Group B strep testing
Are you able to get your doctor to test for group B strep but them not tell the hospital if positive? I would like to know to be informed but I’ve spoken to a number of midwives about the fairly extreme treatment/antibiotics if you test positive, even though you may test negative a few weeks later without treatment as it’s transient. Doctors clinic doesn’t usually share many of my scans or results across, I do that myself even though I’m in shared care.
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It’s important information that the birth team need to know. I guess you could ask to be tested closer to birth but for me personally, I’d rather the antibiotics be given than risk my baby’s health.
The antibiotics are to protect baby too from sepsis. Positives outweigh the negatives
Yes I do agree completely, but they don’t offer later testing, if I’m not positive at or around the time of birth I’d rather not have baby pumped with antibiotics when unnecessary.
I’m a paed nurse, antibiotics don’t cause harm to baby and could save them from a catastrophic outcome
You can choose to not receive the antibiotics even with a positive test. They doctors will want to keep baby for two days to view for any adverse symptoms.
There are pros and con to each. Just because you test positive does not mean it will be transmitted to baby. Antibiotics are not benign and affect anyone who consumes them, including babies. The literature suggest the inhibition of immune response as 70% of the immune system is housed within the intestinal lining. Baby should receive it’s initial immune system inoculation through a vaginal birth and this is compromised by the use of antibiotics. There is a lot that is still unknown about the use and impact of antibiotics and a lot of research emerging on taking a cautionary approach to their use as we discover more about the significance of the microbiome and our overall health.
If you are concerned you could work with a naturopath that can offer targeted prebiotics that will alter your biome, feeding favourable bacteria and drastically reducing the amount of strep b.
I hope this information helps you!
thanks! It’s not that a I particularly think I will test positive for any reason, and I would (though I agree about the effects on baby’s microbiome) get the antibiotics to be on the safe side if I was positive. Just been trying to navigate having a natural hospital birth whilst avoiding unnecessary intervention at every turn, which is proving difficult even though this has been a dream pregnancy and no issues to date (touch wood!) Trying to be prepared for everything I guess!
I was negative on the swab, but ended up on strong antibiotics 4 hourly in labor anyway after spontaneous rupture of membranes… just a warning
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