pregnancy and strep b pos.

[key west chick]

DD is around 29 weeks preg. She started having contractions ( not braxton hicks) last Sunday. Goes to ER. Diagnose her with a bladder infection. Never knew a bladder infection can cause contractions but apparantly so. Give her antibiotics. Says to check in with Ob Monday morning. She does and they tell her since she has an appt next week, just to take it easy and keep an eye on her contractions and if they get bad again, back to the ER. She has a few a day. Last night she gets a call from her OB. The hospital sent over I guess her urine to her OB and they ran more cultures and she is pos for strep b. They rushed in a call for a different antibiotic since the one the ER called in wont touch this. She was told that if she has 1 single contraction on Sunday, to call for an emergency app for iv antibiotics Monday. She is terrified! She is furious with the hospital for not catching this on Sunday. Her numbers were like 10,000 and cause for alarm is anything over 5,000. Shes terrified this will hurt the baby or he will be born with meningitus or something. Anybody have any words of wisdom? I told her be thankful they caught it at all.

 

[SpringChickens]

She should be thrilled that she didn't deliver before they found the infection! I know there are a lot of moms who are group B strep positive who go on to deliver healthy babies, especially with antibiotics during delivery. The biggest risk is if her water had been broken for an extended period of time and she didn't get antibiotics.

Hopefully they caught it in time, and she'll go on to have a healthy baby in 11 weeks or so!

 

[keesmom]

Well, it's been 8 years but at that time they tested everyone for group B strep at 36 weeks. I was positive and it just meant antibiotics during delivery. It all turned out fine.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Usually they test earlier for this and she is very very lucky she did not give birth before they found it. Very negligent on their part. Every delivery I have had I was started on antibiotics well before the baby came. Every single one was fine. I have had it with each of my 4 kids. As long as its treated properly everything will be fine. The danger would have been if they had not caught it beforehand. Now that they know she is positive they can make sure she gets more antibiotics during delivery and the baby will be fine. No worries

 

[SpringChickens]

Quote:
They test earlier for this? She's only 29 weeks! I think women are typically tested around 36 weeks. I agree though - she should be fine when it comes time to deliver

 

[WingingIt]

No, the ER wouldn't have found this because as a routine thing, they don't test for strep B, especially if you are showing signs of a bladder infection and the urine test comes back positive for this. They test for strep B at roughly 36 weeks gestation, so she hasn't been tested for this yet by her OB. They would have tested her earlier if she'd have been pg. before and positive with that baby or if she'd have gone to them with the suspected UTI. The reason they don't test everyone earlier is because strep B comes and goes in women that have it, you remain a carrier, meds don't 'cure' it. So she could test positive at 20 weeks, be put on meds to knock it back, and be positive again by the time of delivery. The meds usually keep it at bay for several weeks, which is probably why they test at 36 weeks.

She'll have to have IV antibiotics during labor, they'll want to get two doses in her for optimum coverage, so she should go in as soon as she thinks she's in labor, inform EVERYONE that she's strep B positive and demand that they get the IV started immediately. I know from experience, I was positive with one of mine and my labor went so fast they didn't even get one dose in, much less two. My child got strep B, spent two weeks in the hospital on IV antibiotics, having spinal taps, etc. VERY scary but it all turned out fine, perfectly healthy now. I had another child after that one and they did test me early in the pregnancy, with the intent to knock the infection back and then retest and retreat me at the normal 36 weeks if I was still positive, but I tested negative both times during that pregnancy. I still got the antibiotics at delivery, though, because I KNOW I'm a carrier, no matter if it's active at that time or not, and the added protection and peace of mind is well worth the IV, IMO.

Odds are HUGELY in her favor that everything will be just fine. She just needs to be sure and finish these meds to knock it back, get retested at 36 weeks and be sure she goes in as soon as she's in labor to start the IV.

Does she know what she's having?

 

[HeatherLynn]

Quote:
They test earlier for this? She's only 29 weeks! I think women are typically tested around 36 weeks. I agree though - she should be fine when it comes time to deliver

ok let me correct myself, Always my doctors have tested earlier for it, even on the first. At my 20 week ultrasound they check, make a notation in the files and then off we go. So even when I had my preemie girl they already knew I had it and were on top of the situation. Regardless, they caught hers early and there should be no worries on that front because they can treat this before and during delivery to protect the baby.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

i had it with one of my pregnancies so they stopped testing and just give the antibiotics. The last baby I didn't even have time to get an IV, much less the antibiotics and everyone was fine. There is a slim chance that it will be passed to the infant during delivery even without antibiotics.

 

[happytxchick]

They wouldn't have caught it on Sunday b/c a Strep B diagnosis is the result of a urine culture, which take several days to result depending on the "bug." For instance, blood cultures are monitored for up to five days. Her UTI was diagnosed quickly b/c that is a different test, a "urinary analysis" which is performed in minutes, not days.

She will be fine with the antibiotics...Strep B is very common.

Congratulations on your new addition!

 

[Southernbelle]

I've tested positive for it with 2 of my 4 pregnancies and was always treated with IV antibiotics during all my labors. I was concerned when I tested postive with my 1st, so talked about it with the baby's pediatrician and he assured me that Group B Strep responds very well to the antibiotics and is usually knocked out with one treatment of antibiotics. As long as they're aware of it before she goes into labor, she and the baby should be fine.