10 Days To Go

Today I woke up feeling different.  I did not feel the same amount of cervical pressure and hip pain that I have been experiencing for the past week, and I feel I can walk again rather than waddle.  Not surprisingly I am now worried that blue bump is no longer engaged!  If the weather allows I intend to go for a long walk later in the hope of persuading him down again!

In better news I received a text in the early hours of this morning informing me that my Group B Strep test results were Negative and therefore antibiotics would not be required during labour.  This is such a weight off my mind!  One step closer to my water birth...

For more information on the dangers of Group B Strep and how to be tested in the UK, please visit Group B Strep Support

38 Weeks Pregnant - Low and Ready to Go?

I am now officially waddling!
Today I attended my 38 week checkup with the Midwife.  It turned out to be a whole family affair as hubby was working from home and able to come too.  I was not sure how interested he would be but he was very proactive and asked lots of questions. I was proud of him!

This was the first appointment that I have had that has had a student midwife in attendance.  This made the appointment longer than usual as everything was checked twice, first by the midwife, then by the student.

My urine sample and blood pressure were both normal.

Then we moved to the bed so that they could examine my bump.  First the Midwife listened with a pinard horn.  This is the first time she has done this at either of my pregnancies and I can only assume it was for the student's benefit.  She then listened with her normal doppler.  Blue bump's heartbeat was a nice steady 150bpm.  He was still sitting head down and the Midwife said he was very low, probably 3/5th engaged.

Group B Strep

To Take The Test or Not?

Further information on Group B Strep visit http://www.gbss.org.uk

25% of women carry to Group B Strep bacteria in their bodies however only 0.5% of these women pass the infection on to their babies.

In the UK, we do not test for Group B Strep routinely in pregnancy.
Instead antiobiotics are offered to woman as standard if they fall into one of the following high risk categories:

 

• Mothers who have previously had a baby infected with GBS– risk is increased 10 fold
• Mothers who have been shown to carry GBS in this pregnancy or GBS has been found in the urine at any time during this pregnancy– risk is increased 4 fold

• Labour starts or membranes rupture before 37 weeks of pregnancy is completed (i.e. preterm) – risk is increased 3 fold
• Where there is prolonged rupture of the membranes – more than 18 hours before delivery – risk is increased 3 fold
• Where the mother has a raised temperature* during labour of 37.8°C or higher – risk is increased 3 fold

If you fall outside of these factors then no testing or antibiotics are offered as standard.

HOWEVER

You can pay and have a test done privately.
The question is would you want to?
Their is a 25% chance the test will come back positive but even then the risk to your baby is still low (0.5%).
Anyone returning a postive test result will have to give birth in hospital rather than at home or a midwife led unit and will be offerered intra-venus antibiotics throughout their labour.
It is commonly accepted that one the best ways to help labour progress is to keep moving and not lie on a bed for hours.  This is in direct contrast to having to lie on the bed receiving antibiotics.
I am also very keen to have a water birth, which i would not be able to do if the test was positve as their are no birthing pools in my local hospital, only in the midwife led unit.

I feel this puts me in an impossible position.
I do not have any of the risk factors highlighted above.
Do I take the test and risk it coming back positive and then not get the birth I want - when there is only a 0.5% of actually passing the infection to baby
OR
Do I not take the test, hopefully get the less stressful birth but potentially risk passing on an infection that I may/may not have to my baby.

What I would like is to take the test, find out the result, and then make an informed decision about what I want to do, however it sounds like once the test results are back, the decision will be taken out of my hands.

This sums my feelings up perfectly:
"Not every pregnant Mum who finds out she carries GBS will want to have intravenous antibiotics in labour.  You may decide not to have them unless there are other additional risk factors - after all, only a small percentage of babies born to Mums carrying GBS at delivery will develop GBS infection. However, if you do decide against antibiotics in labour, it would be prudent for the baby to be observed by trained staff for at least 24 hours (and ideally for 48 hours). If the positive test was from the urine, this means that the GBS was more invasive, and so antibiotics will be recommended even if a vaginal swab is subsequently negative." (www.gbss.org.uk).

Decisions, Decisions...