Group B Strep

I did any test my MW said I should do, including strep b

I had a swab done around 30 weeks to check for thrush & it came back I had Strep B. I would definitely get it checked/tested if I had the choice. You don't want the baby catching it if you have it, on its way out!

Well, it would seem the other Women in the Jan thread hadn't even been informed about this, so I'm glad i brought it up.

I don't know why I'm so ho-hum... Yes, I realise that in 2 months time it's gonna be all out there for the world to see, but I don't really have a say in that. I guess my hesitancy stems from a certain childhood 'incident' and the fact that I've never had to go through anything like this before (I've not yet had a smear or anything like that either)

S'pose it's kinda immature in a way, in saying that, chances are that I'll do the swab, as I want my baby to have the best chance possible of being completely healthy.

I guess I just wanted to get some other peoples input, as not one person I had consulted prior to you women had ever done it or heard of it

I was never offered this by mw, didn't even know that there was a test out there for it. It's too late now, but it just goes to show how hopeless and uninformative my mw was!

I'm one of the Jan mums that hadn't heard of this test either. Maybe my midwife will bring it up in the next few visits though. If not I'll definitely be asking about it. Serenity at least it sounds like the option is there for you to do it yourself if you really feel that uncomfortable.

If you remember Shorty Street when Shannon got pregnant the first time and her baby died. It was because she had group strep B and it was never picked up when she was pregnant as she didn't have any ante natal care.

There is a push to make it a regular screen done in every pregnancy as it is quite common. I have it and when I was in labour I had an IV stuck in my arm and when I got to about 7cm I had penicillen but in it so when the baby came out the bugs weren't passed through to them.

No issues with the swab, I was given it and told to do it at home and take it to the lab myself.

Hi Serenity, I am rather 'shy' as well and this test really had me worked up the first time too. I thought that every mw raised this as an advisable option with their ladies. The test itself is very easy and uninvasive. You are given what looks like a long cotton bud and you do the swab yourself. You swish it around in your vagina while sitting on the loo and that's about it. You don't feel anything and it doesn't scrape against anything in the way that a smear does.

I was tested for strep B with all three pgcies but only had it with Kryssi's. As a result they were very careful to not do too many internal examinations (so as to not mix the infection in the vagina with anything beyond the cervix) which is most definitely a plus! They re-swabbed me when I went into labour (but only because there was plenty of time) and did a couple of extra checks on Kryssi when she was born, such as swabbing just under the top ear flap - so no biggie there either.

Some mw's aren't too interested in swab results because pretty much everyone has strep B from time to time but it comes and goes and whether you have strep B on the baby's birth day and have it on the 35 week check can differ for that reason.

I found my nervousness about the test was simply because I didn't really understand what happened. So hopefully this helps you make a decision. And btw I went on to have my first smear when DD #1 was 2 lol

I have never been told by either of my mw with my 3 pregnancies. I had swabs done for thrush that wouldnt go away and it came back +tve but then when I got to the hosp in time to have my baby they diddnt need to give me the Ab;s as I was too close to giving birth and the meds wouldnt have got thru my system. Do what you feel comfortable with. Maybe even get your MW to do the swab if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Mine was taken by the specialist. I was under specialist care (not a MW) and the swab was taken at one of my regular pregnancy appointments. Had my cousin not warned me already that it was coming up, I might have been a little bit taken aback when the doc announced to get up on the bed! So I'm guessing that it depends on who your LMC is as to who does the swab.

Perhaps you can ask your MW how the procedure is done and whether you can do it yourself.

I had it too, and had an antibiotic drip in my hand through labour, which was a pain and then I ended up having a c-section, so they just switched the antibiotics for pethidene once he was born!

I don't understand why a lot of you ladies hadn't been told about it It can be incredibly dangerous if your baby catches it from you when they are born. And I think the stats are something like 45% of all women have it. Grrrrr to your midwives and obstetricians