Up until now our pregnancy has been very normal. Nothing has caused concern or a moments pause. But today I learned that I tested positive for Group B Streptococcus. I have read a couple stats about the occurrence rate of GBS in pregnant women and what I have gathered is it occurs on average in 10-30% or about 1 in 5 pregnant women test positive for GBS. I was hoping to not be in this category.
GBS is a common bacteria many people (men and women) have in their digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts that can colonize in the birth canal and can be transmitted to your baby during labor and delivery. What this means for Steve and I is that I will receive high doses of antibiotics during labor and delivery to help prevent transmitting this to Evan, and that we will have to stay in the hospital for 48 hours after Evan is born to make sure that he and I are both doing okay.
Most babies of mothers who are treated with antibiotics are not infected with GBS. In fact, only 1 in 4000 babies transmit it, and of those that are infected most have no problems whatsoever. A few, however, will become very sick and in very rare occasions it can be life-threatening. While I don't want to focus on the negative, I also don't want to be naive about its risks.
I'm praying for your little family. By the way, the bump is looking good.
ReplyDeleteI tested positive for strep B too, and I didn't have any problems at all. I would recommend staying 48 hours in the hospital anyway. I wanted all the help from the nurses I could get. Congrats on little Evan. Baby boys are so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks you guys! Angela, it is so comforting to know people close to me who tested the same. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete