expecting the unexpected

Last week I went in for my (now weekly) o/b appointment to have a routine screening for the Strep B virus. The appointment itself was nothing super exciting or nerve-wracking; just a simple swab of my nether-regions and a flu shot and I was sent on my way until the next week (tomorrow, actually, when I will get "checked" for the first time!). A few days later, I got a call from the doctor's office and was informed that my results came back positive for the virus. Now, I feel that I have stayed pretty well informed about my pregnancy as it's been happening, but I can honestly say I had no idea what it meant that I had this "vagina virus", as Emily and I decided it should be called. The woman who called assured me that my doctor would talk to me more about it at my next appointment, but that really all that needed to happen is that I would be on IV antibiotics throughout my labor, especially after any rupture of membranes.

Of course I was unsatisfied with such a small amount of information so decided to risk the scare-factor and do some online research. Turns out that about a third of women are carriers of the virus, which is only occasionally active and can lay dormant for long periods of time. With antibiotics during labor, there is only a 1 in 4000 chance that the baby will contract the virus, and even then only about 5% of those rare cases have any serious consequences. Even without antibiotics the chances are relatively small (I think it was about 1 in 300). While I had heard of the virus screening and knew I would have it done in the late third trimester, I had no idea that it was such a common occurrence. I wonder how many of us will turn out to be Strep B positive?

I was a bit disappointed at first to have to be hooked up to an IV, and of course worried about even the tiniest chance that I could get my little one sick, but my mom reminded me to look at this as a lesson. There will be plenty of things during labor, delivery, taking care of a newborn, and of course raising a child that will be unexpected or anxiety-inducing. Our job as new parents are to make the decisions that are best for our child and roll with the punches as they come. We might not always be prepared or have read the latest book or online article telling us exactly what will happen next, but we can start to trust our instincts and know that we are empowered to make choices that will shape the lives of a new human being! And while sometimes I'm sure that will be terrifying, it is also, for lack of a more articulate way of expressing it, really cool.

-Greer