What should you know about group B strep in pregnancy guidelines?

GBS is bacteria that may live naturally in the digestive system or genital area. A person can carry it without symptoms, and carriage can change over time. A positive test is therefore used to guide birth planning rather than to label you as unwell.

Local maternity services may differ in how they offer testing and in which situations they recommend labour antibiotics. Your own record may also include risk factors, such as GBS found in a sample or a previous newborn affected by GBS infection. Ask which policy your birth unit follows.

Find out whether your maternity service offers a GBS test and when it is done. Make sure the result, any relevant history, and medicine allergies are visible in your notes. Keep the contact details for your labour ward accessible, and tell the team about GBS as soon as labour begins or your waters break.

When antibiotics are advised, they are given through a vein during labour and repeated according to the maternity team's instructions while labour continues. If birth happens quickly, the team still assesses the baby and decides what observation or treatment is needed. A caesarean birth before labour and before the waters break may involve a different plan.

Routine antenatal visits are a useful place to review the result and birth plan. The [Antenatal Care Package](/treatments/pregnancy-and-birth-care/antenatal-care-package/) explains the wider setting for pregnancy monitoring and preparation.

Contact your maternity unit urgently if your waters break, contractions become regular, or you have a fever or feel suddenly unwell. Mention your GBS history at the first contact. The team may need to balance starting antibiotics with the timing and circumstances of birth.

Once your baby is born, alert staff without delay if the baby is breathing fast or with difficulty, unusually floppy, hard to wake, refusing feeds, or has an unusual temperature or skin colour. These symptoms require prompt clinical assessment regardless of whether antibiotics were given in labour.

You could ask: Does this unit offer GBS testing, and what does my result mean? Which circumstances would lead you to recommend antibiotics in labour? How should I contact you if my waters break at home? What will happen if there is not enough time for the planned doses? How will my newborn be observed?