GBS AND SUBSEQUENT PREGNANCIES
After having a baby who was infected by GBS, some families will go on to have other pregnancies and children. These subsequent pregnancies and the early months of infancy can often be filled with anxiety, especially if they have lost a baby.
What should I do during my next pregnancy?
Once you have had a baby with GBS disease you should receive IV antibiotics during labor and delivery regardless of this pregnancy’s GBS test results. Ask your healthcare provider to ensure that your GBS status is marked as "positive" on your prenatal record so that the labor & delivery staff know you should receive IV antibiotics. Our GBS status card is also available to keep with you.
Even though you should be considered as GBS+, having your urine cultured for GBS and other bacteria is still an important opportunity to know your GBS colonization level and be treated based upon the level or if you have symptoms. (This is standard in some countries at your first prenatal visit.) You can also talk to your healthcare provider about urine culturing throughout your pregnancy. GBSI advocates a recheck or "test of cure" one month after treatment.
Probiotics are known to have health benefits, but the exact impact on GBS colonization is not yet known. Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any home remedies, especially during pregnancy. Know that “alternative medicine” treatments such as garlic or tea tree oil have not been proven to prevent your baby from becoming infected.
Ask your healthcare provider to not strip your membranes (also known as sweeping membranes). GBS can cross even intact membranes and procedures such as stripping membranes and using cervical ripening gel to induce labor may push bacteria closer to your baby. Plan ahead if you have short labors or live far from the hospital. The IV antibiotics you receive in labor generally take 4 hours to be optimally effective.
Ask your healthcare provider to discuss your and your previous baby’s GBS history with both your obstetrical team and the new sibling’s pediatric team. Express any concerns you may have including requests for compassionate care.
Even though you should be considered as GBS+, having your urine cultured for GBS and other bacteria is still an important opportunity to know your GBS colonization level and be treated based upon the level or if you have symptoms. (This is standard in some countries at your first prenatal visit.) You can also talk to your healthcare provider about urine culturing throughout your pregnancy. GBSI advocates a recheck or "test of cure" one month after treatment.
Probiotics are known to have health benefits, but the exact impact on GBS colonization is not yet known. Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any home remedies, especially during pregnancy. Know that “alternative medicine” treatments such as garlic or tea tree oil have not been proven to prevent your baby from becoming infected.
Ask your healthcare provider to not strip your membranes (also known as sweeping membranes). GBS can cross even intact membranes and procedures such as stripping membranes and using cervical ripening gel to induce labor may push bacteria closer to your baby. Plan ahead if you have short labors or live far from the hospital. The IV antibiotics you receive in labor generally take 4 hours to be optimally effective.
Ask your healthcare provider to discuss your and your previous baby’s GBS history with both your obstetrical team and the new sibling’s pediatric team. Express any concerns you may have including requests for compassionate care.
What should I do after my next baby is born?
Parents often experience anxiety and complex feelings with a subsequent baby once they are born, not just during pregnancy. These feelings are valid. A pregnancy and birth following a GBS disease experience takes an emotional and mental toll on families. We encourage you to seek support during this time. You may also want to communicate these complex feelings to your healthcare team or a mental health professional.
We often hear parents had wished they knew more and were informed about GBS in a previous pregnancy. Knowledge is power and we hope the following knowledge and resources will help you feel empowered, confident, and secure as your family navigates this journey.
We often hear parents had wished they knew more and were informed about GBS in a previous pregnancy. Knowledge is power and we hope the following knowledge and resources will help you feel empowered, confident, and secure as your family navigates this journey.
Studies on the Emotional Impact During Subsequent Pregnancies
Hughes P M, Turton P, Evans C D H. Stillbirth as risk factor for depression and anxiety in the subsequent pregnancy: cohort study BMJ 1999:318:1721
Turton, P., Badenhorst, W., Hughes, P., Ward, J., Riches, S., & White, S. (2006). Psychological impact of stillbirth on fathers in the subsequent pregnancy and puerperium. British Journal of Psychiatry, 188(2), 165-172. doi:10.1192/bjp.188.2.165
Erlandsson K., Warland J., Cacciatore J., Rådestad I. Seeing and holding a stillborn baby: Mothers' feelings in relation to how their babies were presented to them after birth—Findings from an online questionnaire. Midwifery. 2013. Volume 29:3, 246-250
Turton, P., Hughes, P., Evans, C., & Fainman, D. (2001). Incidence, correlates and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in the pregnancy after stillbirth. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178(6), 556-560. doi:10.1192/bjp.178.6.556
- "Women whose previous pregnancy ended in stillbirth had significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety during their subsequent pregnancy than matched controls"
- "Women may need a year to mourn the lost of a child before beginning another pregnancy - women who chose to conceive sooner may be intrinsically more vulnerable to depression and anxiety"
- "Parents have various and individual reasons for timing the next pregnancy, but there may be advantages in waiting 12 months before conception"
Turton, P., Badenhorst, W., Hughes, P., Ward, J., Riches, S., & White, S. (2006). Psychological impact of stillbirth on fathers in the subsequent pregnancy and puerperium. British Journal of Psychiatry, 188(2), 165-172. doi:10.1192/bjp.188.2.165
- "Fathers who experienced a stillbirth had significant levels of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before the birth of a subsequent baby, but all of their symptoms remitted after the birth of a live baby"
- "Fathers' symptom levels were lower than those of mothers at all time points during pregnancy. In contrast to mothers, fathers experienced greater anxiety when a subsequent pregnancy was delayed."
Erlandsson K., Warland J., Cacciatore J., Rådestad I. Seeing and holding a stillborn baby: Mothers' feelings in relation to how their babies were presented to them after birth—Findings from an online questionnaire. Midwifery. 2013. Volume 29:3, 246-250
- "Mothers of stillborn babies felt more natural, good, comfortable, and less frightened if the staff supported assumptive bonding by simply offering the baby to the mother"
- These findings imply that care providers should approach caring for grieving mothers with tenderness and humility, assuming that they will wish to see and hold their stillborn baby
Turton, P., Hughes, P., Evans, C., & Fainman, D. (2001). Incidence, correlates and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in the pregnancy after stillbirth. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178(6), 556-560. doi:10.1192/bjp.178.6.556
- Women are vulnerable to PTSD in the pregnancy subsequent to stillbirth, particularly when conception occurs soon after loss
Join the Campaign against GBS Disease in babies! |
CONNECT TO GBSI |