In April 2026, Amy and Ieuan experienced the unimaginable loss of their first child, Harri, who died from Group B Strep (GBS) sepsis just one day after he was born. Harri entered the world on 26 April 2026, at home, surrounded by love. “Harri is our first child, having him at home was the most beautiful way for him to enter this world.”
Amy had a low-risk pregnancy, with only one visit to triage at 24 weeks for a urinary tract infection. At that time, her urine was tested for Group B Strep, but the result was negative. Like many families, they had never heard of GBS.
When her waters broke at 36 weeks and 6 days, the couple contacted their midwife and later attended hospital as a precaution. After checks showed everything appeared normal, they returned home to wait for labour to progress. Things moved quickly overnight. A midwife arrived in the early hours, and Harri was born at 4:53am, weighing 5lb 15oz.
After routine checks, Harri fed well, and the family spent the morning sharing their joyful news and soaking up those precious first moments together. But by mid-afternoon, everything changed.
At around 3:30pm, Harri would not feed properly. After calling for advice, his parents were told he might simply be warm. “However, within minutes, he became extremely unwell.”
An ambulance was called immediately. When paramedics arrived just six minutes later, Harri’s condition was critical, as Amy explains: “His colour changed, he was limp and barely breathing. Our little boy was perfectly healthy just hours before. We couldn’t understand what was happening.”
Emergency responders began CPR and assisted his breathing. Soon, two Welsh Air Ambulance crews arrived, bringing doctors and additional paramedics. In total, 11 medical professionals worked desperately in the family’s living room to save him.
Harri was airlifted to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, while his parents followed by police car. By the time they arrived, he was critically ill in intensive care, with doctors warning he was at risk of sepsis. Despite every effort to save him, Harri’s condition continued to deteriorate. The following morning, his parents were given the devastating news that nothing more could be done.
“Harri passed away peacefully in our arms. We were absolutely devastated and in disbelief. We feel so cheated and heartbroken that we were not able to leave the hospital with our precious baby Harri”
Shortly afterwards, doctors confirmed that Group B Strep had caused the infection and resulting sepsis. Although this brought some clarity and reassurance that it was nothing they had done, the loss remains overwhelming.
Having never heard of Group B Strep before this experience, the family is now passionate about raising awareness. They believe that with greater knowledge and access to routine testing, outcomes could be different for other families. “We feel if routine testing was completed, or if we had the option, Harri would still be here”
By sharing Harri’s story, they hope to help prevent other families from experiencing the same devastating loss, and to ensure more people are aware of Group B Strep and the risks it can pose.
