Many babies come into contact with GBS during labour or around birth. The vast majority of these babies will not become ill. However, if you carry GBS, there is a small chance that your baby will develop GBS infection and become seriously ill, or even die.
Infection is more likely to happen if:
If you have had a GBS-positive swab or urine test in this pregnancy you will be offered antibiotics through a drip in labour to reduce the chance of infection. You will also be offered antibiotics if you have previously had a baby who was diagnosed with GBS infection.
If you have had GBS previously, some hospitals offer a specific test (enriched culture medium) to see whether you are carrying GBS again. If this test is not available in your local hospital, you will be offered antibiotics in labour instead. Please ask your midwife for more information.
You should discuss your planned place of birth with your midwife during pregnancy to make sure that you can receive antibiotics as required in labour. If you choose to have antibiotics, it may not be possible to arrange this at home or in some midwifery led units. Please ask your midwife for more information.
Further information is available here about GBS.
https://gbss.org.uk/professional-resources/free-resources/gbs-information-in-your-own-language/
