How Can I Reduce the Risk of Infection During Labor and Delivery?

The best thing that you can do is to attend all your prenatal care visits. Did you know that up to half of all preterm labor is caused by infections? UTIs and bacterial vaginosis may be mere annoyances pre-pregnancy, but they're potential disasters for a baby. When you see your doctor regularly, she can check for unusual discharge, irritation, or any other symptom of an infection that would pose problems during your labor and delivery. She may prescribe you antibiotics if there's any infection present, so make sure to follow the dosing instructions.

It's also possible to get an infection during the actual labor and delivery process. While you're in the hospital, it might feel like every passing visitor is invited in to grope around in your uterus, but in fact, doctors and labor and delivery nurses know that the best way to minimize infection risk is to only do manual exams when they're really necessary. They'll be especially careful if you've been in labor a long time, or if your water broke before labor and delivery actually began, two situations that can make infection slightly more likely. If this is the case, you may be given IV antibiotics, just to be safe.