A brave mum is calling for a change in NHS policy after her newborn son died of complications after catching a bug – that causes a SORE THROAT.
Tania Holmes, 31, tragically lost firstborn son Blake just 25 hours after he was born to a common infection which usually causes no more harm than a sore throat.
Little Blake, who was born in her local Worthing Hospital, caught the treatable Group B strep bacteria just 16 hours after he was born.
But sadly the little lad sadly succumbed to complications from the common bacterial infection, which is mostly responsible for causing little more than a sore throat or tonsillitis.
Tania, of Worthing, West Sussex, said: “One minute I had a new born baby, and then they were telling me he was seriously ill and he was being taken to a different hospital – but he never made it.
“It was just horrific.”
She was in complete shock when she found out that Blake’s untimely death was entirely preventable, and now wants to stop other families being torn apart like hers was.
If Tania had been tested for signs of the bacteria, doctors could have started her on a course of drugs that would have prevented it spreading to her little boy.
Tania, now mum to one-year-old son Bailey, added: “I went through an upset stage and then I was very angry.
“I just wish someone had told me about it and the risks.
“My son would still be alive if I had had a simple vaccination.”
Group B Strep is most-often passed on from the new mum to her little baby during labour, and, in the unlikely event an infection occurs, almost all babies manage to survive.
On average, one newborn baby a day in the UK develops the infection and one baby a week dies.
The estate agent, who lives with 36-year-old partner Lee Burrell and their son, added: “The information is sparing and, like me, most expectant mothers know next to nothing about it.
“Some babies are fine whereas others can develop autism, blindness and in the worst case scenario, meningitis and septicaemia and die.
“That’s what happened to my son.”
If a mother carries the infection, injecting intravenous penicillin into her body will stop the baby contracting the infection.
Tania is now campaigning for a change in the law to force doctors to test expectant mothers for signs of the potentially deadly bacteria, as the treatment is not currently offered on the NHS.
Tania, who gave birth prematurely at 34 weeks, said: “The NHS test you for multiple infections all at once and very often come back with a false negative.
“I was tested twice and they both came back negative. It was horrific, I buried my son before I was even due to give birth to him.”
Tania has currently launched a local campaign to urge all pregnant women to pay £35 to get the individual test done privately, but she hopes her petition will go national.
She said: “I just wish someone had told me about it.”
The petition can be found HERE
