37 Week Doctor Appointment

Yesterday we had our weekly doctor appointment. It was another boring appointment since I haven't had any contractions yet. The doctor just listened to the heartbeat, felt around on my stomach to make sure he's still head down, and sent us on our way. She also told us the results of last week's Group B Strep test, which dang it, I'm positive for. From americanpregnancy.org, and Mayo clinic:

"Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 15% to 40% of all healthy, adult women.

Those women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery. GBS is responsible for affecting about 1 in every 2,000 babies in the United States. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill.[...]If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier.

According to the CDC, if you have tested positive and are not in the high risk category, then your chances of delivering a baby with GBS are:

* 1 in 200 if antibiotics are not given
* 1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given

The signs and symptoms of early onset GBS include:

* Signs and symptoms occurring within hours of delivery
* Breathing problems, heart and blood pressure instability
* Gastrointestinal and kidney problems
* Sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis are the most common complications

Newborns with early-onset are treated the same as the mothers, which is through intravenous antibiotics.
How serious is GBS? GBS can cause bladder infections and womb infections for the mother. In some cases GBS can cause stillbirth. Newborns can get meningitis, sepsis, and pneumonia.

If I test positive for GBS does that mean my baby is going to get it also? No. Approximately 1 of every 100-200 babies who are born to mothers who carry GBS will become ill.

Group B strep infection is fatal in about 20% of infected men and non-pregnant women and about 5% to 15% of infected newborns."

What this means for me and the baby is that during delivery I'll be given antibiotics (through an IV). The antibiotics are therefore transfered to the baby so that he's okay after birth. The hospital will then just keep an eye on him and watch to make sure he doesn't show any signs of the infection (Breathing problems, heart and blood pressure instability, Gastrointestinal and kidney problems). Our doctor also made sure to mention that this means I'll be in the hospital for at least 48 hours because of the doctors wanting to watch for the Strep B. From what I've researched, it sounds like the infection isn't really all that bad (especially compared to other things that can happen during birth- living in an information packed world is scary sometimes), especially when antibiotics are used to treat it. Our doctor didn't seem to worried about it, so I think we'll be okay. It's just another thing to worry about. By the way, that brings me to a scary thought Landon and I have expressed to each other... this pregnancy has been so easy and uncomplicated that it makes us worry about what could happen after the baby gets here. What if he has some disease or syndrome that we don't know about until he's born? It's scary to think of all the things that a baby could have wrong with them or have happen. I just hope I don't become one of those crazy worried new parents. Think positively, think positively, think positively...