group b strep

[Anonymous]

Has anyone tested positive for this? I did and now am worried. My doc didn't seem to be worried and said that if my water broke i should try to get to the hospital pretty soon but otherwise not to worry. then i was reading that you need the antibiotics at least 4 hours before...and now i am worried about getting to the hospital with enough time to get the antibiotics given that a am already 2-3 cm dilated. any thoughts? thanks

[Anonymous]

my friend is also positive and she just delivered 2 days ago without any problems whatsoever. although i wasn't positive, i also was dilated (4 cm) for a few weeks prior to delivery and made it in plenty of time to the hospital ( i was there 8 hours before delivering, and i'm told that is relatively quick for a first timer). if you are really concerned, talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks about you going in to the hospital earlier than most women do.

good luck!

[Anonymous]

i had group b strep and did NOT make it in time (i only labored for 2 hours total), i was pretty stressed about this but the odds of anything happening to your child are very very low. my kid's fine... do stress it to whoever admits you though.

[Anonymous]

I tested positive. My water never broke and when it was broken it still took over 6 hours for me to deliver. Anyways, I went in at 5 cm. and fully effaced, got 3 rounds of antibiotics and everything was fine. My midwife told me (since I was, also, nervous) that even if the labor was really quick and for some reason did not receive the antibiotics, more than likely, things would be fine since a quick labor means the baby is not just "sitting" in the birth canal where the strep is.
Things will be fine. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I'm GBS-, however I was speaking to my pediatrician last night about it and she said that as much as 70% of women are GBS+. Interestingly enough, in Europe they do not offer antibiotics and babies there seem to be okay. Apparently here in the US with all the lawsuits, it's better to be safe than sorry which is why doctors/hospitals prescribe antibiotics during labor for those who are positive.

The good thing to know is being positive does not mean you have an STD. GBS is not an STD. It's just bacteria and I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I was strep b+ with my 1st. Was 4cm at my drs appt prior to delivering and my labor was so quick that I was not able to get the antibiotics. The nursing staff at the hospital was fully aware of the situation and kept a tight eye on my DS to make sure there were no complications.

FYI: I know of a situation 15 years ago before they did strep b tests where it was passed to an infant and the child got quite sick (he is a regular teenager now!).

There is absolutely nothing you can do about how long your labor is so do not stress about this.

Best of luck with the remainder of your pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above -- it's really common and nothing to stress about.

I was GBS+ and got to Sibley at 6 cm dilated after laboring at home for a good while. There was still PLENTY of time to get the antibiotics through. And the nurses assured me that even if my delivery moved more quickly, they'd be able to admister the rest of the antibiotics afterwards without any trouble. I say take your cues from your doctor -- if she's not worried, there's no need for you to worry. Just remind the nurses at the hospital when you arrive so they can get things going for you. Happy delivery!!

[Anonymous]

Tip: (Can someone please confirm)
If you remember, ask for the antibiotics to be warmed up a little. It is my understanding that they keep them cold and if they administer them without warming up a little I can be a bit painful (a slight burning feel)