Avoid Group B Strep+ During Pregnancy
Tara Carpenter, NC.
Nutrition Consultant for people regaining natural gut microbiome after yeast, bacterial, viral infections with The Body Ecology Diet.
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 and I did not have time to reverse the condition and opted for i.v. antibiotics in labor. See here if unborn baby is at risk for GBS+.
Taking antibiotics during my son’s birth ended up giving us both a lot of health issues. I am now an advocate for helping moms avoid them. The bottom line is this … the earlier in your pregnancy that you can implement the following home remedies the better your chance is of testing negative for GBS. Even better would be to start before you try to conceive because there can be harmful effects when you detox during pregnancy due to the toxins being absorbed by the baby. Please consult with your health care provider before using any of the ideas listed below.
I hope the ideas here help you strengthen your immune system and overall health. Many can also help you to increase the amounts of good flora living in your vaginal birth canal. This is good! More good flora = less room for the GBS bacteria to live in there. Cheers to 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 retested 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 that 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, knows what is best for yourself and your baby during this time of your life…listen to your intuition.
Disclaimer: This content is for general information only; primarily educational in nature; and not to be treated as a substitute for medical advice of your health care professional that you, the reader, may require for any cause whatsoever, now or in the future. Always consult your doctor regarding any health problem(s) you have and keep him/her informed to opinions, ideas, home remedies, and dietary advice offered here that you may find useful.
May all bellies be happy!
Introducing Babies to Probiotics
Preventing GBS+ in Pregnancy
For Pregnant Women
