In this episode of Taking Back Birth, I talk about some of the biggest myths about Group B Strep.
Podcast (taking-back-birth): Download (Duration: 54:10 — 38.5MB)
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Dispelling 10 Myths About Group B Strep
Women Own Birth
Fantastic information! In my “gut” I knew this was a “new health crisis” when Strep B suddenly came out of the woodwork a few years ago. I never had any testing through my pregnancies from 1980 onward. Thank you Maryn for putting in the effort & research to expose these myths!
Thanks for this great podcast (and all the others you share with us!) and shining a light of truth on GBS.. I feel as though I listened a day too late and unfortunately self administered the GBS test at my 36 week check up, because my midwife made me feel as though it was mandatory… upon further reading in Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering a woman has a right to refuse any tests, like GBS. Something the medical world doesn’t want strong minded women to know. That being said- does anyone know if it’s illegal to refuse antibiotic treatment during birth if a woman has GBS culture and not infection upon further testing (urinalysis) after a positive vaginal/rectal swab?
Thanks!
Is antibiotics in labor the protocol your midwife uses, if you were to test positive? Most homebirth midwives are luckily still not administering antbx at home and usually encourage natural treatments. As far as declining antbx from hospital protocol, in theory you should be able to decline anything! In practice, it will depend on each practitioner. Good luck!
I refuse antibiotics in a hospital. You should be able to refuse anything that doesn’t sit well with you. They may be mad, but they can’t make you. Even c-section can be declined, unless you have a court order…
This information is SO helpful! Is there a resource that you love for a good protocol for restoring vaginal and or gut balance?
Hi Maryn, thank you so much for this podcast, it was really interesting to listen to! I am almost 37 weeks pregnant and tested positive for Strep B. I struggle with the decision to accept or deny antibiotics, I keep going back and forth. My question is, can my baby develop an infection only if I have the infection first? Or is this random, and could happen after he’s colonized?
What can I do now to protect my baby? I’ve been taking a probiotic (Pro-Moms) but still tested positive, though I don’t know if that means much.