Nov 7

“We Have To Bathe Your Baby…You Are GBS+…”

“We have to bathe your baby right now. You are GBS+ and we have to get it off the baby so he doesn’t get sick and die.” – L&D Nurse to mother after birth.

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There are 34 comments to this post.

Jade had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:45 pm (Quote)

LMAO umm, ok. The stupid is burning my eyes.

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Maria Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:08 pm Maria(Quote)

Like! LMAO.

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Kit had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:46 pm (Quote)

*logic fail*
I don’t know which is worse, if the nurse actually believes this, or if she is lying to get momma to bathe the baby.

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LG had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:53 pm (Quote)

http://xkcd.com/699/

And you can also just BUY nursing scrubs. Because there is no way this nurse got through an entire DEGREE PROGRAM still believing this.

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Jena Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 8:37 pm Jena(Quote)

XKCD FTW

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Jane had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:57 pm (Quote)

Shades of Indiana Jones: “There is no request so simple that we at the hospital cannot deny it to you.”

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Sheva had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 3:06 pm (Quote)

And there’s the card, right out there in the open.

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Lil had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 3:32 pm (Quote)

I was told something similar by my OB! I was told because I was GBS+ I was creating problems for the hospital, on the one hand, if I had a vaginal birth my baby and the midwives would become covered and could get meningitis and die…on the other hand, if I had a c-section my baby wouldn’t be effected, but the whole OR would have to be shut down and decontaminated otherwise the next mother in would contract GBS+. I had only just been told I had it (at the start of this conversation), so had yet to get near google, so you must forgive my next question…I asked if that is how I’d contracted it – from a dirty hospital bed. My OB looked me straight in the eye ‘have you had an affair since your last baby?’, I said I certainly hadn’t, flippantly she said ‘then your husband has’…I was somewhat upset my this so she added ‘oh don’t worry, we tend to find that most lower class husbands do yours is no different to anyone else’s, so don’t be embarrassed!’. Having found out she was wrong on every level, (luckily I trust my husband and thought to double check the facts before accusing him of an affair!), I did wonder how an OB could be so stupid…then for the next baby a midwife came up with a similar thing and then another midwife during the next pregnancy after that…obviously they all got their degrees off the back of the same cereal packet!

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Jane Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 3:38 pm Jane(Quote)

WHAT?!?! GBS isn’t a sexually transmitted disease! Isn’t every human colonized with it to some degree or another?

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Cara Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 3:56 pm Cara(Quote)

Since GBS can be transferred from one partner to another, some sources do consider it to be an STI…

My baby was washed in something that caused her to break out everywhere. I was too out of it to check, and my husband was there, I assumed he would, but he doesn’t remember what they used. I have actually read somewhere (of course I can’t find it now) a recommendation to wash babies born to GBS+ mothers with an antibacterial soap.

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Heather Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:10 pm Heather(Quote)

Yes, every person is colonized. It is normal intestinal fauna. The issue comes when the colony moves from the intestines out onto the perineum. There is zero known or even suspected cause, it’s considered random by actual medical standards. And you can’t effing “catch it” from an OR table! >_<; I want to kick the stupid out of Lil's doctor!

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Jessica Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 3:48 pm Jessica(Quote)

WHOA!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
GBS is something found in most every person’s colon, and can migrate to the vagina pretty easily. It is not an STD and to throw it around like that is disgraceful. So sorry your OB was the one who passed med school with a D average.

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Heather Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:16 pm Heather(Quote)

I seriously want to kick the stupid out of your doctor. OMFG. GBS stands for Group B Strep and to be positive just means that the colony has moved onto your perineum and/or into your vagina. I am so furious at your doctor for that load of garbage.

And “lower class husbands” are more prone to affairs? To quote a favorite movie: “LIAR! LIAR!” There is a direct correlation between increase in income and increase in extramarital affairs in the Western World.

And to then have two midwives with the same nonsense?? Good grief!! I’m so sorry!

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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 5:41 am Knitted in the Womb(Quote)

While the Dr. here was spewing ALL kinds of stupidity…this isn’t quite correct either.

If the GBS test is done correctly a swab is taken from INSIDE the rectum and INSIDE the vagina. The perineum is not swabbed. While the perineum certainly could be colonized (and, actually, at some point it probably was for the GBS to move from the rectum to the vagina), it is not required for the perineum to be colonized for a positive GBS diagnosis.

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Heather Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 11:20 am Heather(Quote)

That depends on your provider. Not all agree that placing it IN the rectum is proper and it is just as accurate NOT to do it. I’ve only had one that instructed to put it IN the rectum in 3 full-term pregnancies. No rectal penetration in my first swab and I tested positive from the vaginal and perineum swipe to rectal swab. All three instructed the perineum be swiped.

So, no, it’s not “correct” to stick it in the rectum in that being the only correct way to do it. That’s just the popular way.

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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 12:11 pm Knitted in the Womb(Quote)

I think part of the point of this whole blog is that many individual providers believe things that aren’t evidence based?

The CDC guidelines on GBS screening specify that a swab should be done of the lower vagina and lower rectum. They make no mention of swabbing the perineum, and specify that swabbing of the rectum is necessary. “Swabbing both the lower vagina and rectum (i.e., through the anal sphincter) increases the yield substantially compared with sampling the cervix or sampling the vagina without also swabbing the rectum…swabbing both sites is recommended…” http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5111a1.htm

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Heather Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 7:12 pm Heather(Quote)

And the CDC is full of stuff that isn’t evidence-based. *shrugs* We’re going to have to agree to disagree. We’ve clearly found different answers in our research on this topic.

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Heather P Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:24 pm Heather P(Quote)

OMFG! How horrible. Outright lies too about vaginal and c-section births with GBS. I’m sorry you had to deal with such idiots who scare mothers unnecessarily.

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lilmrsmchenry Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 9:06 am lilmrsmchenry(Quote)

Are they not decontaminating ORs anyways? That was the scariest part to me.
The whole thing was just pretty ridiculous though.

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Becky Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 9:26 am Becky(Quote)

I think I would be most offended at the OB’s insult to your husband…that lower class=unfaithful! (regardless of whether you are “lower class” or not!) I’m so sorry you had to deal with this OB! Her attitude and misinformation/lies are disgusting.

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Nefzus's mommy had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 3:34 pm (Quote)

Ignorance is bliss !!

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Jessica had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 3:46 pm (Quote)

So by the nurse’s logic if I lick a lollipop that was sucked on by my daughter who has the flu and then hurry up and brush my teeth I’ll avoid getting sick?

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JessicaKC had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 4:40 pm (Quote)

I just said, “Oh really” and rolled my eyes. I kept him as long as I could before they wore me down and took him, and they bathed him after I said not to, and kept him for several hours giving me lots of excuses. I couldn’t see from pushing so hard so I couldn’t go get him and my husband stood there the whole time asking for him but he was too timid to demand. We were just so drained from the whole experience. This lovely lady screamed at me while pushing very meanly, berated me for getting to the hospital so late because I didn’t get all of my antibiotics, complained that I had worn my own clothes and ruined them (binsi birth skirt), and jerked the skirt off of me while the OB was sewing, then poured scalding hot water on my genitals to clean me up while he was still sewing (again, I think on purpose because I wasn’t numb like a good patient). Then she made me pee with her standing there watching me in the bathroom, which I lied about. My husband wanted to hit her.

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Amber Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 6:32 pm Amber(Quote)

I’d have hit her!

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Melissa C Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 6:47 pm Melissa C(Quote)

But, you know women only give birth at home because Ricki Lake made it seem glamorous.
/sarcasm

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Dreamy Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 7:44 pm Dreamy(Quote)

For real, though.

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Details Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 6:29 am Details(Quote)

OMFG you have to report this. Pouring scalding hot water on numb patients isn’t really good either. Duh! This woman shoul give you a formal apology and go through retraining.

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Wendy Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 7:44 pm Wendy(Quote)

I think…scratch that- I know my husband would have hit her! Some people just don’t know how to deal with those of us who don’t just toe the party line.

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Kristin had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 7:44 pm (Quote)

Yeah.
Because the strep B absorbs through the baby’s skin.

Oooh! I know, she’s going to lick her skin and maybe, just maybe there is a chance she’ll get it. No? Not plausible either?

Okay, then I’m stumped. How does this harm the baby?

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Judith had this to say, Nov 7, 2011 @ 9:57 pm (Quote)

Jessica, I am so sorry for how you were treated! I am a maternity nurse and all you were told and all that was done, is complete BS!

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Nikki had this to say, Nov 8, 2011 @ 6:09 am (Quote)

You know, I think I was told the same thing. I tested positive for something, can’t remember. And was told it was a std. Which I had only been w/2 guys (hubby and ex) Each of those guys had only been w/2 people. So it was a very limited circle.

It honestly bothered me b/c it made me feel like I was lying. I always questioned it b/c so many people I knew was testing positive. Now I know it’s not techically a std.

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Kit had this to say, Nov 8, 2011 @ 11:53 am (Quote)

Ok, I can’t reply directly from my phone, but here is something I don’t understand. Why does an OB or midwife care if your rectum is GBS+? I would assume most people’s are since GBS is normal for your digestive system. And it would not cause any issues during the birth. The only areas an OB or midwife would need to check would be vagina and/or perineum was colonized as those are the areas the baby will come in contact with.

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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 12:13 pm Knitted in the Womb(Quote)

Only about 25-30% of adults have GBS in their intestinal tract at any given time. It can easily migrate to the vagina, and there is often poop during birth…so that is why maternity care providers care if there is GBS in the rectum.

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