Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I don't remember all that much, but I do know that I was routinely
    tested (once) at some point between 28 and 32 weeks for strep-b. I think if
    the test had been positive, I would have been put on antibiotics and 
    continually tested. I remember asking if it a positive result would
    increase my chances for a cesearean delivery and the midwife said no. 
    
    Sue

    When I was pregnant I had the Strep B infection.  I had it pretty
    much throughout my pregnancy.  I was on antibiotics most of my
    pregnancy.  What they did for me was when I went into labor they
    put an IV in me with the antibiotic, and I was informed to go to the
    hospital immediately if my water broke.
    
    I was under the impression that this infection could possibly cause
    phenomia (sp), they didn't say much else.   Did your daughter become
    ill or were they just testing her?
    
    -Julie

    To both women who replied--
    
    	Why were you tested/how did you know you had the infection?
    I was never tested.  My water broke at 5:30 a.m. on a Monday,
    I became very ill at noon the following day.  I told my doctor
    I felt feverish and nauseated--he told me I was just anxious.
    I was achey all over and felt worse and worse ever second --
    I did not register a temp. until 3:30pm--and then it shot right
    up to 102 degrees.  That's when they started IV's and put me
    on Pitocin to bring on labor.
    
    	Alexa was born at 8:58 pm that night by C-Section.  Personally,
    I think they waited much too long.
    
    Sheryl
    

    Julie--
    
    	Alexa and I both had the infection.  They started her on I.V.'s
    as soon as she was born and she had to stay in the hospital 3 days
    longer than I did.  She had the bacteria on her surface (skin, nose,
    mouth, ears) and on her stomach walls.  That's why they did the
    blood work and spinal tap--to make sure it didn't get that far.
    Fortunately -- after waiting the seven days--we found out that 
    the blood and spinal fluid were clean--thank God!  
    
    	Spinal Meningitis can be a result of this infection, I've also
    read that if it is not detected and treated in time it can cause
    brain damage and even death.  I didn't know this when I was in the
    hospital, but now I do and I want to find out all I can about it.
    
    Sheryl
    

    Apparently it's only been discovered recently and many doctors
    aren't aware of it yet.  One of the women's magazines had a big
    article about it earlier this fall -- I think around September. 
    Sorry I can't be more specific but if you went to your library and
    looked through the back issues you could find it -- there's a big
    heading about "hidden threat to your baby" or words to that
    effect. 
    
    I'll try to remember the article as best I can.  
    
    Apparently most people carry the strep-b bacteria on their skin,
    and in pregnant women it sometimes works up the birth canal to teh
    bladder, where it causes a very mild bladder infection that
    doesn't show up on the standard tests because the standard tests
    check for various kinds of staph bacteria.  Then when the water
    breaks, the bacterial can get in and infect the baby, too.  
    
    It's not usually life-threatening if the doctors know the mother
    has the infection so they can start antibiotics right away and do
    the tests .4 talks about.  I think the article said that if the
    baby doesn't develop meningitis from it, once she's over the
    fever, the disease is over.  It's not like a birth defect or
    anything that leaves permanent effects. 
    
    I wish I could remember more for you.
    
    --bonnie

    Well... that's really interesting to know...  Now I understand
    why they we're so concerned when I came down with this infection.
    
    They discovered the infection for me when I went for my first
    prenatal visit.  When they checked my urine they discovered that
    I had a bladder infection, so basically they put me on medication
    right from the begining.   they would test me approx. ten days after
    I started the medication, I went I'd say about 5 months of the
    pregnancy on amoxicillan or ampicillan.  As far as the urine samples
    were showing around 7 months was that I no longer had the infection,
    but one of the doctors decided to do a pap smear an the infection
    showed up thru this.  I was told from day one that I would be
    delivering this baby with a IV attached to me.  That I had nothing
    to worry about.. nice of them to tell me what *could* have happened.
    
    I'm glad your daughter is doing well, it's always so sad to see such
    a small baby ill.  (an a new mom worried sick...)
    
    -Julie

>    To both women who replied--
>    
>    	Why were you tested/how did you know you had the infection?
    
    Why? As I recall, it was standard procedure with my doctors to test for
    it. Just a simple culture; similar to a pap smear. 
    
    Sue

    The October thirtieth issue of Woman's Day has an article about strep B
    infections.  For more information, send a self-addressed stamped
    envelope to the Group B Strep Association, P.O. Box 16515, Chapel Hill,
    N.C. 27516.
    
    If you would like a copy of the article, send me a mail message with
    your mail stop.

    
    I saw my OB this week and the nurse told me that my next visit they are
    going to take a culture.  I asked what for, she told me for Strep B.  I
    got a little nervous because I didn't know what it was.  She said that
    doctors usually test for it around your 26th week.  If the test comes
    back positive the baby and I will be treated for this right after
    delivery.  I checked with my sisters who all had baby's and they never
    heard of it.
    
    

    My sister's first baby got a severe pneumonia from strep B. Her water
    broke when she was 7.5 mos. pregnant, and she went about 5 days before
    delivering (in hosp., under dr's care, to try and stop contractions).
    They also had her on IV antibiotics, but the baby got it anyway. Sadly,
    this baby died, but not from the pneumonia...they said that although it
    was severe, it was treatable. The baby had a bowel disease which caused
    her to die at 3 days old.
    
    --dave--

I was induced late in the pregnancy by the doctor breaking my water.
My baby was not born until 30 hours later and 2 days after his birth
he got a high fever.  He tested positive for Beta Strep.  Shellie and
I both went home thinking that he was going to die, because a friend of hers
had a daughter with Beta Strep and we knew it could be fatal (her
daughter was treated, and was fine 10 years later).  Apparently because
we had been so knowledgable about everything else, the doctors and nurses
thought that we *knew* it wasn't a big deal if found early and treated,
so they didn't tell us until the next day that he was going to be *fine*.
They had had no idea that we had been so worried.

He did have to have a spinal tap to make sure he didn't have meningitis,
and he screamed.  We could hear him in the next room (we didn't want to
watch).  He was in the intensive care nursery for 5 days (they let him
out early, but we had to come by twice a day for shots - he learned to
HATE the car, but that passed).  We have some really SAD pictures of us
at the hospital with him, especially the day when I was leaving and he was 
staying and we thought we were going to lose him.  He also looked a *sight*
with the IV in his head (not the hands because he might jerk it off) and
all of the monitor wires on him that week.  He did look pretty humorous at
nearly 9 pounds, though, next to a 3 pound little boy.  I think the nurses
called him something like "humongo baby" (I know *we* did).  :-)

For us it turned out that he didn't have Beta Strep after all; it was a 
false positive.  Later tests revealed this, but we never did know what
he had.  If the next baby turns up with Beta Strep, though, we won't be
nearly so worried.  We'll know that they can easily fix it, and it will
just be a few days before s/he gets home.  

      Carol

    re: .8
    
    That sounds like it must be the article I saw . . . thanks for
    posting the address. 
    
    --bonnie

    
    
    Does anyone know what "Strep B" is?  I was watching a show last
    nite (Rescue 911) and a woman who was pregnant contracted 
    Strep "B".  I guess she didn't realize she had it and passed
    it along to her unborn child.  When the child was born it
    was very sick and they said that Strep "B" (I also heard
    the doctor say the word "menengitis" a few times.  I left 
    the room for a minute and totally missed the explanation
    of what Strep B is) can cause brain damage and unfortunately,
    this baby had such severe brain damage that it didn't make it.
    The mother said that she wanted expectant mothers to be aware
    of this and she also said that people just assume this is
    the regular strep (like strep throat) but I guess it isn't
    (not sure if it's just a more serious form of it or not).
    
    I'd appreciate if anyone could enlighten me on this.
    
    Thanks,
    Chris

    It was routine practice during my pregancy to test for strep-b. 28 or
    32 weeks, I think. I was told that if it were positive there were steps
    to be taken to prevent the baby from exposure. Antibiotics plus
    re-testing. 

    I, personally, don't recall any blood being drawn during either of my
    pregnancies specifically for Strep-B.  I saw the program as well, and
    felt that even with my medical background the explaination was poor at
    best.  The only thing concrete I can say it that it isn't really like a
    strep throat, but more a form of meningitis.(inflamation of the
    menegies part of the brain).  I will check further over the next few
    days to see if I can offer a little better explaination.
    
    I don't know about anyone else, but I burst into tears when they showed
    the parents at the cemetary. I was alone, husband was a class,
    thankfully AJ was already asleep, I just felt like I needed to hug
    someone, like the parents of every infant who had been through a loss. 
    But then again, those of us who have buried an infant might be more 
    sensative to that kind of scene. (and it's been over 6 years for me).  
    That piece of film has been bothering me all day.  
    
    lyn
    

    
    >>But then again, those of us who have buried an infant might be more 
    >>sensative to that kind of scene. 
    
    I still refuse to watch anything or read anything involving loss
    or health troubles with infants. Just lately have managed to hold
    on during birth scenes....
    
    have a hug on me, Lyn...
    Monica
    
    

    I sit and watch these shows too and wonder why.  I cried through that
    whole part of the show but couldn't change the channel.
    
    Marie

    I can't watch *any* show that deals with drownings.  I've never
    known anyone who has drown but as an infant I was a near death 
    victim of suffocation and feel I harbor intense fear of any kind 
    of oxygen deprivation.  If I'm subjected to any story of drowning,
    I sleep bad for about a week.  Coincidently, when I was a child,
    I used to hyperventilate whenever Seahunt was on TV. 
    
    The mind is poweful.
    
    Jodi-
    

    >I, personally, don't recall any blood being drawn during either of
    >my pregnancies specifically for Strep-B. 
    
    I think they only started doing this routinely about a year and a
    half ago.  I didn't have it for David, who just turned two, but my
    neighbor had it for her daughter, who was born at Thanksgiving.
    
    --bonnie

    >I, personally, don't recall any blood being drawn during either of
    >my pregnancies specifically for Strep-B. 
    
    It wasn't a blood test; it was a cervical or vaginal swab culture.
    
    Sue
    

    RE:  .13
    
    Hi Chris,
    
    	I'm the basenoter--and it's been 15 months since my daughter
    was born with the Group B Strep Bacteria.  I've learned a lot
    about it since that time.
    
    	It's a FEROCIOUS bacteria -- there's no doubt about that!
    from what I've read (mostly in Woman's Day, American Baby etc) and 
    what I've learned from the doctors--  my understanding is that some 
    (completely healthy) women just carry this bacteria and it lies
    dormant until a major hormonal change (like pregnancy or labor)
    occurs...then sometimes it activates and is passed on to the baby--
    and sometimes it doesn't.  It is speculated that in my case, because
    my water broke 4 1/2 weeks early -- that I contracted the bacteria from 
    lying around in the hospital for 40 hours--which was FAR too 
    long --but that is another story!!!   No doubt I will be tested
    if I ever become pregnant again.
    
    	My daughter was tested at birth and the Beta Strep bacteria was 
    found on her skin, in her mouth and nose, and on the walls of her
    stomach.  Antibiotics were started immediately, and because the
    doctors found the bacteria in her stomach they did several blood
    tests and performed a spinal tap.  After a very nerve wracking 
    week, the results came back negative--the bacteria was stopped
    in her stomach--thank GOD!  Which means that she was born
    (by emergency C-Section) just in time.  Today, Alexa is a
    beautiful, extremely active 15 month old--whom the doctors 
    refer to as PRECOCIOUS!  If only I knew then, what I know
    now...
    
    Sheryl

    I am now at 34 weeks, and after a series of "vaginitis" symptoms,
    a month or two back tested positive for beta strep.  I had one round
    of antibiotics, and within a week had the symptoms again.  My doctor
    told me that it is common but not usually active, and unless it is
    active, no treatment is recommended.  (The anitbiotics have side effects
    of their own, and that apparently outweighs the risks to the baby of 
    beta strep.)  She also informed me that active beta strep is associated
    with premature labor, so to take serious any signs of early labor. 
    
    She also said that even if the baby is "colonized", the chances 
    of him/her having an infection is not high enough to warrant 
    antibiotics.  I also think she said that the infant can develop
    an active infection for a period of several months.  The pediatrician
    will be notified of the presence of beta strep, so they can monitor for
    the pneumonia, etc. that are potential.  I will be talking with our
    pediatrician about her views of beta strep before birth.
    
    
        

    Hi,
    
    	I would be interested in knowing anymore information that you
     would like to share regarding Beta Strep.
    
    	Did you have any flu-like symptoms?
    
    	Best of luck to you and your little one--it is good that you
     were tested and your doctors are aware.  Everything should be
     just fine!
    
    Sheryl