Group B Streptococcus - pregnant ladies GET TESTED!

So Mum handed me one of her very many numerous newspaper clippings from the Daily Mail a few months back. Usually I nod and say thanks, and the clipping goes on the kitchen side for a few weeks, and after briefly scanning it, goes in the bin. It's no secret that I LOATHE the Daily Mail, in particular their scaremongering "everything in the world can give you cancer!" health section, which Mum reads regularly (hence the tower of clippings/emails I get from her).

On this occasion however, as the article was about babies and pregnancy, I gave it a quick scan. The article told of a lady who gave birth to a healthy baby, but tragically lost it due to a group B streptococcus infection that the child caught from the mother during labour. The NHS do not routinely test for this bacteria, even though 25% of women carry it with no symptoms, and the bacteria can cause serious complications including GBS meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia and cerebral palsy in new born babies. 

As it's an infection that is so common, I of course asked my midwife if they tested for GBS. I was told no. So I looked online and found a site that sent GBS testing kits for free. You just pay the £35 lab fee for processing your sample. The test needs to be taken around 35-37 weeks of pregnancy, so I took the test last week and posted off the swabs. 3 days later, I got a text message... "Your GBS result is POSITIVE". 

OMG! Positive! I am carrying Group B Strep and had no idea. I could have given birth and passed on the infection to my baby! I'm hoping that the antenatal clinic have received the lab results (I'm guessing they won't have as they seem to have a habit of losing everything, including my iron level blood tests TWICE) but I will have to make sure they give me an IV of antibiotics when I go into labour. I'm hoping that doesn't ruin my chances of having a water birth in the birthing centre! 

This just goes to show, paying £35 for a private test is SO important... and something that the NHS should be testing for! So, if you're pregnant, I seriously advise you to order a test... and to sign the petition to get the NHS to routinely test for this infection. It could save the life of your child! You can also read more about Group B Streptococcus at http://www.gbss.org.uk/ and here.

And yes Mum, that ONE article from the Daily Mail was worth reading... but I still think 99% of the contents of that newspaper is total rubbish! Sorry! But thanks for passing me that clipping. x