Group B Strep support thread

[lushious09]

Maybe we could make this a sticky? as alot of women have concerns and i feel they are not been giving the correct information on this!

Reading things about it on google can be very worrying and misleading so i thought this thread would be a good chance for those who have worries or have it to ask others or give advice

I was found to have strep b present in the vagina at about 23 weeks, all i was told was that there was no treatment for it, it wasnt a problem, and nothing i had done had given me it it was just one of those things and i may need a drip through labour... i was gobsmacked... what the hell was it and why did i have it? i felt awful... so i googled it and broke down! the things i read it was horrific... I hope this thread can prevent other women going through what i did when i found out because it really isint as bad as it is made out to be

Some Strep B Facts

• It is not an sti and nothing you do will give you it nor can you give it to your partner.
• Everyone has the bacteria in their guts, but sometimes it manages to vegitate/find its way into the rectal/vaginal area.
• It is not harmful to you what so ever and dosnt need treatment most of the time, in fact you will proberly never know you have it unless diagnosed whilst pregnant as this is the only time it is a problem.
• It can be hard to detect as it can be present in the vagina one week and not a few weeks later hense why it is not routinely tested.
• Doctors will not tend to pescribe you antibiotics unless the growth is extremely heavy as said above it may only just come back after treatment so no point.
• If you have been found to carry strep b in a past pregnancy they tend to assume you will in future pregnancys and you will be offered an IV through labour again.
• If strep b has been found you should be offered another test at around 36 weeks if it has been found to have clung (the growth is developing and could be clinging to your urinary tract walls) then you will be advised to have an IV through labour.
• If it hasnt clung you will not need one but they will keep a close eye on the baby after the birth (remember just because your second test comes back negative does not mean you no longer have strep b it just means the growth is low and not a huge cause of concern)
• There is no cure for it as it is a natural bacteria that lives in your gut, eating or drinking pro biotic cultivated drinks/yogurts will not rid you of strep b but can coat your vagina/gut and make it harder for the strep to grow giving your body a better chance at evading it so keeping your immune system tip top and eating right can be helpful.
• 1 in 3 pregnant women will have this and the majority dont even know, yet go on to give birth to healthy babies who show no signs or have no problems.
• It is rare for this to cause implications to your baby its just that WHEN/IF it does it can be very serious, but now a days they have very excellent measures to treat and deal with this if it was ever to arise, so try not to worry
• A c-section will not lower the risks of infection to the newborn
• If you have strep b it is best to get to the hospital as soon as you feel labour start... this is because you need a good 4hours of the antibiotic in your system before the baby heads down the birth canal... if your waters suddenly go and baby hurrys out before antibiotics can be complete then the baby will be giving them after he/she is born.
• If your waters go and you dont feel contractions get to hosp asap as your at highest risk of infection once your waters have gone.

It annoys me that doctors and midwifes do not inform better clear information on this. I had to ask several doctors, midwives, read up on the facts of group b strep ask women who have had babies with this and do so much research to find the facts on this and fully understand and 2bh it is made out to be a bigger deal then it is. Maybe if we were having babies 60-90 odd years ago yes it would be a huge concern but women are not been told this they are been left to google the answers and in result scared to death of the answers that date back from years ago when medical proffesions were to put it bluntly undeveloped.

So share any concerns, experiences or any other helpful reassuring facts you know

NOTE: Im in no way a proffesional doctor, everything i have dated has been down to what proffesionals and sufferers have informed me on and readings from official nhs data.