When my midwife told me today that I tested positive for Group B Strep I wasn’t initially concerned. She said there is nothing I did to contract it, that it is harmless to adults, and that 25% of women have it (and it tends to be more common in the summer). However, if the baby contracts it through delivery it is bad – baby could get pneumonia or meningitis and be very very sick. She said this can be avoided by giving me antibiotics while I am in labor every 4 hours at least twice before I deliver. This will decrease the chance of baby getting it from 1 in 200 to 1 in 4000. So I wasn’t really worried.

Of course, what do I do next? Google it. I have completely freaked myself out. First of all, what if I have a fast labor and there isn’t time to give me the antibiotics? I also read several women on different discussion boards say that they got the antibiotics and it didn’t work and their babies contracted it and got pneumonia, or were in the NICU for weeks, or the very worst – died an hour after birth or were stillborn. I know I am going to be so paranoid after I have her! I wonder if there are any tests they can do after birth to see if she has it. If not I can see myself already constantly checking her temperature and sleep not being an option because I will need watch her 24 hours a day. Has anyone else had to deal with this before? What was your experience?

On a much brighter note – everything else during my checkup was perfect. My blood pressure was good, baby’s heart rate is good, and she is measuring right on track at 38 weeks and is estimated to be around 7 pounds. I am 1 centimeter dilated, 50% effaced, my cervix is already completely forward, and baby’s head is moving down (she is at a -2). It was also confirmed that I probably do have a bruise (which I suspected) in the spot where she ALWAYS kicks me. Whenever I press on that spot, I can feel her foot and it is really sore…my midwife said she probably likes it even more now because it is warmer and the texture there is different.