now..

 

[Sassyminx]

what date do you need to get your test done by? i know someone who was pregnant same time as me last time, and her baby died at 23wks, she later found out she had grpb strep and that was what had caused the death, took months for her to find out though, i really think its disgraceful that its not routinely tested for

 

[roxanne080]

well you have to be tested between 25 and 27 weeks..if you have a chance do it! they will send you the test by post..you do it yourself then you send it back to the lab together with payment..on result will go to the midwife the other one you will receive via text

 

[Rubys mummy]

You can buy a test for £30 odd which is done by your midwife around 37 weeks I think?? They take a vaginal and anal swab, and its sent off? Rox, is this right??

 

[roxanne080]

well i got mine at 32quid i called the doctors laboratory on 02073077373 or check out their website www.tdlpathology.com. two swabs lowers vaginal and rectal need to be done at 35-37 weeks gestation

 

[roxanne080]

mine i did it myself which was grim especially the rectal one..i did have a shower first though

 

[nathanmum]

they havent proved a link between miscarriage, stillbirth and group b strep, again i say even if you did have it the risk of passing it on to baby are very small. you could pass on a million other bugs to the baby too and your not routinely swabbed for these on the nhs either? i really hate this scaremongering culture thats around now its like at work people read the newspaper and come in ranting that they think aunt flo has mrsa who knows they probably has but what the paper doesnt say is that they might have give it too them as lots of the gen pop are carriers and that it doesnt pose a problem in most cases. i know pregnancy is a worrying time but losing sleep about bugs that you may or may not pass on is..

 

[gingerpig]

Agrees with Nathansmum! One in four women carry it, and look at all the healthy babies that manage to be born without needing anti-biotics. As I've discussed in other posts on Strep B, it's not even clear what the route of transmission is - ie babies have been born with Strep B, whose mum's did not have it. Personally I think it's a real shame that David Cameron is backing this a campaign based on such poor science - he really should know better and I really object to the coldhearted manipulation of our emotions in this way.

 

[roxanne080]

well, I m surprised cos alot of mother and baby mags are making a campaign out of this and am sure that they are not making it to worry pregnant ladies like us..as i say better safe than sorry..if i discovered it then yes i shall go with the treatment

 

[Daggers]

Yes I wouldn't worry about it to much, I too was diagonsed with B-strep during a swab I had at around 19wks - had a bit of stopping at the time. Knew nothing about B-Strep and was quite concerned at first until I did some research. I was only a carrier - it wasn't active in me, and as soon as I went into labour (when my waters broke) I was put on my first lot of antibiotics (I had two lots) and my baba is as healthy as can be. I'm not saying ignore it but don't get worked up about it, it seems that if your baby should cointract it, then it can still be picked up and cured

 

[nathanmum]

well, I m surprised cos alot of mother and baby mags are making a campaign out of this and am sure that they are not making it to worry pregnant ladies like us..as i say better safe than sorry..if i discovered it then yes i shall go with the treatment

magazines are really subjective and are trying to sell you their magazine if they put group b strep killer bug on the cover youll buy it, if they put group b strep a bug a baby rarely catches you wont. see my point?

 

[clara28]

Just to say i found out i had strep b after my baby was born-the swabs they took from the placenta were tested.
Anyway i had to take some antibiotics and keep an eye on Elliott for any signs of illness (as all us mummies do with our little ones anyway).
There has been no ill effects on either of us-as the doctor told me anything untoward in baby would have been identified in hospital.
I know it's easier said than done not to worry and i panicked when i found out i was strep b positive-thinking every little spot was a rash on baby!
Just a personal experience i thought i would add.
Claire x