How to Get Rid of Strep B

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, group B streptococcus is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborns, but it can also cause serious illness among adults--especially older adults or those with chronic medical conditions. The bacteria often colonize in the intestinal tract and also in the vaginas of healthy women without causing illness. An infant is exposed during the birth process if a strep-positive mother is not treated during labor.

Things You'll Need

• Laboratory culture done during your ninth month of pregnancy
• Intravenous antibiotic during labor if you are a carrier

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Instructions

• 1

  Ask your doctor for a group B strep test during your ninth month of pregnancy. This is especially important if you have had a bladder infection caused by strep B during this pregnancy or if you earlier had a baby that developed a group B strep infection. The test is painless, done by swabbing the vagina and the rectum. According to CDC, about 25 percent of women are carriers of group B strep at any time.

• 2

  Talk to your doctor about your group B strep status. If you are a carrier, discuss a plan for labor. You need intravenous antibiotics during labor to prevent the bacteria from making your newborn sick. If your water breaks before labor begins, you will be given antibiotics at that time.

• 3

  Speak up if you are allergic to penicillin. It is typically the antibiotic used against group B strep, but other antibiotics can be used instead.

• 4

  Tell your doctor if you have symptoms of a bladder infection when you enter labor. Even if your earlier strep B test was negative, you should be given antibiotics during labor as a precaution.

• 5

  Monitor your baby closely during the first three months of life. Fever, lethargy, blue appearance, breathing difficulty, irregular heartbeat, difficulty feeding and irritability are all possible symptoms of group B strep infection. If you know you are a carrier and your baby develops any of these symptoms, promptly seek medical attention.