[ozmidwifery] Thankyou re Strep B
Thankyou to everyone who sent me information, gave me suggestions etc on Strep B, testing, options for treatment during labour etc. I will be able to discuss it with the midwives with a bit of background knowledge now, and have lots of ideas to run with if I do end up testing positve again. :) Nicola Morley Trainee Doula -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit http://www.acegraphics.com.au to subscribe or unsubscribe.
RE: Strep B
Dear Jo Infants who are compromised with Strep B will present withsigns of infection. These are a collection of symptoms which will lead carers to seek intervention and treatment based on 1. symptoms and 2. results of cultures. As with all infections there will be reactions that are mild to severe- everyone is different.In the first 24 hours a babe will usually present with an elevated temperature ( above 37 C, over a period of several hours, despite minimalclothing) it may also display a lack of interest in feeding, drowy and sleeping for long periods of time or it may be irritable when roused and difficult to settle. In conjunction with an elevated temperature these babes will usually have an elevated respiratory rate but no change in their oxygen requirements and may have an elevated pulse rate.This iswithin the first 24 hours. The condition of a babe who is born with infection will continue to deteriorate within this time frame and medical assistance will be called for . Depending on the site of infection (and severity) other specific symptoms will develop and it is common to offer broad spectrum prophylactic antibiotics whilst waiting for cultures to return as they may take 48 hours. Not all babes who succumb to Strep B will show symptoms within the first 24 hours, others will acquire Strep B on their way through the birth canal and will develop symptoms up to 48 hours after birth- the same symptoms just in a different time frame. These infants are often easier to identify as by that time most babes are alert and wakeful for feeds by then so a change in behaviour is easier to see. The elevated temperature is probably your best marker that there may be a problem. Hope this info is useful Alesa Alesa KoziolClinical Midwifery EducatorMelbourne
RE: Strep B
Dear Jo I am always interested in what I see as the hysteria that surrounds the Strep B debate. I work in a private hospital and the women here are all under the care of their own Dr. The hospital itself does not have a policy regrading treatment of strep B as each Dr has trained under a different system. They keep up to date and are aware of current treatment options practised at the public hospitals in surrounding suburbs. I trained in a public system which treated all women who were positive with antibiotics in labour and washorrified the first time I saw a Dr ignore this "rule". That was many years ago. Some Dr's still treat known Strep B women in labour this way, most do not. We watch the infant closely and treat the infant, if an infant is affected they will usually develop symptoms of illness within the first 24 hours. I have not seen many babes who succumb to Strep B infections in the last 20 years and of these, many of the mothers have been of unknown status at birth as most of the Dr's do not subject women to vag swabs in pregnancy. I am not trying to minimise the risks which Strep B will bring to some infants, but I personally think that this risk is overated for the majority of women and their babes, and the option which we follow is a safe alternative to intervening in pregnancy and labour Regards Alesa Alesa KoziolClinical Midwifery EducatorMelbourne
