Positive for Group B Strep, Having Baby Tonight

I was given antibiotics before I was given an 'emergency cesarean'. Even Homebirth and Birthing Clinic Midwives give the antibiotics before labor starts. It is common vaginal flora for majority of women, so don't go thinking you're gross or anything - because it means nothing.

I had it with my 2nd baby. It's fairly common, so just take the antibiotics they'll give you via IV and the baby will be fine. No issues! Good luck tonight!

Same here - I was positive with my daughter and she was fine. I did have a c-section so I needed to have antibiotics anyway but there were no issues whatsoever. From what I understand this is very common and the antibiotics keep everything under control. Don't worry. And congratulations!

If your dr's know, you should be just fine. I tested negative @ (37? 39?) wks, but when my baby was born she was re-admitted the next day w/ a fever...I'll spare you the details, but bottom line, turns out that by wk 41 when she was finally born, I had developed GBS and it was what was making the baby sick. (She is now 2 1/2, and 100% fine!) I looked into it alot after the fact, and the consensus was that if the dr's had known, it would have barely been an issue. Congrats, you two will be fine!!!!

It's not uncommon for a group B strep test to be positive. As long as you are on antibiotics your baby should be just fine.

I had Group B Strep also and my son spent 7 days in the NICU. The hardest think I had to do was leave the hospital without my baby. He is 13 now and doing fine. As long as you get the antibiotics everything should be fine.

I tested positive early in my pregnancy and was given a couple rounds of antibiotics and had the IV antibiotics during delivery as well. They kept us in the hospital a full 48 hours after delivery to monitor my DD but she never developed any symptoms or sickness and was, in fact, a very healthy baby and now pre-schooler. Good luck with your delivery!

Well...you should already be holding your precious baby by now but I just wanted to add that I was tested positive with my first and it was no big deal. They just gave me an IV and nothing else was said about it. I read a few of the responses and there are some scary stories out there but it very common and if they know about it ahead of time everything will be just fine.

Congratulations on your new little one!

I tested + with my first child...I delivered him so fast that they only had enough time to get thru part of the 1st dose of antibiotics and you are supposed to get 2 doses...so the Dr. kept me and the baby one extra day to keep on eye on my son...but he was fine!

Congrats!

I tested positive w/ my second child. However, my labor went so fast they did not have time to get the full dose of antibiotics in. As a result, when my son was born his blood levels were slightly off and they had to put an IV in his head to get him the meds to bring everything back in check. It was really awful because no one except me could hold him and it took them FOREVER to find his vein in his head. We also had to stay an extra day while we waited to make sure everything came back into normal ranges. But he is now 2 years old and perfectly normal. It was a little scary in the first few days, but everything's been fine since. As long as you get the antibiotics you will be perfectly fine. Just make sure your doctors start them soon enough!

I'll confirm what Laura said. Had it with my 4th. It could be potential bad w/o the anti-biotics but they'll put you on IV anti-biotics and all should be just fine!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Yes, with my last I tested positive for it too with my last child. I freaked out a bit at first, but my OB said even she tested positive for it. It can come and go too. She just said during delivery to have antibiotics, I ended up having a c-section so I had them anyway. I let the doctor on call since my son decided he wanted to come early. My son had other issues, not because I tested positive so he was put in NICU, but the doctors assured me it wasn't because I had group B Strep. I've talked with other women who have had it too and their babies have been fine.
Congrats on your child!

My son was born in 1997, and I must have been positive but it wasn't as common to test then. I did have antibiotics during delivery, but he still got it, and nearly died. He is 13 now, and fine,(well, he does have a mild case of Asperger's, which we'll never know if was triggered by the illness) but at ten days old he came down with a slight fever, which was his first symptom. He had sepsis (infection in the blood) but it fortunately never went to his brain. It was the scariest night of my life. They did a spinal tap on him, strapped him down to do a chest x-ray, and poked him so many times to get a vein to get the antibiotics in. They finally rain a central line through his scalp, and we lived at the hospital with him for two weeks praying the antibiotics were working. I can't stress enough to talk about this with your doctor NOW. I had a c-section, but only after I had been in labor for 25 hours with my water broken. All that time the germs must have been getting to him.

I've had it for all three babies. Had it for the first and have had it since. Not rare in the slightest was on a birth board with thousands of women and lots of convo about it.. I got the anitbiotics. Have for all and it's never been an issue.

I also had strep at some point in my pregnancy and was antibiotics. Do not get yourself crazy about this. You're going to a modern hospital, we live in America and have antibiotics, your baby will be monitored. It's going to be fine - we are not a third world country, medicaid patients even get modern medicine in our country - and all in all you'll forget all about this when they put that little miracle in your arms. Now go get ready and try to relax! Congrats mama!

I had it half way thru my pregency 13 years ago - they gave me meds - my son is fine. He has been healthy - no big issues

Yes I had this. Don't worry just tell your nurses and doctor to give you the antibiotics. Everything will be OK. Yes my son is healthy. Have fun with your baby!

I had it for both my babies. For the first one I got the IV antibiotics and had no complications. For the second one (3 mos. ago) I got to the hospital, told them I had strep B and that I needed the IV antibiotics. They told me no, I didn't need it yet because I was too far from delivering. An hour later I asked them for the antibiotics again - they said no. Another hour later I asked again, they said no. Long story short, they did NOT listen to me and I ended up having my baby within 5 hrs of entering the hospital and did not get the antibiotics in time. So the next day, when my baby's temp started to drop they started freaking out and put the baby in the NICU with an IV and kept her there for two days - BECAUSE she did not have the IV antibiotics that I begged for. I was so incredibly angry. I am not trying to scare anyone, I am only telling people this so that when you go to the hospital you can ask for your antibiotics and insist that they give them to you.

I had it with my first (not my second though) and all it meant was that I was on antiotbiotics when I first arrived for my induction. I also had to be in the hospital for 48 hours so they could ensure my daughter did not have it or if she showed signs, they could combat it right away. She never had any issues relating to the fact that I was positive.

Congrats on your baby....I'm sure you are busting with excitement!!

I tested positive for Group B Strep with my daughter, and I was given antibiotics every 4 hours during labor. My daughter was born perfectly healthy. She caught a cold when she was 3 days old (from my son, had nothing to do with the GBS). The cold didn't even have much of an effect on her and she has been a really healthy child ever since.

Group B Strep is very common and comes and goes. So I was positive with my first pregnancy but not my second. Antibiotics during delivery was no big deal. Good luck!

I had it with my third child (not the previous two) and everything was fine. The antibiotics help to prevent you from transferring it to your child. You need to start the antibiotics at least 4 hours prior to delivery and you and baby will be just fine. It is EXTREMELY rare that you or baby will have any problems once delivery is over. Relax and enjoy your new little bundle of joy!

A lot of people test positive for Group B Strep. It is very simple to prevent it from passing it on to your baby, you will receive penicillan, or ampicillan if you are allergic to penicillan, every 4 hours while you are in labor. This prevents it from being passed onto the baby. If you do not have this done there is a VERY high rate of it being passed onto your baby and that rate holds a very high mortality rate as well. This is now a standard of practice with all MD's and midwives. I work in L&D and this is very common, we see it everyday. Keep in mind that once you test positive for it in one pregnancy they will treat you for it in subsequent pregnancies just to be safe. Take a deep breath and know that your baby is going to be perfect!

Hi - I had it as well. My doctor said it was very common. I had IV antibiotics during labor and my daughter was/is perfectly healthy. Congratulations and best of luck!

Did not have it with my first two babies but with my third I did. I did have a c-section so I don't know how that influences things but she was very healthy and continues to be.

Good luck to you and congratulations!

It's not horrible. Something like 20-25% of women have it. You will go on antibiotics as a precaution. I had it with my first son and we had no issues whatsoever. Didn't have it with my second, and just got tested for my third.
You and your baby should be fine! Good luck tonight!