future

[daishaharris]

i was told by my MW that i have strep b and i am now 38weeks pregnant...will that cause any harm to my baby in the womb

[JaneEliz Group B Strep Support Volunteer]

Hi Daishaharris and congratulations on your pregnancy! It's good to know that you carry GBS because it means that you can take preventative steps to minimise the risk of GBS infection in your baby. Because GBS has been found during your current pregnancy, you should be offered intravenous antibiotics (usually Penicillin G) as soon as possible from the start of your labour and at intervals (4 hourly for PenG) until delivery. This reduces the risk of GBS infection developing in your newborn baby massively.

The chance of GBS causing problems to your baby before labour starts/waters break is very small - thankfully the mother's and the baby's defence mechanisms usually work just fine (which is why there is around one GBS infection in every 1,000 babies born in the UK, despite the fact that around one in four carry GBS).

Having said that, if you're concerned at all about yourself or your baby at any time, do seek advice. The golden rule with pregnancy and newborn babies is, I think "If in doubt, check it out" and mention that your midwife has told you that you carry GBS when you do ....

Do keep us posted - I hope all goes to plan and look forward to hearing of your precious baby's safe and healthy arrival!

J

[Pounce]

Hi Daisha,

You're in the right place and I'm so glad your midwife has told you that you carry Group B Strep. This is a normal bacteria that many women carry but it does have the potential to make your baby very seriously ill during birth. If you are treated with antibiotics during labour (generally penicillin but alternatives are available if you are allergic) then your baby can be protected but without them, there is currently no way of telling which babies are immune to GBS and which ones are not. The best place for accurate information on this is Group B Strep Support (gbss.org.uk) who are the charity who sponsor this website.

I did not know that I was a GBS carrier and unfortunately my baby had a GBS Meningitis infection because I was not protected by antibiotics during my labour. He spent his first week of life on life support and his first three weeks of life in intensive care. He very nearly died. He has been left hearing impaired and visually impaired as a result though I am so grateful he is alive. If I had known about GBS then I could have chosen to protect him, but I didn't. You are therefore in a very fortunate position because you can protect your baby.

If you want to read Adam's story, you are very welcome to do so, it's on my blog at walkingforadam.blogspot.co.uk

Take care

Charlotte