Tips & Tricks to Avoiding Group B Strep Infection (GBS+) During Pregnancy
Tara Carpenter, NC.
Nutrition Consultant specialized in therapeutic nutrition to heal mild to severe health conditions, esp. digestive disturbances involving yeast, bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
Most pregnant women, myself included, aren’t prepared for a group B strep diagnosis. I know I wasn’t when my test came back positive at 38 weeks! I was dismayed to find that I did not have the time at that point to reverse this common prenatal health condition and instead opted to receive i.v. antibiotics during labor.
See here if your unborn baby may be at higher risk for GBS+.
Taking antibiotics during my second child’s birth ended up giving us both a lot of health issues during the postpartum period and even further down the road. I hate to be the bearer of such news yet this is why I am such an advocate for helping moms avoid GBS+. The bottom line is this …. the earlier in your pregnancy you can implement the following home remedies then the better chance you may stand for testing negative for GBS. Better would be to start doing some or all of these remedies before you conception because there can be harmful effects when you detox during pregnancy due to toxins being absorbed by the baby. Please consult with your health care provider(s) before using any of the ideas listed below.
I hope the ideas below help you strengthen your immune system and overall health. Many of these ideas may also help you increase the amounts of good flora living in your vaginal birth canal. This is good! More good flora can mean less room for pathogenic GBS bacteria to live in there. Three hopeful cheers to your having an antibiotic-free birth!
- Eat a gluten-yeast-sugar free diet like Body Ecology Diet (B.E.D). If you’d like support in getting started, please contact me. I offer affordable support sessions to help women make the dietary changes to prevent or reverse GBS+. Read this article on how a mom and her baby thrived on this diet. If you are worried about not having anything sweet to eat, you will be able to have stevia and lakanto.
- Herbs/Homeopathy prepared by an herbalist or homeopathic. For example, echinacea root and and astragalus infusions taken orally can help to boost immunity and combat infection. Hepar sulph and Streptoccocinum are good for GBS+. Work with a homeopath or herbalist to determine a course of treatment.
- Garlic cloves inserted into the vagina overnight (let fall out when pee in morning or sew loop of thread to remove; eating several cloves a day by adding to salad dressing, sprinkled on eggs, marinated in olive oil; or taking garlic capsules.
- Douche with probiotic powder or raw apple cider vinegar in morning or evening. Or do a yogurt douche by placing 1 cup plain yogurt or kefir in douche bag and let sit for several minutes. To increase effectiveness open a probiotic capsule and sprinkle into the yogurt before douching. Repeat 1-2 x/week until birth.
- Herbal tampons are applied by steeping a tampon in anti-bacterial essential oils (i.e. oregano, tea tree, rosemary) to create a hostile environment for the group B strep bacteria. Mix 1-4 drops of pure essential oil in a few tablespoons of olive oil and dip in tampon and insert in vagina. Leave in for 4-6 hours and repeat daily. Avoid placing directly against the cervix.
- Probiotic capsules taken orally and/or vaginally like this one. or consuming probiotic food like cultured vegetables, milk kefir, or young green coconut kefir.
- Coconut oil, that is extra-virgin, cold-pressed for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.
- Vitamin C rich foods and/or supplement daily with 2,000 mg Vitamin C with bioflavinoids in divided doses to boost immunity and strengthen amniotic sac to prevent early rupture which increases likelihood of infection.
- Ocean plant extract and/or ancient earth minerals to help in the detoxification and cleansing process.
- Cranberry juice, unsweetened and organic, can be added to water upon waking with an empty stomach (2 Tbsp. per cup). GBS bacteria often populate in the urinary tract and cranberry juice can help cleanse the system.
Most of these remedies can be used until labor begins (cervix begins to dilate) or your waters break. Consider getting re-tested for GBS after 2 weeks of using these remedies (early as 8 days if time is short) at week 37/38 to see if you are still positive. Keep in mind this type of bacteria has a life cycle of 4-6 weeks so it’s possible to test positive at 35 weeks and then negative a week or so later. Or vice versa.
Trust that you, the expectant mother, know what is best for yourself and your baby during this time of your life…listen to your intuition and of course the advice of your medical health care provider(s).
May all bellies be happy!
Introducing Babies to Probiotics
Foods That May Prevent GBS+ During Pregnancy
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for products I believe in and use on a regular basis. See more here. All content is for general information only, primarily educational in nature, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your primary health-care practitioner that you, the reader, may require for any cause whatsoever, now or in future. Please consult your primary practitioner regarding any health problem(s) you have and keep them informed to the opinions, ideas, and advice on this site that you find useful. Please email me at tara@happybellies.net for any questions or concerns that you have.
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