My Baby's Story   — Dee Elel, VA, USA

Let me start by saying that GBS was my worst fear in my pregnancy. Two years prior to falling pregnant, a close friend lost her baby to GBS two weeks after welcoming him to his new home. I watched this innocent baby suffer through the spinal meningitis as his tiny brain swelled at the children's hospitol. (She was never tested.) After his passing, I vowed to ensure everyone I knew that was pregnant would be tested. October 2005 I was blessed with a pregnancy at the age of 28 after losing hope of my own fertility. The entire pregnancy was flawless, so I thought. Every monthly doctor's visit I requested the GBS test, until finally at 7 months I tested positive & I was allergic to penicillin. Midwife said even those treated with an antibiotic can pass GBS to the baby. After days of crying and worrying, I decided that when the baby comes, to cherish every cry, every sleepless night and any other hardship that came my way as it could be just a matter of time. June 23rd came (due date was 6/25) and I noticed yellow discharge, brushing it off as possibly my plug loosening. The morning of the 24th came. I awoke to feeling as if I were on a period, leaking on the bed. More yellow... if this was my waters leaking this meant the GBS may have reached the baby, as they say to be treated with antibiotics within 12 hrs. It had been at least 24 hrs. At 9:30am I called the midwife and she said to come in to be checked. I was almost released, when the midwife found that the yellow discharge was meconium. My baby was floating in meconium for almost 36hrs at this time!!! By 9:30 pm I was induced and by 11:45 pm I was pushing. After 10 minutes of pushing and birthing the baby's head, he was stuck. The cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and the more I pushed, the more I was suffocating him with the cord. They cut the cord right there and on June 24th, at 11:55 pm I gave birth to a 8 lbs., 8 oz., 19 inch baby boy... who was lifeless. They suctioned the meconium and beat on his chest for about 5 minutes until, finally, I heard him scream. He's now going on 4 months and is the absolute joy of my life... and GBS free. Thank God.