Beta Strep

GBS Bacteria

Two midwife's appointments ago we did a swab to check if I was a carrier for Beta Strep (GBS). At yesterdays appointment the results were in - I'm a carrier. That sounds scary but it's not if we treat it during labor. I did research and learned more about this GBS thing because learning about things makes me feel more at ease and better prepared for a situation. This is what it's all about:

Group B Streptococcus (GBS or Beta Strep) is a naturally occurring bacterium in men and women. About 25% of women are carriers and don't even know it! In adults it doesn't really ever show any symptoms - if it does it's things like bladder, kidney and uterine infections which will bring on a fever. The most common areas for GBS are in the rectum, vagina, bladder and mouth. It is not a sexually transmitted disease. The part where it can get scary sounding is when a woman is a carrier and is pregnant with a baby. Basically I will have to have IV antibiotics (penicillin) during labor to reduce the chances of the bacteria getting to the little one. Because we live less than a mile from the birth center we can go in when we feel our first contraction (and know that it is not false labor) to get my first dose of antibiotics and then go back home until my contractions are much closer together. We don't want our boy to be in contact with this bacteria. By taking antibiotics the risk of contracting the infection drops from 1/200 to 1/4000. Once he is born (and if all goes well and we stay at the birth center) we will stay there for 12 hours so that the nurse and midwife can monitor the baby and make sure he doesn't have any symptoms. Some of the symptoms seem pretty hard to detect. For instance, the baby may appear lethargic or come across as moody. He may refuse breast milk and may throw up if he does eat. He may have a fever. This is the scary part for me: In more serious cases GBS can can result in a lung or blood infections which then can spread to the brain (which wouldn't be good). If it spreads to the brain GBS can cause more serious developmental problems such as deafness, blindness and developmental problems like difficulty learning. It can also be fatal if not treated right away. They say that treatment with antibiotics during labor is very effective and that babies rarely die or contract GBS receiving this treatment. I have confidence in this treatment and believe that all will go well. Knowing what to look for in the baby is going to be helpful too so we can squash that bacteria as soon as possible.

I read about GBS at About dot com, Wyoming OBGYN, and Wisegeek dot com
Image from Dia Source