Why I Decided to Breastfeed After Being Against It

Before I had a child, before I even got pregnant - the thought of breastfeeding cringed me out. I hate how society have twisted our most basic nature by sexualising breasts which were solely designed to keep babies alive and have smothered our instincts so when we see a woman breastfeeding we cringe and look away instead of thinking awww how lovely, what a lovely thing.
I fell in to the bracket of OMG look away she's breastfeeding! I've never been against other people doing it but I have been embarrassed if I've seen somebody do it and I hate that.

During my hypnobirthing course, we went over everything from diet while pregnant to breastfeeding when the baby is here. The way Karen at Babies in Waiting talked about feeding made it seem so special, like it was an honour to feed your child, an amazing bond that only you could ever experience and I fell in love with the idea. I was absolutely amazed to learn of all the benefits it would give my baby girl. How if she was ever ill my body would produce antibodies to help her recover quicker or sometimes prevent an illness entirely while formula can only feed your baby (packed with vitamins but not antibodies).  I also knew I would definitely give it a go because 1. My Mum is a big pro breast feeder so I had her support and 2. I am mostly dairy free and do not believe in humans drinking cows milk as like us, their milk is solely designed to feed THEIR offspring. So to give a tiny human milk powder made from milk which is supposed to feed a calf put me off of the idea.

HOWEVER.

While I was in hospital Isla kept crying to the point of midwives coming in to check on us. If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have been worried as newborns cry all the time, it's normal especially when you're waiting for your milk to come in. It's a whole process which isn't easy but its normal, it's nature. Their cry does something to our bodies, their constant suckling stimulated the milk. It all goes hand in hand. But the midwives insisted that Isla was hungry and that she needed a top up of formula. So I of course did whatever they told me to do. I felt so lost and so misguided. SO for the first few weeks of her life Isla had a bit of formula to top her up. What the midwives failed to tell me, which blows my mind, is that it's very important that the baby doesn't have any other milk as the more they suckle on you the sooner your milk comes in. If they are getting milk from another source your body thinks oh hey the baby isn't hungry anymore, we won't have to produce as much milk. Luckily I was able to give up the formula in the end after seeing a breastfeeding specialist who assured me that I definitely had enough milk to feed her.

I'm not going to lie, in the first few weeks I cried ALOT. I wanted to give up breastfeeding so badly. I couldn't go out because I had a baby attached to my boob 24/7. I was embarrassed when family members saw my boobs but I had to feed her and I knew I needed to get over this embarrassment.
But it did stop me from going to public places for a while. I fed in the car if we had to go out.

To get through it I set myself goals. I said 3 months, 3 months and I will give up because then at least she has had most of the benefits and she will no longer be a newborn. I was so convinced I would give up but when the time rolled around I had realised it had become a lot easier. So I said 6 months, I can do this for another few months so 6 months is the goal. Once again 6 months came and I wasn't ready to give up, the thought made me emotional. By this point I was feeding in public, discreetly and successfully so life was normal once again and I was still doing the best thing for my baby girl.  Now here we are at 11 months and my goal now is to get to 1 year. At a year she can drink Oat milk (recommended by doctors and approved by my heath visitor as a non dairy option). Isla is naturally weaning which is the best. I don't feel guilty because she's more interested in food now but it wouldn't surprise me if I'm still feeding her at night after a year because it's a big comfort to her.

I wanted to share my story with you because not everyone who breastfeeds found it easy and not everyone is a natural. I wasn't at all. Isla had tongue tie, I had anxiety & a bit of depression so it was a very rocky start for us but I promise it gets easier. It actually becomes more convenient than bottle feeding because you don't have to go downstairs and make bottles in the middle of the night, you don't have to sterilise and you never have to panic if you have forgotten the milk. Wherever you are, you will always be able to comfort, feed and hydrate your baby without packing a thing!

My Birth Story and How Hypnobirthing saved me (Hypnobirthing review)

So I finally have my baby girl with me, Isla Jane born 19th July at 5am! My birth did not go to plan, it could have been an awful experience, it certainly wasn't pleasant but it wasn't as horrific as it could have been thanks to hypnobirthing.

At around 30 weeks pregnant I began a hypnobirthing course with Karen at Babies in Waiting - Hockley. Hypnobirthing had always appealed to me because I am a spiritual person, I meditate and I believe in the law of attraction. Hypnobirthing revolves around training your subconscious through a form of meditation. It's about rewiring your brain to think of labour in a positive way.
In our four, two hour sessions we learnt about how relaxing and giving in to surges (contractions) would aid our labour and reduce pain significantly. We learnt how to not even think of labour as painful but rather a natural process our body goes through to give birth to a new life. If we feared it, we would intensify the experience. It all boiled down to the law of attraction. If we thought postively and trusted our bodies to do the right thing and trusted our babies to do what they needed to do we could have a natural, pain relief free birth experience.

The core belief of hypnobirthing is everything should be as natural as possible, your body will give birth when both you and your baby are ready. That meant no sweeps, no internal examinations and definitely NO INDUCTIONS. The aim was to have a low risk birth, having an induction means you are automatically high risk and subjected to countless internal examinations. Having examinations meant your body would tense up which in turn would slow down or stop your labour so this was something I definitely wanted to avoid.

Unfortunately I went overdue and at around 6 days over my due date I went in to hospital for reduced movements. Everything seemed to be fine but the doctors said they wanted to induce me in two days because I was already overdue and they were concerned about the reduced movements. I cried instantly. This was exactly NOT what I wanted, I was heartbroken and scared. At this point I was in slow labour and the heart monitor was picking up my contractions which were 10 minutes apart. I went home and prayed I would give birth naturally before Tuesday (my induction date). For the next two days my contractions intensified but were still irregular. They would keep me up at night despite only being 7 minutes apart. I rung the labour ward hoping I could go in but they told me I was just in early labour. After 2 days and 2 nights of contractions which lead nowhere and no sleep, I was exhausted and did the very thing I told myself I would never do. I went in to hospital for my induction.

By this point I was fed up and wanted my baby here. I really thought an induction would speed things up despite knowing how awful and unnatural they were. And so began the horrible internal examinations.
I was only 1cm dilated despite my intense pain and now almost regular contractions. So over the next 2 days,  they gave me both a pessary and then the gel to induce my labour. (They say inductions make contractions extra painful due to your body being forced to contract)

Throughout the experience I kept my hypnobirthing techniques at the forefront of my mind.
'Relaxing your muscles will help your baby move down towards the birth canal, work with your baby' I could here Karen's voice guiding me through the pain.
'Breathe in for 10 seconds and slowly release as you have a surge, ride it like a wave'.
I breathed deeply through the pain, I closed my eyes and I focused on my body working in harmony with my baby instead of focusing on my discomfort.
'Relax all of your senses, keep the lights dim, surround yourself with comforting smells and visualise your baby'.
I covered a towel with lavender oil and placed it across my closed eyes, the scent reminded me of times I have felt the most relaxed. I listened to my meditation playlist through earphones on my phone as I breathed through my contractions and visualised waves and my baby moving through my body, ready to make her debut.
It was so hot in the hospital, the hottest summer on record, so I had a handheld fan from amazon which was a god send. I held it to my face and breathed in the cool air. I knew I had to relax to speed things up, I closed myself off from the outside world while James sat by me every step of the way. Every now and then the midwives would come in to offer me pain relief (which I took) and check up on me. I heard a girl next to me scream hysterically in pain. She had been induced 20 minutes before I had, dread swept over me, I didn't want to be in the same boat as her.

'You are so calm, you're doing so well' the midwives told me over and over. All of the pain relief I recieved made me projectile vomit. I could see sympathy in the midwives eyes when I told her I couldn't have any more morphine because it made me too ill, I was managing the intense pain without any medical relief.

When I finally dilated to 4cm I got sent to the labour ward. I was so excited to get into my private room and create my peaceful environment (no more towel on my head to block out the harsh lighting). James and my mum unpacked my diffuser and essential oils and set it all up, we turned off the lights and played relaxing music through a speaker.
For hours i rocked on a ball, breathing through my contractions which were coming in thick and fast, one after another -back to back. I kept calm, I never screamed, I knew it would do no good. After a whole night in the labour ward, at around 3am they examined me again - I HADN'T DILATED! by this point I had been in hospital for two days and hadn't slept in four whole days, my body was tiring.
 'I can't wee' I cried out. I was in so much pain and now I couldn't even empty my bladder properly. I was beginning to lose my mind. The midwife had a word with the doctor and told me she would fit a catheter as they thought my bladder was blocking the way for my baby to descend, I felt like my body was giving up on me.

As each minute passed my contractions intensified, the pain was consuming me. After an hour of waiting to see if things progressed, they examined me again and told me their was still no change and they were now going to induce me again. And that's when I lost it.
'Please can I have a C section - I need a C section, I can't do this anymore, I've been in labour for four days, I can't do it, I'm exhausted, I can't physically do this anymore'
I never thought it would come to this, I never imagined I would end up having major surgery. I hadn't prepared myself for this but I could feel my body giving up on me and both my Mum and James were worried about me, we all agreed it would now be the best thing to do. SO off I went, as high as a kite (gas and air) to the alien biopsy like room ready to be cut open while I was wide awake.

By this point my contractions were back to back, the numbing injection they put into my spine felt like a warm blanket of comfort taking away all of the horrible pain I had been battling for 96 hours. The actual surgery felt like they were just prodding my stomach to see where they needed to make the incision. I hadn't realised they had cut me until they told me they were taking the baby out!
My doctor was amazing, she made me feel safe and she gave me the neatest scar my midwives had seen! At the end of my ordeal my midwife told my mum that she had never had anyone so calm before. I had been her calmest patient so far and she had been the third midwife to say that.

I am so proud of how I held it together and I am so grateful for my hypnobirthing experience with Karen. Her techniques and philosophy saved me mentally which ultimately helped me and my baby physically. Throughout my intense labour, my baby had never become distressed. Although I didn't have the ideal birth experience or the classic hypnobirth experience, I benefited from the course and relied on everything I had learnt to calm my usually anxious brain. It taught me to trust my body, to overcome fear with faith and self belief and to cope with the worst of situations for the sake of my baby. So many people around me kind of patronised me and said 'Shame hypnobirthing didn't work out for you' like they knew it was never going to work, like hypnobirthing was all a load of nonsense. But those people do not understand the depth of hypnobirthing. It worked for me in ways I can never fully explain. It really was my saviour and I would recommend it to every pregnant woman out there.

So to anyone practising hypnobirthing or who is interested in going down that route - Know that even if your birth becomes complicated - hypnobirthing calming techniques works in every situation.

Find more info on Karens course here: http://www.hypnobirthing-in-essex.co.uk/node/146/franchise
x

When to go to the Antenatal Ward

So the Antenatal Triage take you in after 17 weeks of pregnancy. So if you have any issues in regards to your pregnancy, you would go there for an emergency check. Anything minor they tell you to go to your doctors for, but I would always ring them for advice because it's hard to know what is classed as an emergency in pregnancy world.

One thing you hear over and over in pregnancy is to keep track of your babies movements and if they change or reduce, you should tell your midwife. Now I haven't had a community midwife this pregnancy because she has been on leave. So the number I have for her should basically be null and void. If I have had any worries I have rung the antenatal ward for advice, much to their displeasure.

I personally have been up the ward about four times during pregnancy. Three times were for reduced movements and one was for spotting. All times they have hooked the bump up to a heart monitor and have tested my urine (sent it off to the lab) as well as my blood pressure. So they check you more thoroughly than a community midwife or doctor would.

If hadn't gone up there those few times I wouldn't have known I had GBS in my urine which is linked to premature labour. When they find Group B strep in your urine (opposed to just a swab) they like to treat you with antibiotics instantly, I don't know the reasons why but it is obviously a threat to the baby if they feel the need to treat you on the spot. So they gave me antibiotics to take orally for a week. They found GBS in my urine twice, once at 28 weeks and again at 37 weeks but both times I went there for different reasons (nothing to do with Group B Strep). Doctors do not test for group b strep in urine unless you insist, so I felt like everything happened for a reason for me to go down there and have everything checked out because although my other issues were nothing in the end, I did need treatment for something I was unaware of.

Every time I rung them up I contemplated it for ages. 'Am I being a hypochondriac? Probably.' But I never wanted to risk my babies health because I felt a bit embarrassed or felt as though I was an inconvenience. I joined a lot of facebook groups for babies due around the same time as me and a lot of them said DO NOT overthink going in for a check, if you feel like something is off then you are probably right. Some even said they had spates of going in for checks daily. You should never feel like you're being a drama queen because what if your instinct is telling you something is off like it was for me.

So the bottom line is, don't panic throughout your pregnancy but if you do have random moments of feeling like something is off or not quite right, I would recommend calling the antenatal ward. No symptom or lack of movement is overlooked like it could possibly be by a GP. Your local doctors are not trained in pregnancy related issues. I have even had to explain to my GP that if Group B Strep is found in your urine you need antibiotics and NO it does not always flag up as a water infection. They can't seem to wrap their heads around it because generally GBS is not something that is diagnosed or treated for by default.  So I have insisted for swabs and samples to be sent off a couple of times because I am not risking anything!

P.S I recommend joining Facebook groups, even the American ones  - Mine are 'Babies Due in July 2018' I'm in about 5 different ones and they have really helped my mentality when I've had worries and questions.

Stupid things I've cried about in Pregnancy

You haven't experienced the true feeling of hormonal until you've been pregnant. I never really noticed a massive difference in  my mood until I found myself crying most days and thought hey this isn't normal. They say the first and last trimester are the worst for this and my god has this been true! During the first trimester I was an insecure mess, fast foward to this last trimester and i'm an angry bitch. I no longer feel insecure - i'm just fed up! So I thought it would be funny to reflect on the things that have angered me or upset me to tears which are actually quite ridiculous.

1. Dreams/ Fear your partner will cheat on you because you're a fat moody whale - The other night I dreamt my partner was cheating on me with a nightclub dancer called Sophie Dowell (yes I invented a full name and instagram profile in my dream). So in my dream I found out he was arranging to meet up with this Sophie and they were messaging over Instagram. I woke up FUMING, thinking it could be real. So I instantly IG searched Sophie Dowell because I obviously thought it was all a sign, and came up with nothing. The nightclub dancer doesn't exist but that didn't stop me from being suspicious and angry for a whole day, I maybe even shed a tear of frustration over a story I had created lol! I now make it a standing joke, if he's on his phone a lot i'm like 'Are you messaging Sophie?' haha.

2. Dreams, again. - I've never been one to sleep talk but during this pregnancy I have woken myself and my partner up by hysterically laughing. It starts off as a unconscious laugh then I become aware that i'm laughing and then I can't stop because I find it so funny that i'm laughing hysterically at nothing and then I start crying because I can't stop and realise i'm actually mental.

3. Situations that haven't happened and probably never will - So i'm an anxious freak, it's a joke how anxious I am. I'm always ready for the worst outcome. So naturally I have made up these horrible scenarios like visitors making my baby dangerously ill because they've visited her with a bug or my baby dying of SIDS because smokers have hugged her and ignored my pleas to keep their clothes smoke free. Or I've imagined that she's taken away from me/ me and my partner separate and she has a step mum and i'm pushed out. I'm not exaggerating when I say I have had full on panic attack crying moments, you know when you can't catch your breath/ make your face swell up, all from living out these scenarios in my head. I suppose it all comes from not feeling in control.

4. Feeling like a handmaid (Handmaids Tale) - Recently I watched the whole Handmaids tale box set and am now up to date with season 2. I'm so susceptible to the emotions and storylines in TV shows, I feel like I have lived their lives. So naturally, I have had moments where I've cried because I feel like a handmaid. 'Will this baby even be mine?'
'Will other people take over, will I even make my own parenting decisions?'
'Will my home and baby be taken over by unannounced or forced visitors?'
'Will I be respected as the mother of this child or am I just a vessel that's creating a baby for other peoples's happiness.' I am DRAMATIC. I cried in the car with my partner the other day and said things like 'She won't even be my baby, you could so easily force me out of the picture, we won't even have the same last name so she will be yours and your family's baby, i'm just the handmaiden'.  - how he puts up with my theatrics is beyond me.

5. Driving past anything that relates to animals - It all began with me driving past an animal rescue van going 50mph on a 60mph road. At first I thought FFS hurry up, then I saw the animal rescue sign and imagined all the little animals in the van and thought that's why they're driving slow and then I started balling! Now I cry if I see a horse in a field because I question their happiness (when they're most likely fine), and the other day I got upset over the thought of hamsters being disposable like they aren't respected as actual living things. They have to live in a small cage every day for the rest of their lives and I've heard of so many getting crushed because they've escaped or they've ended up in the washing machine and people don't seem to be horrified?! Oh god here I go again.

So that's a round up of random things that have made me cry during this pregnancy. I am actually mental.
Has anyone else been as mental as me during pregnancy?

-Robyn x

How I Relax During Pregnancy/ Imperial Candles Review

This last trimester - from about 35 weeks in particular, I have been so so angry! Everything angers me, I feel like the biggest brat in the world! Finding the right mind frame to relax is so challenging because once i'm in a mood, everything is shit (lol). One thing that does influence my state of mind a lot is smell. I recently got sent a candle made by Imperial Candles and my god, the smell of their products definitely lift my mood. I just love a good scent!

What I absolutely love about this brand is that their products are VEGAN. Not only are their candles made of Soy but none of their products are tested on animals which is bloody amazing. Another fun thing about their candles is that they insert a jewel in every candle, these jewels could be worth up to £2000! So it's like a lucky dip/ treasure hunt and relaxing candle in one. The whole jewel thing makes my inner child so happy, i'm so excited to find out what jewel I have! Go to their website to see what kind of jewels are inside their candles. I've seen some stunning rings!

So my particular candle is called Pink Flamingo. They describe the scent as exotic bamboo and energising grapefruit. Now i'm rubbish at describing scents but what I can tell you is that it smells like a lovely perfume, a classy smell which adds a pleasant atmosphere to the room rather than a tacky sweet smell.

They also do a range of other scent related products like Shower Jelly! I haven't tried it out yet but I have smelt it and it smells just as nice as the candle.

So to round up my review/ relaxing tips and tricks - I recommend filling your space with a good scent and focusing on an activity which calms your mind. For me that's watching a netflix series and being super lazy. Or I attempt a guided meditation, it depends how patient I feel.

Find my candle here: https://www.imperialcandles.co.uk/shop/pink-flamingo/
Also have a browse of their website because I found their products and ideas fascinating!

-Robyn x

Third Trimester Update & Workout Routine

My third trimester has actually felt easier than my second which makes no sense! But I do think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am remaining active and fit. Here are some things I've noticed this trimester (currently 33 weeks 2 days):

- I can still bend down and get things off of the floor easily (thanks to squatting)

-I can still pick up my forever growing German shepherd puppy

-I hardly ever experience back aches (only sometimes in the evening)

- I'm still going out for hour long dog walks with my mum and keeping up conversation (not too out of breathe)

- I can still put my own shoes on (lol)

_ can still shave my legs in the shower without feeling like i'm going to topple over

- Apart from my baby bump, I've only put noticeable weight on my legs. My whole body is a layer chubbier but not enough for me to notice or feel insecure about

- I'm still the same bra size - back & cup (where are my preggo boobs?)

The bad bits:

- I get cramp at night if i stretch out my legs too much

- I need to wee every half an hour, i'm not exaggerating

- I get tired even quicker

- My anxiety is picking up (because i'm not organised yet at all)

- Sometimes my stomach feels so stretched, it's uncomfortable and balloon like

Can I just add that I am by no means the type of person who is naturally slim. I have to constantly workout to remain in shape. I will never have a super small waist or skinny legs because I enjoy food too much. I workout to feel comfortable with my body and to keep my weight down, as soon as I stop I pile on weight like there's no tomorrow. So to keep to a comfortable weight, I have been working out 2-3 times a week every week. I have a swimming membership and aim for 35 lengths each time. But when I feel lazy I tend to just stick to YouTube home workouts which last for 20 minutes to half an hour and then I add on my own arm routine while I watch Homeland on Netflix. What i'm doing must be working because I'm eating like a horse and am remaining on OK size, plus all the people who examine my stomach have said I have really good ab muscles - one midwife asked if I was a dancer or horse rider! No, i'm just a YouTube worker outer, lol.

Working out has SO many benefits during pregnancy, here are a few:

- Thanks to your ab muscles - Labour may be easier/ faster!

- You lower your risk of Gestational Diabetes (I was told I had two factors that made me more at risk of getting this disorder so I really focused on reducing the risk)

-You're less likely to get backache (true in my case and I suffered with back ache pre pregnancy)

-You may boost your child's athletic potential

-You'll bounce back faster after birth ( this has been on my mind the whole time, I can't wait to wear my normal clothes again)

- You may sleep better (true in my case, when I took a weeks break I couldn't sleep at night)

There are loads more benefits for both you and your baby, have a google!

(source: https://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/33-reasons-exercise-now)

Without further adieu here are my two GO TO WORKOUTS:

Team these with a few basic arm workouts with light weights & you have yourself a full body work out! 

Enjoy and remember to not over do it x

Group B Strep

This is going to be quite a deep post but I have always said I want to be open and honest on my blog and most importantly, raise awareness about any issues I encounter in hopes to help other people.

When I got pregnant, it was all new to me. I hadn't prepared myself, I wasn't taking folic acid for the first four weeks which apparently is a must. I wasn't aware that infections down below caused pre-term labour, there was just so much I didn't know about. Little things that potentially made a big impact. My mum helped educate me along the way because her waters broke with me at 29 weeks (I was born at 34 weeks), so she knew there were plenty of risks I needed to be aware of. One risk that took us both by surprise was a condition called Group B Strep.

This is where I strongly believe in the celestine prophecy (everything happens for a reason, people cross your path for a reason, you are made aware of things for a reason). My mum had recently been chatting with somebody who had a premature birth (32 weeks), it was a shock for this person as she didn't know anything was wrong so an early labour took her by surprise. After a shocking but successful birth, she was told that she had Group B Strep. A condition which is linked to premature labour, a condition which nobody had tested her for, a condition the NHS doesn't even bother telling us about. Her baby was healthy despite the risks and her story ends happily but she wanted to raise awareness as she was aware of the damage it causes when left undiagnosed (I have known two people to lose their newborns from the virus). My mum relayed the story to me and I had a google. What I learnt was this:

'Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a normal bacterium which is carried by 20-40% of adults, most commonly in the gut, and for up to 25% of women, in the vagina, usually without symptoms or side-effects.

GBS can occasionally cause infection, most commonly in newborn babies, sometimes in adults and, very rarely, during pregnancy and before labour. GBS is not a sexually transmitted disease. Treatment of a woman and her partner carrying GBS does not prevent re-colonisation.

There are two types of GBS infection in newborns: early and late-onset:

• Early-onset GBS infection is more common (approximately 2/3 of cases in babies) and occurs when the baby is up to 6 days old; a key symptom is the rapid development of breathing problems, associated with blood poisoning.
• Late-onset GBS infection – usually presenting as sepsis and meningitis – occurs between age 7 days and up to age 3 months. After 3 months’ old, GBS infection in babies is extremely rare.

GBS is recognised to cause preterm delivery, maternal infections, stillbirths and late miscarriages; preterm babies are known to be at particular risk of GBS infection as their immune systems are not as well developed.' - https://gbss.org.uk'

I was only 20 weeks pregnant but knew I wanted to be tested for it immediately. Now this is where it gets frustrating. The NHS do NOT test for GBS, they feel it isn't necessary which is absolutely shocking considering the damage it potentially causes. So I looked online and found that you could order private tests  for around £30 which is definitely worth it. I however, ended up going to the doctors for a general check up/ swab as I have suffered a lot with infections in the past and wanted to be on top of all that while being pregnant. I asked the nurse if Group B Strep was tested for at the same time (it covers BV, Thrush etc), and she said it did which was such a relief. She then went on to say that normally they wouldn't test for it if you were not pregnant as it's a harmless bacteria (to us) but while pregnant it's flagged up if found. Meanwhile, I had a consultation with my high risk doctor at the hospital (as i'm on thyroid medication), and I asked if he thought I would be prone to GBS and told him of my intimate health struggles of the past, he didn't even take his eyes off of the computer and robotically replied, ' I don't think so' , in other words he wasn't interested as the NHS do not take GBS seriously at all.

Low and behold, my swab came back as positive for Group B Strep. I wanted to cry. I had read so much about it, heard so many negative stories surrounding it so all of a sudden I felt like my whole pregnancy was at risk. I felt alone because the NHS just didn't seem to care but I was all too aware of how much damage this bacteria could do. I told my midwife and she put a big sticker on my hospital notes so that staff would be aware of the condition when I go in to labour. The only treatment they offer is 4 doses of intravenous antibiotics during labour, I've heard 4 hours be mentioned a few times so it would suggest that your labour has to last for a minimum of 4 hours for the antibiotics to take effect. This is supposed to clear the GBS from your system so the baby doesn't contract it. The problem is, some people do not last long enough and do not get the full amount of antibiotics and then the baby gets infected, and on the flip side if your labour lasts for too long the baby is at risk again. It's all one big gamble and the NHS have had a lot of losses on their hands because of the poor organisation of monitoring and treatment. 

There are poor girls out there who don't even know they have GBS, and give birth and then get diagnosed after their babies are fighting meningitis and sepsis. It is awful and that's why I wanted to make as many people aware of this condition as possible. 

I personally pray that I get all of my antibiotics before giving birth, I will be going in to hospital as soon as I start contracting because ideally you need the antibiotics before your waters break as that's when the baby is vulnerable to infection. I have also looked into natural remedies to kill the bacteria before I go into labour. I'm also going to insist that my baby have their blood work done before leaving the hospital (if found in their blood they get their own dose of antibiotics). And that's all I can do. It's frustrating because it's the unknown but it's also something we do not have much control over.

If anyone wants to talk to me about natural remedies, please email me. Or google how to cure GBS naturally. I am treating it externally and internally (probitoics/ supplements etc). I can't say that it has worked for me yet as there are no symptoms to judge if you have it or not, but I would like to do all that I can on top of having antibiotics to help my baby have a healthy start in life.

- On a side note, because of this ordeal me and my baby have to go through during labour, I have planned not to have any visitors in the first week. I know I will be paranoid, looking out for signs of GBS infection. She will be my china doll, vulnerable to everything. Because of the antibiotics, her immune system will be non existent. I'm going to have a no smoker rules - if somebody who smokes wants to see the baby in their first few months of life, that means not smoking that day so it's not in their breath, on their hands or on their clothes as any interaction with second hand nicotine has already been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and my baby will have an even lower immune system than average. I will be a protective bitch for while because i'm absolutely riddled with fear. 

Feel free to email me at: RobynJaneblog@gmail.com

Robyn x