I had no idea what Group B Strep was until I was about 37 weeks pregnant and being tested for it. As I'm a very healthy eater and healthy person in general, I didn't think much of it, and assumed I would be negative. Wrong! My next appointment, as the nurse brought me into the room, she casually mentioned I tested positive. WHAT?!?! I hadn't even sat down yet when she broke the news, and I wanted to burst into tears (and immediately go on google and figure out what the heck Group B Strep was, ha!).
According to the American Pregnancy Association "Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. Women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery."
The doctor told me it was no big deal and that I would need to be put on antibiotics during labor, and those antibiotics would also enter the baby's blood stream. Now, as someone who doesn't have the greatest track record with antibiotics (I had to take them for years for a different health issue, and they pretty much stripped me of all my good gut flora, which led to other complications), I wasn't too excited about me or the baby being on them.
So...I stared researching to see if there was a way I could rid myself of GBS naturally. Turns out there are lots of great resources on the internet of women who have followed a protocol, and have reversed the positive diagnosis. I thought "it's worth a try, right?".
Long story short, after 2 weeks of following the protocol to a T, I was retested. And when I got the results back, I was negative! Hooray! I was so excited:) Both my doctor and nurse were pretty surprised, and my doctor allowed me to labor with no antibiotics!
What did I have to do for this protocol? Well, I actually followed the protocol that I found on the Wellness Mama blog. You can read her post regarding GBS here. (Thanks Katie!) Essentially, here is what she recommends:
- 2,000 mg of Vitamin C in divided doses each day
- Consume 2 cloves of raw garlic each day by finely mincing them and drinking them down with water
- Consume at least 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil daily for its antibacterial/antiviral properties
- Use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse vaginally each day
- Take 6+ probiotic capsules a day
- Consume large amounts of fermented foods and drinks (I bought fermented pickles and fermented cabbage at my local natural food store!)
- You ready for this one? It was definitely the most weird, but anecdotal evidence supports that this is very effective. Insert a garlic clove vaginally at night. (The Wellness Mama said she just did it once, but I did it every single night of those 2 weeks!)
I also ate SUPER healthy, and didn't eat ANY sugar. Sugar can just help bacteria grow, so I eliminated that bad boy from my diet.
I can't say it was easy...it wasn't. I dreamed of ice cream and my favorite tea latte with tons of steamed honey...just ask Kevin. About 5 times a day I reminded him of the foods I wanted to eat after Avonlea was born, haha!
But...I can say it was totally worth it! Not only did eating super healthy and following this protocol kill the GBS, but it also gave Avonlea some really good nutrients while in the womb! (I kinda wonder if she'll love or hate garlic, we'll see...haha!).
I don't share this to stir up controversy. If you are GBS positive and feel comfortable taking the antibiotics, then go for it. This post is to encourage those of you who don't feel comfortable with it to know that there are ways to get rid of it and avoid the antibiotics! I'm not a doctor, so this isn't medical advice, just encouragement of something that really helped me!
I hope this is helpful. Have any of you tried this??
In other news, Avonlea has been the biggest blessing in my life. I just love this girl. She's 8 weeks now, which blows my mind! I live for those sweet smiles:) Hopefully i'll share more pictures soon!! Have a great week! xoxo