strep b - can someone explain it?

[Eternal]

What is it?
What issues can it cause for me and babies?
I'm having a section as twins are breach.

How did I get it?

 

[AmyR]

Its a bacteria that is in the bowls of alot of people, pregnant or not....and cause you are having a section you dont have to worry about passing it! Sorry I dont know a ton about it, I was positive with my first, negative this time around

 

[blink_baby]

do they test for this routinly? i dont think i have been tested? is there symptoms of this? x

 

[Eternal]

No, they don't, it can cause infections in newborns. They tested for it as I have been leaking fluid. I think they should though. It's scary what I have read, in in US they do but not in the UK.

 

[blink_baby]

i mentioned something to the dr. the other day about it, as alot of posts i was reading was also mentioned thrush somewhere , and i just wondered if ther was a link anywhere or it was just a coincidence, but i never really got an answer. x

 

[happythought]

Its a normal flora found in the digestive systema and in vagina area in some women. It is very common and shows no signs. It will not harm or cause any issues for you. It "may" cause issues for your baby during birth as it passes through the vagina it could get in their system. It has been known to cause sepsis, menigitis, and other illness (IF) not treated. and even then it may not even pass to your baby. But better to be safe. I have it and was told early in my pregnancy I would automatically be given antibiotics through an IV during labor. If you dont treat it yuor baby has a 1 in 200 chance of catching it. With antibiotics its a 1 in 4000. I trust my Dr and will do what ever I have to do to ensure that he doesnt get it. My Dr isnt concerned and when I talked to L&D during my walk through the maternity area they said it was very common and when you come in labor they will immedately start an IV and repeat it every 4 hours until the baby is born. I did the stupid thing and looked all this up on the internet and freaked out but now that I know I have it I can be treated correctly and everything will be fine. You didnt do anything to catch it, it just is there.

 

[babybaker2011]

do they test for this routinly? i dont think i have been tested? is there symptoms of this? x

I think they test for this around week 34 or 35.

 

[aidensxmomma]

At my doctor's office, it's a routine test they do at 36 weeks.

I've had it for my last two pregnancies and when I went into labor, they put antibiotics into my IV to protect the baby when he/she was born. Honestly, I don't know that much about it because I hate googling anything....it just scares me.

 

[aley28]

I am GSB positive this pregnancy as well.

What happythought said is very much what my doctor told me about it today. It's present in up to 25-30% of pregnant women, and here in the states, its a routine test done at 36 weeks. Its just a quick swab of the vagina and anal area, as that's where the bacteria lives.

I was told that I'll be given antibiotics through IV as soon as I'm admitted, which brings the chance of the infection being passed on to the baby very, very low (like she said... 1:4000). He basically said that's its not really something to worry about, and that I didn't do anything to get it, its just there.

When you have a c-section, I don't believe you have to worry about the baby being infected until your waters start leaking. Did they put you on antibiotics?

 

[diverdi]

It's a bacteria that about 20% of women carry naturally and has been known to cause infections in newborns. It can't be treated itself but if there are certain other risk factors you get given antibiotics during labour to prevent it being passed to the baby/ies. In the UK if you have a normal delivery you don't need them. If you have had an infected baby before, if you have premature labour, prolonged rupture of membranes or a high temp in labour you do (the guidlines mayhave changed since I last looked it up though).
I've posted a link to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance on it. This should be what all UK units are following.

https://www.rcog.org.uk/womens-heal...-b-streptococcus-gbs-infection-newborn-babies

 

[BabiMama]

It's a bacteria that is found in the intestines and sometimes during pregnancy it is passed to the vagina and all the channels down there. If you are positive for this bacteria and you give birth naturally, the baby will get it as the baby moves through the birth canal and it can cause the baby to get serious lung/airway infections. If you test positive, they will give you antibiotics during labour and so they prevent the baby from getting it.
If you're getting a C-section, then there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Eternal]

I'm on hospital anyway right now, waters maybe are leaking and its twins, she said it can still be passed up baby in a section esp as twins are high risk etc. She said doctors will review today. Prob start anti biotics today.