The Catch

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The Mother of The Child , meningitis and sepsis due to a bacterial Infection called group B Strep is calling for all pregnant women are tested they are developed. Currently The Test is only available privately and some women are not always told about the possible threat of the fault to your baby.

Bethany's castle had an uncomplicated pregnancy until 33 weeks, when the birth pangs experienced possible and noticed her baby was moving less than it had before. She went to Kettering General Hospital , was held, for a few days, And Then sent Home .

There was no improvement in The Baby 's movements, however, and at 39 weeks, Bethany went back to The Hospital with her partner Andy Halcrow, to be induced.

"I don't think they were happy, his growth was a little slowed down, And Then just decided that he was ready," says Bethany.

Arthur Halcrow was born at 07:58, at 1. March 2019. An instrument called a ventouse suction Cup had to be attached to his head to help with the delivery.

"When he was born, he was brilliant," says Bethany. "He was screaming, he was nice and pink. His temperature was good. All of his characters were really good. "

It was a ward to the post Natal to realize that Bethany started something was not right.

"in the afternoon, he was kind of making this weird grunting noise," she says.

Bethany mentioned it to a midwife who said she would The Doctors take a look at Arthur, but in the Late Afternoon , he had settled down and it no longer seemed to be necessary. Overnight Arthur did not feed them so much, but the staff were not particularly worried - they thought that the suction device, on Arthur's head during the birth, the him a headache.

06:00 Bethany stood up, ready to feed, and to change, Arthur.

"He was just this screaming," says Bethany," and it was this really loud, really hilarious. I had heard nothing like it. "

For the next couple of hours, Arthur would not settle easily.

"I would pick him up and it was like he was electrocuted, he was bucking everywhere. Every Time I touched him, it was like he was in such pain, but then I would have him, and he wants to be close to me again. I just didn't know if this is normal. It was my first child, I had no idea. "

As The Day progressed, Bethany and Andy became increasingly concerned.

"Even if he was asleep still whimpering, and his breath just didn't seem right," says Bethany.

His Tiny Fingers and toes had been purple, and The Skin over his chest blotchy.

What is group B Streptococcus? At 16:00, a registration Arthur reviews and noticed that he was also sucking on his chest under his chest. He was then was on the special care unit, and a sample of his spinal fluid taken.

"they did loads of blood tests, gave him some more paracetamol, just to try and calm him down, and he seemed to relax," says Bethany. "It was like he knew that he could get help. "

The medical team began to ask Bethany a lot of questions. Had you heard of group B Streptococcus (GBS)? She had had a smear, and she had no infections when she was pregnant?

the results of The Arthur's tests were not due back until the next day, but by 21:00, a doctor from the pathology lab called concern about the height of the GBS bacteria, which was grown by Arthur's mark liquid back. He obviously had an Infection .

It was also confirmed that Arthur now had meningitis and sepsis - a dangerous blood-poisoning - so he was on antibiotics. He breathed for himself, but Bethany and Andy had been warned that he may not be vented, if he can improve quickly. An employee then asked if she had any questions, and Bethany asked if Arthur would be OK.

"you couldn't see me, you just put your head down and you said, 'It is something we can only reply to spend as much Time as possible with him. '

"I thought, 'That's right, we should not Go Home today, I understand, as we are now told he could not come Home . '

"We would have everything ready at Home for us to go in. We would set the little Moses basket, and we got all the bottles and everything ready for him, and I just thought, 'I can't go on without him Home . '"

Bethany and Andy were able to stay in a parent room next to Arthur's room. She has seen how the next day, he was floppy and unresponsive and was moved to an incubator.

"It was terrible, it hurt just made everything," says Bethany.

in the course of the next few days, she could only watch and wait.

"We still have not let Our Family to come and see him," says Bethany. "We were just so worried, and in a way, I wanted to protect you. It sounds really morbid, but I didn't want you to get to know him, if he's going to make it. I wanted to prevent them from being injured, I think. "

day five in Arthur's blood values were much more positive and he was very vigilant. The danger seemed to be over. But then the medical staff discussed the possible long-term effects of the meningitis.

"you mentioned cerebral palsy and I thought, 'Oh my God, he is gone, he then go to a severe disability,'" says Bethany. "So you were there, tell us the signs And Then you said:" blindness and deafness were also very common with meningitis. "

At the end of the week, Arthur had made such good progress that he is allowed to stay in Bethany and Andy's room and day 14, The Family was finally able to Go Home . Before they left, Arthur had a full health check-up and seemed to be well. Later, he also had a special hearing test, but fortunately, everything was OK.

Bethany said, you want you had been warned about GBS and thinks that all pregnant women should be tested for it

signs of GBS Infection in newborn babies:

source: the NHS and The Royal College of obstetricians and gynecologists.

At present, if it is known that a pregnant woman carries the GBS bacterium, you will be offered an antibiotic drip during labor, which prevents the rule is that The Baby may develop an Infection .

The drop is also offered to the pregnant women on the basis of The Following risk factors:

The hook that you usually do not know who carries GBS. Occasionally it is discovered by chance, when a woman is tested for the other symptom, such as a suspected urine Infection . Some women also pay a test, known as an Enriched culture medium test carried private. But there is no routine screening.

The Charity group B Strep Support has long argued that all women be screened, but in the year 2017, the UK National Screening Committee decided against this step.

your argument was that it would result in "many, many thousands of women the antibiotics will work, if it is of no use for you or your baby, and the harm this may cause is unknown".

In most cases, it would be no advantage, because even if a woman carries the bacteria, it is rare for your baby to have an Infection develop. So, what are the possible damages?

According to Prof Peter Brocklehurst, Professor of women health at the University of Birmingham, is, that The Mother of an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, although he admits that this is very rare. Another is that the input of antibiotics at birth the digestive tract a "major impact" on the growth of bacteria in The Baby , or "microbiota".

"We have to think more and more that these are really, really important for the development of The Baby 's health and well-being," he says.

"If a baby is born, it has no bacteria in his intestines. If it is born vaginally, there will be organisms to pick up from The Mother 's birth canal and in the area, and if it is born by Caesarean Section , it often breaks a lot of skin organisms from The Mother , and these start to colonize, The Baby is well. "

babies by cesarean section more likely to develop asthma and eczema, and certain other allergic conditions, and this may be due to the differences in their intestinal bacteria, Brocklehurst. The use of antibiotics, he suggests, would have even more far-reaching impact.

"It is this uncertainty, therefore, about the treatment of many hundreds of thousands of women who prevent with antibiotics, and possibly a few cases of group B streptococcal sepsis, the balance against the possible long-term disadvantages of all disturb these babies' microbiota at birth. "

Public Health England, told the BBC, it has been estimated that between 1,675 and 1,854 women at birth at 37 weeks or later, would need, in order to prevent and treated with intravenous antibiotics in labor, a case of early-onset GBS, and that between 24.000 and 32.000 need to treat to prevent a death.

for Additional help and information

"We were horrified," says Bethany. "We thought, 'We're almost at the end [of the pregnancy], and we have not even heard of it. '"

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babies & toddlers, childbirth, bacteria, antibiotics, kettering, meningitis, pregnancy

Source of news: bbc.com