Declined antibiotic for Group B & regretted it?

[nicksgrl126]

Not sure if anyone metioned this, but you can get Hibiclens OTC at any pharmacy and use that prior to labor. It's just as effective as antibiotics without the risks to the baby.

[Nijntje]

Originally Posted by nicksgrl126 It's just as effective as antibiotics without the risks to the baby.

Source?

[Mamatoabunch]

Originally Posted by ~happy2Bamommy~ I used this with three different births. I was GBS positive with one and didn't bother testing with the others after learning how faulty the test can be and how results can be positive one day,negative a week (or days) later. I never want to be lulled into a false sense of security with a negative test. I will now act with every birth as if I am positive. This will mean I use Hibiclens, Probiotics, and garlic. I limit internal checks etc. I closely monitor infant for the first 4 days of life (big thing is to keep watch on temp)

I do the same, 9 HB's. Started Hibiclens w/ the last three, did herbs and garlic prior.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by raisingcropsandbabies It's easy to talk about the low risk of something occuring until it happens to you. I would never hope anything to happen to anyone; if it does it can completely shatter your world. Being that statistic is horrible and the guilt that can come from that is rough, knowing there was prevention. I know I didn't fully understand until I was a small percentage.

My entire point was, MOST of us don't walk around wearing bullet proof vests in the off chance that we might get shot on the way to work one day. Could it happen? YES. MOST of us don't have basements lined with thick concrete, that go miles into the earth, so that we can be safe in the off chance that a nuclear bomb hits. Could it happen? YES. MOST of us don't wear a life jacket when we swim in the family pool in the off chance we get tired and drown. Could it happen? YES.

My whole point was - things happen. It sucks, but life isn't this thing where we can predict and eliminate every possible awful thing that could go wrong. If we all start getting worried about every thing that COULD go wrong and then taking preventative measures to stop them, we'll all be really bored, really fast.

GBS, IMO, is just like everything else. There is a risk involved, just like I take a risk when I walk with my kids 2 blocks to the library. How high is YOUR (general YOUs here) risk? Is it worth it TO YOU to get abx? I can't answer that question for someone else. But I can answer it for ME and MY baby. If someone else is really set on getting them, I don't see why they shouldn't have access to them. But if another person feels GBS is just not a big enough threat to get all worked up over, I don't think that person should be made to feel like they're irresponsible or stupid. You evaluated the risk and decided you didn't like the odds. I evaluated them and decided it wasn't a big deal. We can BOTH still be good moms and make different choices.

Just like to you, walking 2 blocks might seem dangerous. We could get hit by a car, shot, one of my kids could run and get run over, a dog could attack us, a tree could fall on us, we could get hit by lightning....... To me, it's not a big deal.

Same line of thinking with GBS. The risk is not worth it to you. That's ok. The side effects of IV abx are not worth it to me. And that is ok too.

Originally Posted by steph410 if something as easy as taking antibiotics during labor can make a significant impact on the likelihood of my baby dying from gbs, then I will do it. thrush is not life threatening.

Thrush can be a complete nightmare, and GBS is *USUALLY* not life threatening, just like thrush *USUALLY* isn't. Both can cause serious issues if not handled properly. I'm sorry you don't think it's a big deal. I disagree. My DD is almost 6 and STILL has an immune system that can't keep yeast issues at bay. We can agree to disagree.

[KelseyH]

Originally Posted by Kiliki How high is YOUR (general YOUs here) risk? Is it worth it TO YOU to get abx? I can't answer that question for someone else. But I can answer it for ME and MY baby. If someone else is really set on getting them, I don't see why they shouldn't have access to them. But if another person feels GBS is just not a big enough threat to get all worked up over, I don't think that person should be made to feel like they're irresponsible or stupid. You evaluated the risk and decided you didn't like the odds. I evaluated them and decided it wasn't a big deal.

ITA. My OB's argument for the GBS test/abx was "if we don't do a test and don't give you abx, and the baby dies, you'll be sitting here saying, 'darn, we should've given abx.'" So his logic is GBS+ and no abx = baby dies, baby dies from no abx = shame on me for refusing abx. Nevermind the actual statistics of a very, very small mortality rate. It would be nice if mothers could just make a truly informed decision (information from an UNBIASED source, i.e. not my OB) and it just be left at that.

[raisingcropsandbabies]

Originally Posted by Kiliki My entire point was, MOST of us don't walk around wearing bullet proof vests in the off chance that we might get shot on the way to work one day. Could it happen? YES. MOST of us don't have basements lined with thick concrete, that go miles into the earth, so that we can be safe in the off chance that a nuclear bomb hits. Could it happen? YES. MOST of us don't wear a life jacket when we swim in the family pool in the off chance we get tired and drown. Could it happen? YES. My whole point was - things happen. It sucks, but life isn't this thing where we can predict and eliminate every possible awful thing that could go wrong. If we all start getting worried about every thing that COULD go wrong and then taking preventative measures to stop them, we'll all be really bored, really fast. GBS, IMO, is just like everything else. There is a risk involved, just like I take a risk when I walk with my kids 2 blocks to the library. How high is YOUR (general YOUs here) risk? Is it worth it TO YOU to get abx? I can't answer that question for someone else. But I can answer it for ME and MY baby. If someone else is really set on getting them, I don't see why they shouldn't have access to them. But if another person feels GBS is just not a big enough threat to get all worked up over, I don't think that person should be made to feel like they're irresponsible or stupid. You evaluated the risk and decided you didn't like the odds. I evaluated them and decided it wasn't a big deal. We can BOTH still be good moms and make different choices. Just like to you, walking 2 blocks might seem dangerous. We could get hit by a car, shot, one of my kids could run and get run over, a dog could attack us, a tree could fall on us, we could get hit by lightning....... To me, it's not a big deal. Same line of thinking with GBS. The risk is not worth it to you. That's ok. The side effects of IV abx are not worth it to me. And that is ok too. Thrush can be a complete nightmare, and GBS is *USUALLY* not life threatening, just like thrush *USUALLY* isn't. Both can cause serious issues if not handled properly. I'm sorry you don't think it's a big deal. I disagree. My DD is almost 6 and STILL has an immune system that can't keep yeast issues at bay. We can agree to disagree.

I completely understand your viewpoint. I've always said it's all about risk to benefit ratio and deciding from there (from raw milk to homebirth to vaccines to everything!). I was simply pointing out that one needs to remember and think on how it would feel to be a low statistic when weighing in on their decision. Many people do not do that. Many think they will never be a statistic.

I wasn't implying you were a bad mom for making that decision (some might think me a bad mom for feeding my kids raw milk or picking and choosing vac's!)... one just needs to be aware of adverse outcomes. There are benefits and there are risks.

And for this subject, personally... antibiotics would be my choice and feeding my newborn probiotics afterward would be a way to lessen the risks of thrush/yeast infections (it's worked for 3 out of 3 babies!).

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by raisingcropsandbabies I completely understand your viewpoint. I've always said it's all about risk to benefit ratio and deciding from there (from raw milk to homebirth to vaccines to everything!). I was simply pointing out that one needs to remember and think on how it would feel to be a low statistic when weighing in on their decision. Many people do not do that. Many think they will never be a statistic. I wasn't implying you were a bad mom for making that decision (some might think me a bad mom for feeding my kids raw milk or picking and choosing vac's!)... one just needs to be aware of adverse outcomes. There are benefits and there are risks. And for this subject, personally... antibiotics would be my choice and feeding my newborn probiotics afterward would be a way to lessen the risks of thrush/yeast infections (it's worked for 3 out of 3 babies!).

I wasn't trying to say you thought I am a bad mom. I was jsut trying to explain my viewpoint. Almost all of the YOUs/YOURs in my post are totally general, and not directed at you specifically.

I wish I'd known about probiotics. That's not something I'd ever heard of with my first child. And it's not something that the hospital staff talk to you about, since it's (probably) not tested and sold by a pharmeutical company somewhere (actually I know some are, but doctors in general in our healthcare system do not take a holistic approach and generally scoff at the idea that your body can become severely imbalanced after a high dose of abx). They aren't trying to sell you on it. (And in that sense, it is a very similar idea to hibiclens treatment of GBS.)

I wish I'd known to do that, and I really kick myself for not having that knowledge, I truly deeply believe my DD has suffered (and will continue to do so) as a result of a high dose of IV abx at birth and nothing to repair her system afterward.

[redlichen]

My pediatrician said that group b + could be treated before you are in labor. Eliminating the need for IV anti during delivery.
Options for how it is 'treated' is a question to ask the OB.
I also learner that group b runs in cycles that are weeks long. So if you were negative at 37 weeks you would most likely remain negative through labor.
Either way with or without antibiotics and positive or negative, be aware of the signs and monitor your tiny ones.

[amb2j]

Thanks to this thread, I talked to my midwife about it. I was positive with the last pregnancy. She casually responded, "Oh, thats no big deal, we will give you a probiotic to help you be negative this time around." Ive been taking it since 24 weeks and am so upset I didnt know about this last time! Who knew something as simple as a probiotic could help prevent me (and my baby) being exposed to nasty antibiotics!! UGH! I didnt even know there were other options last time!

[KelseyH]

Originally Posted by amb2j Thanks to this thread, I talked to my midwife about it. I was positive with the last pregnancy. She causually responded, "Oh, thats no big deal, we will give you a probiotic to help you be negative this time around." Ive been taking it since 24 weeks and am so upset I didnt know about this last time! Who knew something as simple as a probiotic could help prevent me (and my baby) being exposed to nasty antibiotics!! UGH!

That's unfortunate that you had to deal with it lay time, but YAY for knowing your options now.