Sissy was born healthy on 4 June 2023 at 41 weeks. We had never heard of Group B Strep, were never offered a test during pregnancy, and didn’t know testing was even possible.
For the first few weeks, everything seemed normal. Then, at just four weeks old, everything changed.
At home, Sissy became inconsolable. Her skin turned pale and mottled, she was being sick, and she developed a blank, vacant stare that terrified us. We called NHS 111, who sent an ambulance. Although the paramedics’ initial checks were described as okay, because of her age she was taken straight to A&E.
When we arrived, Sissy fell asleep but began grunting, and we were quickly moved from triage into a treatment room. Things escalated rapidly. She was intubated, and we were told she needed to be transferred urgently to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. The speed at which we went from reassurance to crisis was overwhelming.
A lumbar puncture confirmed the diagnosis: Group B Strep sepsis and meningitis. Hearing those words was devastating. Sissy was intubated for three days, during which time we barely left her side, terrified of what might happen next.
After she stabilised, Sissy was moved to a ward, where we spent two long weeks while she received intravenous antibiotics. Those days were filled with fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty, never knowing what the lasting impact of such a serious infection might be.
Just one week after being discharged home, Sissy began showing signs that looked like seizures. We were readmitted to our local hospital for a further week of tests and monitoring. Thankfully, the episodes stopped, and doctors later explained they were a late‑onset complication following meningitis and sepsis.
Since then, Sissy has been closely monitored. She attends Evelina Hospital every three months for hearing tests, as meningitis can cause hearing loss. We are incredibly grateful that, so far, she has shown no lasting effects. Sissy is now happy, healthy, and meeting all her developmental milestones.
However, the trauma of nearly losing her has stayed with us. The experience has affected our whole family deeply and has changed our future plans. For me, it has been so difficult emotionally that I no longer want to have any more children.
