If you decide to have another baby, the memories of your previous experiences plus anxiety about the health of your unborn baby can make it a challenging time.
Please remember that the chance of group B Strep affecting another baby is small. It is important that you tell your midwife, at booking, your complete obstetric history, including how group B Strep has impacted you and your baby. It is important group B Strep is flagged up from the outset so that you and your health professionals can ensure the potential risks presented by group B Strep are taken into account and, between you, ensure your care addresses and minimises them.
On September 12th 2018 our wonderful rainbow baby boy Quinn was born at 38+3 weighing 8lb 10oz, he was perfect. I had antibiotics in labour as planned with the consultant and Quinn was given antibiotics for 48hrs and closely monitored. We were released from hospital 3 days after he was born and thankfully he wasn’t effected by group B Strep.
— Jemma
National guidelines say that, if you’ve previously had a baby who developed GBS infection, you should be offered intravenous antibiotics in all future labours. They also say that, if you carried GBS in your last pregnancy and your baby was not infected, you should be offered the option of either intravenous antibiotics in labour or an ECM test for GBS late in pregnancy, with intravenous antibiotics offered if the test result is positive. Click here for a summary of the latest guidelines.
If you have any questions or concerns about your or your baby’s health during pregnancy, do speak with your midwife or obstetrician. They will be keen to address your concerns.
We can provide you with general information about group B Strep and what the latest national guidance is. We can lend a listening ear or put you in touch with other families who have had more children. We can’t, however, offer you medical advice – for that you need to see your health professional.
If you have any questions about Group B Strep, please call our helpline
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
0330 120 0796
Or email us at info@gbss.org.uk
