Retaking the GBS Test

On Monday, right when I turned 41 weeks, I asked to retake my Group B Strep (GBS) test. If you recall, I originally tested positive for GBS when I took my first test at 36 weeks. This was a huge bummer for me because it meant that I was going to have to be put on an IV either right when my water broke or when I went into active labor and had antibiotics pumped into me every four hours. They would have taken the IV off after each dose of antibiotics (which would take about 30 minutes each time), but I would still have had to had the IV put in and been strapped to a pole for parts of my labor. As someone who really hates needles, I initially cried a little from disappointment when I heard I had GBS and would need the antibiotics. The midwives knew how disappointed I was and told me if I was still pregnant five weeks later I would be able to retake the test. They gave me a list of things I could try in the meantime to clear my system of the bacteria (see my previous blog post about GBS for details).

Ever since then I have been drinking lots of Vitamin C; one of my tangerine coconut waters has almost 400% of your daily Vitamin C needs an eighteen ounce container. The Vitamin C is supposed to help your immune system clear your body of harmful bacteria.

Delicious tangerine coconut water that is a great source of vitamin c and is wonderful for hydration

I have also been taking probiotics everyday. I have never been a big fan of yogurt, so I decided if I really wanted to pump up my system with healthy bacteria, that I should just take some probiotics. I have been very happy with using New Chapter Organics for my prenatal vitamins, so I decided to continue to use that brand for my probiotics. I have been taking the New Chapter Organics Probiotic All-Flora, which has 9 strains of healthy bacteria cultured and kept on w whole food-medium. Most probiotics you can buy aren't kept with the food they are grown on and loose their potency, but drying the bacteria with its food medium makes them much more effective. These probiotics are stored in the refrigerator and you take 2 capsules a day on an empty stomach. They never made me feel queasy unless I took them too close to a mealtime; otherwise they were very gentle on my stomach.

Probiotics that possibly helped me clear my system of GBS

Today Back Cove Midwives called me to let me know my test results: I am now GBS negative! I am so happy/thrilled/excited/relieved! No more IV or antibiotics for me! Even though I had kind of come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to deal with the antibiotics, I feel SO much better knowing that I may now be able to have a natural birth with absolutely no interventions. Some people have told me that maybe Meo was just waiting for my test results to come back before he decides to come out. Hopefully that's true and he will sense that I feel more ready now and we can have a wonderful birth experience. He needs to come out soon though, because they will have to induce my at 43 weeks which means I will end up being stuck on an IV after all! Come on out little Meo; we can do this!

If you are pregnant and worried about GBS, it is definitely worth trying to cleanse your system and filling it with healthy bacteria. GBS naturally cycles in and out of your system, so it may not even have been the probiotics and Vitamin C that helped me get rid of it. When I am pregnant again though, I will be taking probiotics much earlier in my pregnancy for sure. Here is a description of the probiotics I was taking that I copied from their website (http://www.newchapter.com/probiotics/probiotic-all-flora):

Live Probiotics for Optimal Digestive and Immune System Function*

Probiotic All-Flora contains nine strains of live probiotics cultured together on a non- dairy whole-food medium and then combined with growth-stimulating prebiotic Organic Apples, and Organic Inulin sourced from Organic Jerusalem Artichokes.

The live probiotics in Probiotic All-Flora, including revered probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus helveticus, help support optimal digestive and immune system function.

When the culturing of Probiotic All-Flora is complete, the synbiotic-rich whole-food medium and live probiotics are freeze-dried together, a process that preserves their potency until consumed. Once consumed, the cultured whole-food medium and prebiotic whole foods activate the probiotics and enhance their effects. Both are part of the synergistic whole that benefits the entire digestive tract and immune system.

Whole-Food Probiotics for Digestive Health and Immune Support

The Medium is the Message!  Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that occur naturally in the human intestinal tract. Foods “cultured” with beneficial strains of probiotics such as yogurt and kefir have been used throughout history to improve overall health and vitality, and today, there are many studies reinforcing their ability to balance and promote digestive health.* Probiotics also play an important role in modulating the immune system, 70% of which is located in the gut.

To make a probiotic supplement, selected strains of beneficial bacteria must first be cultured on a food medium, such as milk or soy. Since each strain of probiotics has an affinity for a different part of the digestive tract, and a unique mechanism of action, a product that delivers multiple strains is preferable to single strain products. As the probiotics replicate, they biotransform the food medium, breaking down nutrients and making them more bioavailable while secreting beneficial compounds into the medium called “synbiotics.” Research suggests that synbiotics are largely responsible for the benefits of probiotics. In other words, “the medium is the message.”

Most probiotic supplement manufacturers separate the probiotics from their food medium once the desired number of cultures is achieved, and therefore fail to deliver the full range of health benefits associated with eating probiotic foods. New Chapter ’s Probiotics with a Purpose line, however, uniquely offers multi- species blends of live probiotics with the synbiotic-rich organic growth medium intact.

		2 Vcaps contain Organic Fermented Soy 750 mg • Organic Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin (tuber) 125 mg • Organic Apple (fruit) 90 mg • Proprietary Probiotic Blend** (S. thermophilus; L. rhamnosus; B. breve; L. acidophilus; B. infantis; B. longum; L. plantarum; L. salivarius; L. helveticus) 35 mg • • Daily value not established **  At the time of manufacture, there are 8 billion probiotic live cells in 2 capsules of All-Flora. Other ingredients: Organic rice flour and sunflower lecithin. Capsule: Modified cellulose. Contains: Fermented soy.     Naturally gluten free. 100& vegetarian; no artificial flavors or colors.

Group B Strep

I had my 37th week appointment today, which went okay. I finally got to meet the last of the midwives, and she was really nice and easy for me to talk to. I feel better now that I've met all of the midwives, and would be happy having any one of them there with me when I go into labor.

Today I found out the results of my Group B Strep (GBS) test that I took last week. Unfortunately, it was positive. This means that I am going to have to be given antibiotics during labor. I guess it's not really that big of a deal, but I really hate needles and I am bummed that I am going to have to be hooked up to an IV. But it's better to be safe, and being on the antibiotics decreases the chances of the baby getting a GBS infection from about 1/200 to 1/4,000 if everything else during labor is healthy and normal (If a baby gets a GBS infection they can suffer from conditions such as meningitis and even death). The antibiotics will need to be administered as soon as my water breaks, if my water happens to break before I go into active labor. This, however, only happens to a small percentage of women. But if I hadn't had tested positive for GBS and my water broke, I would be able to stay at home until I was in active labor as long as the amniotic fluid looked and smelled normal. Otherwise, I won't have to be in the hospital until I am in active labor (contractions 3-4 minutes apart). They like to get a dose of antibiotics in at 4 hours before the baby is born. So if I am in labor for an extended period of time, they will keep administering the antibiotics every four hours. The midwife said that it takes about half an hour for the antibiotics to go in, and that I will be able to walk around with the IV if I want. After it is administered, I will be unhooked and free. I will still be able to labor in water and even give birth in water if that's what I choose to do. So overall, it's really not that big of a deal, I just have to not be a wimp about having something stuck in my arm, which I think I can do. The midwife gave me a great handout about how I can attempt to clear GBS from my system so that if I have the baby anytime after 41 weeks, I can get tested again and possibly not have to have the antibiotics. Here is what the handout said:

GBS is a bacteria present in the bodies of about 30% of healthy adults. There are natural treatments to help eliminate GBS and restore healthy balance to the body. These herbs strengthen your immune system and help to restore normal vaginal flora. You may choose to do some, or all, of the following remedies. Doing so will increase the chance of testing GBS negative and avoiding antibiotics in labor:

• Acidophilus/probiotics, 4-6 capsules per day, or eat a lot of plain cultured yogurt every day

• 500 mg of vitamin C every day

• Echinacea- tincture, capsule, or tea, as directed on product

• Bee Propolis, as directed on product

• Eat a lot of fresh garlic every day

Ways to get garlic down if you prefer not to cook with it:  

~Chop a clove of fresh garlic and mix with a teaspoon of honey. Swallow this without chewing it.

~Make a garlic elixir by blending 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and a bulb of fresh garlic. Take 1/2 teaspoon up to twice a day or mix with olive oil and use as a salad dressing or bread dip

~Take garlic perles (over the counter) according to the dosage on the brand you purchase.

I kind of wish I had known this information beforehand so that I could have tried to test negative for GBS the first time around. But I guess GBS comes and goes through peoples' systems normally, and just because you may or may not have it early on, things can change at the end of pregnancy. Even still, I probably would have actively been trying to prevent a positive result throughout my pregnancy. I had a very bad experience going on antibiotics a couple of years ago, where there was a chance I might develop Lyme disease (I had a questionable rash on my leg after working in a high risk area) so they treated me to prevent contraction of the disease. The first antibiotic I took made me sick to my stomach and I couldn't keep it down. So they tried a second type that made me more susceptible to sunlight (a bad thing when you are working in a salt marsh 8-10 hours a day in 95 degree weather), and I was able to keep it down though it made me feel kind of crummy still. I also had to wear long sleeves, a hat, gloves (my hands got sunburned the first day I didn't wear any, despite putting sunblock on them every hour), and lots of high SPF sunblock. The antibiotics gave me horrible digestive issues and yeast infections off and on for over a year, until I found some great vitamins that helped me get my system back to normal (New Chapter Organics). So now I am a bit nervous about having to deal with antibiotics again, though now I have a better idea of how to get my system back on track than I did last time I dealt with this.

Besides this GBS annoyance, everything else is going well. My blood pressure is normal, and I am measuring normal at 36.5 inches (height of fundus). The baby's heart rate was in the normal range, and he is in a great position (though he is still moving around at this point). The midwife was giggling because she felt how his feet like to push right into my ribs. Hopefully everything stays on track and the baby and I are healthy and happy all the way through labor and childbirth.

30th Week Update

It seems like it's been a while since I've posted anything; we've been so busy! While my schedule has been full of fun and interesting things, it seems like time has just been flying by and I want it to slow down. Here are a couple highlights of what I've been up to these last few weeks (the rest I will save for other posts so this one isn't too long):

Baby development at 30 weeks

Midwife Appointment: Today I had an appointment at Back Cove Midwives and it went well. The baby is doing great, he is moving a lot, his heart rate is perfect (135-140 bpm), and he is just the right size. I am doing well too: my weight gain is on track, my blood pressure is awesome, my fondus height is 30 inches (which is exactly what it should be), and my screening for gestational diabetes came back negative. The only bummer is that I am slightly anemic now, which may be contributing to me occasionally having shortness of breath. I guess during this stage of pregnancy your blood is really thing because so much is going to the baby and it is pretty common for your blood not to be able to hold as much iron. My iron level was 10.3 when it should be above 11. So the midwife prescribed me some iron supplements to take everyday and I told me to try to get more iron in my diet, which shouldn't be too difficult. During my appointment I wasn't feeling very well at all, and couldn't really enjoy hearing the baby's heartbeat or anything because I was so uncomfortable. I was really out of breath and nauseous for some reason. They gave me some juice which helped a little, and I felt 100 times better when I got outside and walked some dogs. I just needed some fresh air and to move around I guess. Robbie was with me today so at least he got to get excited about hearing the baby, and was able to take care of me when I was feeling crappy.

Yoga: Yoga has been going really great, and I look forward going to class each week. Unfortunately the class has shrunk quite a bit! One girl who was due a week before me ended up going into really early labor (2 months early!) and had her baby on mother's day! Luckily they are both healthy. Then I just found out yesterday that the other girl who was due within a week of my due date has developed preclampsia and is at the hospital to be induced and to have her baby in the next couple of days. She is also 2 months early (31 weeks)! So bizarre! I was feeling pretty nervous for a bit about going into early labor too, but I've already learned to relax about that and trust that my baby will be born when he is ready.

One person that I've started to make friends with from yoga had her baby back in March, and I had the opportunity to go them. That was really wonderful, it was beautiful to see how happy she is with her little baby girl, and really great to be able to talk to her and ask her questions about her experience so far. It made me even more excited than I already am to meet Mattimeo!

Besides meeting great people in yoga class, yoga has continued to provide me with many other benefits including physical and mental well-being and helping me prepare for childbirth. In everything we do in yoga, breathing is extremely important. We are always focused on our breath and how it moves through our bodies in the different poses we do. It keeps us relaxed and help us to pay attention to what is happening in our body. This ability to find relaxation through breath is one of the key concepts in hypnobirthing, which is the type of childbirth class Robbie and I are taking. So I feel like all the yoga I have been doing will truly benefit me in labor.

Water Aerobics: Still is a fantastic class. I feel like its a great way for me to get stronger and tone muscles, plus its a nice change from walking and swimming laps.

HypnoBirthing: Soon I will post more about this

French Class: Soon I will post more about this

Daily Supplements

Today I thought I would share with you what I have been taking for prenatal supplements just in case you are curious or you are looking into supplements for yourself.

New Chapter Organics: Perfect Prenatal

Unlike conventional prenatal vitamins, these are cultured cultured whole food so they are bio-available, easy-to-digest and can be taken anytime, even on an empty stomach. Before we were even starting to try to get pregnant I was taking New Chapter Organics Every Women's Once Daily, which was recommended to me by someone at whole foods. I used to have a hard time taking vitamins because they always made me queasy afterward, even when I took them with food. But New Chapter Organics have been great, and I never feel sick after I take one. The other nice thing about them being made from cultured whole-foods instead of minerals, is that your body is able to digest all of the vitamins and use them. Conventional vitamins are made from minerals, and even though they have very high daily percentages of nutrients on the label, your body isn't actually able to use most of those nutrients. You have to take those vitamins with food because that's the only way your body can harvest those nutrients, but it the amount of nutrients you actually get from the vitamin varies. With the New Chapter Organics, whatever is on the label is what you are getting. Plus they are made from all organic ingredients and are completely vegetarian. Here is the nutrition information:

Amount per 3 Tablets		% Daily Value
Vitamin A † (100% as beta-carotene)	5000 IU	100%
Vitamin C †	60 mg	100%
Vitamin D3 †	1000 IU	250%
Vitamin E †	30 IU	100%
Vitamin K1 †	70 mcg	88%
Vitamin K2 (MK-7)	10 mcg	12%
Thiamin-Vitamin B1 †	4 mg	267%
Riboflavin-Vitamin B2 †	5 mg	294%
Niacin †	20 mg	100%
Vitamin B6 †	5 mg	250%
Folate †	600 mcg	150%
Vitamin B12 †	30 mcg	500%
Biotin †	300 mcg	100%
Pantothenic Acid †	10 mg	100%
Calcium (from Algae ‡)	75 mg	7.5%
Iron †	18 mg	100%
Iodine †	90 mcg	60%
Magnesium † (70% cultured; 30% from Algae ‡)	15 mg	3%
Zinc †	7.5 mg	50%
Selenium †	50 mcg	71%
Copper †	750 mcg	38%
Manganese †	2 mg	100%
Chromium †	100 mcg	83%
Molybdenum †	20 mcg	27%
Mixed Carotenoids †	3 mg	•
Herbal Blends
Prenatal Herbal Blend †	300 mg	•
[Organic Brown Rice; Organic Oats; Organic Blueberries (fruit); Organic Prunes (fruit)]
[Organic Blackberries (fruit); Organic Flame Raisins (fruit); Organic Raspberries (fruit); Organic Dandelion (leaf); Organic Rose Hips (fruit);Organic Lavender (flower)]
[Organic Lemon Balm (leaf); Organic Peppermint (leaf); Organic Cloves (bud); L.casei; L. plantarum; L. salivarius; L. acidophilus; L. rhamnosus; S. thermophilus; B. bifidum; B. infantis; B. longum; and B. breve]
Breast Support Blend (sprouted seeds)	100 mg	•
(Organic Broccoli; Organic Cauliflower; Organic Kale; Organic Daikon Radish; Organic Cabbage; Organic Mustard)
Barleans: Total Omega Vegan Swirl

My midwives recommend that I have a daily omega 3 or DHA and EPA supplement. These important nutrients perform 2 vital functions in pregnancy. First, the omega 3's reduce the incidence of post partum depression in women who have birthed. Second, they contribute extensively to the neurological and brain development of your baby, which is greatest in the last three months of pregnancy through the first three months after birth. You can continue taking omega 3's after birth to help deliver them through breast milk and to help keep your spirits high). Most people get their essential fatty acids from eating meat, especially fish, but still should have supplements during pregnancy. As a vegetarian, I get some essential fatty acids from dairy products, but I definitely need a supplement. Most fatty acid supplements come in the form of fish oil, which I won't consume. But I found a great substitute that my midwives approved: Barleans Total Omega Swirl. It is completely vegetarian and made out of flax oil and borage seed oil. Here is the nutrition information:

• Complete and Balanced Vegan Omega Nutrition
• Delicious All - Natural Pomegranate/Blueberry Flavor
• Barlean’s Award Winning Organic Flax Oil is a pure, pristine and nutritious source of plant based Omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.
• 100% Vegetarian, Plant-Based DHA/EPA is a pure and natural vegan source of vital Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Barlean’s Borage Seed Oil is a pure, pristine, herbicide andpesticide free source of a scarce Omega-6 fatty acid called GLA (gamma linolenic acid). Borage seed oil is the highest known source of GLA.
• Omega-3s are best known for their effects on the structure and function of the cardiovascular system.
• Omega-6s are best known for their effects on the structure and function of systems related to pain, inflammation and immune response.
• Omega-9s have been popularized by the modern press and scientific research as the cornerstone of the ever-popular Mediterranean diet – the traditional diet of long-lived people in this region of the world.

Palmer's Organics Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks
I really don't want to have stretch marks all over my body after I have this baby, so I've decided to start early and put this lotion on a once or twice a day. I don't know if it will really make a difference, but it keeps my skin really soft. Supposedly Palmer's Organics Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks helps improve the appearance of stretch marks, naturally.  A special combination of Cocoa Butter, Aloe, Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Soybean Oil, Collagen, and Elastin lubricates the skin, helping retain its natural elasticity and moisture.