GBS and homebirth
OK, so I work at a hospital where it is standard that if you are GBS positive, you need to receive 3 doses of antibiotics while laboring in order for you to be considered safe. If you receive any less than this, you're baby will have a blood draw and a CBC and blood culture will be done.
I am GBS positive and not having a home birth, or at least not as of yet, and I want to be home every second that I can be laboring. Well, this laboring time at home will cause me to not be getting IV antibiotics the whole time. If I end up at the hospital at the last minute, or anytime not allowing me to get a hefty dose of meds, they will poke my baby...I want to avoid this at all costs.
I was just wanting some suggestions from any midwives or doulas out there that have dealt with this in the past. I know GBS is blown way out of proportion, but these are standards of care at my hospital, and there isn't any way for me to get around them and I want to avoid being at the hospital as much as possible. HELP!!
I am GBS positive and not having a home birth, or at least not as of yet, and I want to be home every second that I can be laboring. Well, this laboring time at home will cause me to not be getting IV antibiotics the whole time. If I end up at the hospital at the last minute, or anytime not allowing me to get a hefty dose of meds, they will poke my baby...I want to avoid this at all costs.
I was just wanting some suggestions from any midwives or doulas out there that have dealt with this in the past. I know GBS is blown way out of proportion, but these are standards of care at my hospital, and there isn't any way for me to get around them and I want to avoid being at the hospital as much as possible. HELP!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Atondo on -
Blue Cross Blue Shield
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Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on -
I recently had a home birth with a midwife. I asked my midwife about GBS and how she would treat it if I were to be found GBS positive. She said they simply wash the baby down with colloidal silver, and I was happy with that treatment proposal. There are other methods of treating GBS that don't include antibiotics. There's a discussion in the homebirthers group about this topic: Homebirthers experience with Group B Strep I hope this helps. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Michael R. on -
if you do ask for GBS testing at 38 weeks... yogurt! and lots of it. and not just the fun little yogurt cups, but the kind that contains the live bacteria. (acidophilus)
i've even heard of recommendations of "yogurt sex" where you use a little bit of that yogurt as lube for sex.
maybe this is something you can do more research on.
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Martin on -
I had an out-of-hospital birth at the local birth center. Your issue is part of what sealed the deal for me to birth out of hospital. My Midwife was conservative. Penicillin G is given every 4 hours so you won't necessarily need 3 doses. The recommendation is to give it once active labor starts. I had one dose when I was about 6-7 cm dilated and since my baby was born 3 hours later, that was my only dose. I guess if you labor at home as long as possible, you can buy yourself more time, but then it sounds like your baby will still have to get poked :-(. Also, if you do end up getting a dose, take a pro-biotic supplement to avoid a yeast infection. They have baby pro-biotic powder supplement too that you can sprinkle on your nursing pad to give baby the benefit too and lessen her chances of thrush.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Atondo on
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I never even thought of putting probiotics on my nursing pad! That's a great idea! I already take probiotics every day and have for over a year. I had SOOO many problems with repetative mastitis with my last baby...it was AWEFUL! I think I will do that anyway. Thanks for the idea!
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Martin on
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Sure thing! Whenever my nipples start feeling a little itchy, I know its time to sprinkle. When they feel really itchy and inflamed, plain organic yogurt on the nips feels cool and soothing too!
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Permalink Reply by Carol Van Der Woude on -
When I was working with a group of homebirth doctors, they prescribed an oral antibiotic that was taken at home for a birth that I was involved with. Could you talk with your provider about starting an oral antibiotic when labor begins?
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Atondo on
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I have an appt next week and I will bring this up with her. I don't want to take any antibiotics period, but if I have to do it, oh well.
Better that than coming in to the hospital and having a last minute IV and not getting enough doses and having my baby suffer for that!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on -
Could you take supplements to reduce your GBS colonization and then ask to be retested? I know that most practices usually are once GBS always GBS for a pregnancy, but then if you were retested and it came back negative, then you would feel better about refusing the meds even if they were still recommended. Search the site GentleBirth.org for recommendations for supplements you can take to reduce your odds of GBS and then talk with your caregiver about them.
One other thing you could do if you get retested is to have sex the morning of the test. There are antibacterial properties in semen that can help fight the GBS as well.
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