Chorevia

Day 255 of 280 · 36 weeks + 3 days

The GBS result

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 9 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-six weeks and three days. The group B strep swab happens around now. Today the result goes on your card, with the words to say at check-in.

Size this week
about the size of a romaine lettuce
Length this week
around 47.4 cm from head to heel
A woman with a full bump in a loose green t-shirt on a sofa, phone held to her ear, writing a short line on an index card resting on her knee, soft evening lamplight.

Thirty-six weeks and three days. The group B strep test is usually done at 36 to 37 weeks (OWH), so the result may already be in, or due this week. Today you make sure it travels with you.

Your baby

A single head of romaine lettuce on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Your baby is around 47.4cm from head to heel, about the size of a romaine lettuce (NHS).

Group B strep matters for the baby, not because it makes you ill. MedlinePlus says most babies exposed during birth do not become sick, but a few develop serious illness (MedlinePlus). The NHS adds that most infections in newborns are preventable (NHS). That prevention is what today's card is for.

Your body

The test is a swab of the vagina and rectum, with no risks (AAP). About 1 in 4 women carry group B strep (OWH), usually without symptoms or harm to themselves (AAP). A positive result means the bacteria are present; it is not an infection or an STD (AAP), and it isn't spread through sexual contact (MedlinePlus).

If yours is positive, your provider will give you antibiotics through an IV during labor (MedlinePlus). They work best given at least 4 hours before delivery (AAP). And the Office on Women's Health says to tell the labor and delivery staff you carry it when you check in (OWH). Your chart should say so. Say it anyway.

Try today

  1. The GBS result plan

    Time: 5 minutes

    1. If you haven't had the swab yet, ask at your next weekly check when it's booked (AAP).

    2. When the result comes, write it on your reference card: "GBS negative" or "GBS positive."

    3. If it's positive, add the line to say at check-in: "GBS positive, antibiotics please" (OWH).

    4. Ask your provider one question and write the answer beside it: "With a positive result, when should I come in?"

    Make it work:

    Put the same line in the note on your partner's phone. If you're busy with a contraction at the desk, they can say it.

Watch for

  • Normal

    feeling warm most of the time.

    Call your provider

    right away for a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher (CDC); a fever in labor is also one of the things that raises the chance of passing GBS to the baby (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    more discharge late in pregnancy.

    Call your provider

    right away if you might be leaking amniotic fluid (MedlinePlus); going 18 or more hours after the waters break without delivery is another GBS risk factor (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    discharge that's clear or white.

    Call your provider

    if it has a foul odor, a greenish color, itching, or pain (MedlinePlus).

For you

A positive result can feel like a mark against you. It isn't. It's common, it isn't sexually transmitted, and the plan for it is routine.

It also changes nothing about feeding: women who test positive can breastfeed (AAP).

If you're the partner: learn the line on the card by heart. At check-in, you may be the one with free breath to say it.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Get each day’s note the morning it applies

Add your due date to a free Chorevia household, and every morning until the birth the day's note arrives in the app and by email: what's forming, what your body is doing, one thing to try, what to watch for, and a word for you.

Create your household