Pregnancy Questions

The ability to provide delayed cord clamping may vary amongst different hospitals and practitioners and decisions in these circumstances are best made with you and the doctor or midwife caring for you and your baby.

RANZCOG states; ’’….at present, there is no clear evidence to guide practitioners regarding delayed cord clamping in term infants, but infants most likely to benefit are those where maternal iron stores are low, or in infants who will be exclusively breast fed without iron supplementation’’

Group B streptococcus (‘GBS, or ‘group B strep’) is a type of bacteria that lives in our bodies. GBS is very common and is part of the normal bacteria that we carry in our intestines, bowels and vagina. If you happen to carry GBS while you are healthy it does not require any treatment, nor is it sexually transmitted. Women are asymptomatic, that is they do not have any symptoms of GBS

Approximately 1 in 5 women have the GBS bacteria in their vagina around the time of giving birth. It is usually treated by giving antibiotics when you are in labour. If GBS is present in the vagina at the time of labour, there is a very small chance that it may be passed to the baby. Most babies who come in contact with the GBS bacteria remain well, but some babies may get very sick and need special care nursery admission and intravenous antibiotics in the first few days of life.

Your caregivers will be very familiar with how to screen and monitor a baby for GBS symptoms. Without treatment, about 1 in 200 women with GBS will have a baby that develops a severe infection. As with all questions you may have pertaining to your pregnancy and birth it is important to discuss these topics with your doctor or midwife as each individual circumstances may vary. If you or your caregiver decide a swab for GBS is appropriate for you, It is likely to be done late in your pregnancy, it is simple and can be collected by the pregnant woman herself. Your care provider will explain the test in full.

‘Vaginal Birth after Caesarean’ or VBAC - is the successful vaginal birth following labour in a woman who has had a prior caesarean section delivery. Another common term is TOLAC ‘Trial of Labour after Caesarian Section’.

There are potential risks involved to both mother and baby with a VBAC, including uterine scar rupture (1-2 in 200 women) which may result in serious adverse outcomes. This risk along with other potential risks and benefits of VBAC will depend on your individual circumstances. The doctor or midwife caring for you and your baby will provide you with the relevant and accurate information for you to make an agreed management plan for your pregnancy and birth. It is important to have open discussions with your maternity care provider early about your hopes for your birth.

When discussing risk factors for your current pregnancy and birth they will be able to help you understand how these risks apply to your individual circumstances. The reason for your previous c-section, how many baby’s you have had and your current baby’s position are all likely to influence decision making. Attempting a VBAC is successful (birthing vaginally) in about 2 out of 3 women.