In 2005 I had a child who became sick approximately 24 hours after a full-term vaginal birth. She was diagnosed with GBS infection, but recovered quickly after starting treatment with antibiotics. Still it was a scary experience and spending two weeks in a hospital was not what I had planned.
In 2008 I was expecting twins and worried a lot about GBS. I had UTI's twice during pregnancy, both times the samples came up positive for GBS and I was treated with oral antibiotics. For most of the time Twin no. 1 was breech. I was granted a C-section and doctors assured me GBS would not be a problem this time. Still they gave me IV antibiotics prior to the operation, mostly to prevent me from getting sick.
Two apparently healthy kids were taken out at 38 weeks. At post op I was told that twin 1 was taken to the NICU for observation as he had some minor breathing difficulties, probably caused by a wet lung. They started antibiotic treatment when he was 5 hours old, mostly to be on the safe side, as they didn't think he had an infection. Well, he did, and he became worse--much worse. His breathing became much faster, more shallow, and he went from oxygen treatment to c-pap to a conventional ventilator to an oscillating ventilator when he was 30 hours old. He spent 4 days on the oscillator before he was able to breathe on his own and his other body functions and blood were also affected by the sepsis. But he fought it, and won.
In retrospect I am actually "glad" that my firstborn daughter was sick so that the doctors were aware that I was a GBS carrier with a increased risk of getting a sick baby. Otherwise they might not have started my son's antibiotic treatment at such an early stage as he tested negative for infection at that time. I was not able to hold him before his 5th day of life and was barely allowed to touch him when his condition was most critical and this has affected me. I feel guilty for not being there by his bed these days (but I had another baby to take care of.)
My two different GBS experiences have shown me that this bacteria can be extremely scary and I hope that a vaccine will be available soon.
— S Nor, Sweden
In 2008 I was expecting twins and worried a lot about GBS. I had UTI's twice during pregnancy, both times the samples came up positive for GBS and I was treated with oral antibiotics. For most of the time Twin no. 1 was breech. I was granted a C-section and doctors assured me GBS would not be a problem this time. Still they gave me IV antibiotics prior to the operation, mostly to prevent me from getting sick.
Two apparently healthy kids were taken out at 38 weeks. At post op I was told that twin 1 was taken to the NICU for observation as he had some minor breathing difficulties, probably caused by a wet lung. They started antibiotic treatment when he was 5 hours old, mostly to be on the safe side, as they didn't think he had an infection. Well, he did, and he became worse--much worse. His breathing became much faster, more shallow, and he went from oxygen treatment to c-pap to a conventional ventilator to an oscillating ventilator when he was 30 hours old. He spent 4 days on the oscillator before he was able to breathe on his own and his other body functions and blood were also affected by the sepsis. But he fought it, and won.
In retrospect I am actually "glad" that my firstborn daughter was sick so that the doctors were aware that I was a GBS carrier with a increased risk of getting a sick baby. Otherwise they might not have started my son's antibiotic treatment at such an early stage as he tested negative for infection at that time. I was not able to hold him before his 5th day of life and was barely allowed to touch him when his condition was most critical and this has affected me. I feel guilty for not being there by his bed these days (but I had another baby to take care of.)
My two different GBS experiences have shown me that this bacteria can be extremely scary and I hope that a vaccine will be available soon.
— S Nor, Sweden