Hello Trudy, In my homebirth practice I normaly only do tests for strep B when women have complains vaginally. I test for candida and strep B. It seems that they are going hand in hand. First I give them advice to get rid of the candida and most of the time the streps are done too. I give them advice to quit eating sugar, because the candida grows on that. They can take vit C, one gr/day and eating garlic. They can have vaginal showers with a cup of tea of kamille with ten drops of tincture of calendula and 4 drops of tea tree oil. You can let a homeopathic pharmacy make an isotherapy (homeopathic treatment) of the vaginal secretion.
Then towards birth I always do the same actions that makes the baby strong and helps him battle possible infections: - no vaginal exams during pregnancy and as few as possible during labor. - no breaking the waters at any point of labor. - I leave the babys on moms tummy for two hours without handling him or interventions (unless it is really necessairy), so that breastfeeding can have a good start and the baby can have the colostrum with all he needs in it. - inform the mother to keep the baby with her and feed him as he needs - no cutting the cord until pulsation has stopped - taking swabs of the baby when mother was positive - giving parents clear information about observation of their baby and the possibility to call me at every hour of the day. I believe that giving antibiotics undermines the resistance of the baby and leads to more danger than it prevents. I give the parents the different ways they can go and also the different approaches in the hospitals. They are free to choose, but I don't give antibiotics at home. When they think the risk on infection is that high, they have to go to hospital. I only do normal births without intervention unless it is really necessairy. I had a few mothers who were positive (the gyns only test at 37 weeks and sometimes we are to late then to give treatment) and I didn't meet a child with problems yet. What I saw when the antibiotics became to be used preventive was that trush on nipples and with the babys became widely spread and became very difficult to treat. A lot of breastfeeding problems caused by seperating babys and mothers for giving preventive IV antibiotics the first days of babys life until the swabs proved to be negative. Warm regards Lieve On 13-02-2003 21:04, "Trudie de keijzer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > can anyone tell me the latest on strep B, when is it tested for and how > do others deal with treatment at home? > kind regards trudie > �http://www.homebirthservices.com.au� > Trudie de Keijzer > phone 02 47574744 > mobile 0438 572337 -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
