hospital births — Mum's The Word (Writing)

What Is GBS? How Does It Affect Mothers During Childbirth?

This month is International Group B Strep Awareness Month. Group B Strep is a bacteria that is found naturally in 1 in 4 pregnant women and affects 1 in 2,000 babies in the U.S. It is not that common, but this month is to bring awareness to the general public.

For my book about childbirth around the world I interviewed SheéLee Rock, a childbirth educator and doula, located in Virginia. I asked her about GBS.

KHRISTEE: What is GBS?

SHEÉLEE: GBS stands for Group Beta Strep.

KHRISTEE: How does it affect mothers when they test positive for Group Beta Strep?

SHEÉLEE: GBS is a normal bacteria that lives in the vagina, all the time. It can come and go. It also comes and goes from the intestinal tract. It typically doesn’t cause any symptoms or signs. Moms can have it now, in their pregnancy, during their labor.

The concern is that sometimes moms that have Group Beta Strep in the intestinal tract and in the vagina during labor can possibly pass an infection to the babies and a very small amount of those babies can die. What happens though is that moms are typically tested later in pregnancy for this by a swab that goes into the vagina and then a swab that goes into the rectum and if it comes back positive, they’re not tested again, even though, your GBS can change. You could be positive during your tests around 34-36 weeks and then can be negative during labor. Or you could have a negative test, and then be positive during labor; they don’t care. In the U.S., they test you once and go with those results.

How Will I Know It is Time To Go To The Hospital?

On the day of deliver, Antonio Lévano, a well-regarded OB/GYN in Peru is in contact with his patients.

Many women ask him, “Antonio, how will I know when it is time to go to the hospital?”

He encourages them to spend as much time at home as possible. At home they are comfortable. They can eat, move, take a shower, etc.

“How do I know I am having contractions?” they ask.

He says, “You will know the difference. It will feel different than how you normally feel.”

He asks his patients to make a note of the time, every time they feel a contraction. When it is ten minutes in between the start and stop of contractions, they send him a message. He has an app for them to send all of the contractions and times, so that he can see the progression.

He prefers that they are at home until contractions are every 3 to 4 minutes and they feel a lot of pressure or pain in the pelvis. He emphasizes that it is not just the amount of time that is the indicator for him, if they are ready to go to the hospital to deliver. He wants to hear their voice to hear if they are out of breath or unable to talk as usual; this is a sign that it is time to go. If they can talk normally, it is not time yet.

Empowering Women To Support Each Other

Welcome to my new blog! This is my third health blog and my first blog about childbirth around the world! This blog is based on the new book I am currently writing about childbirth around the world, Shock and Awe: Unifying Women Around The World Through Childbirth.

In June 2019, I was inspired to start writing my first book after talking with a friend. My book is about childbirth around the world from a holistic perspective. I started doing research and I was fascinated with what I discovered. But quickly, it became apparent that a book about childbirth around the world would be more interesting told from the perspectives of mothers instead of piecing research together. I set out on a quest to interview 50 women around the world and hear their heart-felt stories. My passion and enthusiasm grew and I decided to interview experts in the childbirth industry too, and I didn’t stop at 50 interviews but over 60, representing about 15 countries around the globe, spanning the last seventy-five years, from all ages and points of view from home births, birthing centers, and hospital births, to natural and medicated births, short and long births, and women of all backgrounds.