Mother whose baby died from sepsis gives birth to a healthy son who


A grieving mother who lost a baby to sepsis and forced a change in how the infection is tested has named her newborn son after him.

Melissa Mead, 29, from Penryn, Cornwall, gave birth to Arthur ‘William’ earlier this week.

But she says the joyous occasion was tinged with sadness that he will never get to meet his older brother. 

The family’s first-born William died in 2014 aged just 12 months when a string of NHS failures led to his case of sepsis not being properly recognised.

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Melissa Mead, 29, from Penryn, Cornwall, gave birth to Arthur William Mead earlier this week. But she says the joyous occasion was tinged with sadness that he will never get to meet his older brother, William (pictured), who died in 2014

Arthur arrived on Tuesday morning and weighed in at 7lb 11oz – exactly the same as how much William weighed when he was born

A report into his death criticised GPs, out-of-hours services and a 111 call handler who failed to spot the symptoms.

But Mrs Mead launched a successful campaign to bring about changes to legislation in the hope of avoiding future deaths.

She said her second child would always carry William’s memory and they would always be a family of four.

Arthur arrived on Tuesday morning and weighed 7lb 11oz – exactly the same as William when he was born.

Mrs Mead, who is still in hospital, said: ‘I don’t feel too bad now – but very tired. Everything went smoothly for the birth though.

‘I think it is a huge wave of different emotions. We are very happy and very excited to finally have him here.

A report into William’s death criticised GPs, out-of-hours services and a 111 call handler who failed to spot the symptoms

‘But it is of course tinged with sadness as William should be here to meet his little brother.’

She added: ‘As soon as we found out we were having a boy, we wanted to give him William’s middle name.

THE WARNING SIGNS OF SEPSIS 

Sepsis, also referred to as blood poisoning or septicaemia, is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by an infection or injury.

In sepsis, the body’s immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight an infection.

This can reduce the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain, heart and kidneys.

Without quick treatment, sepsis can lead to multiple organ failure and death. 

Early symptoms of sepsis may include:

  • a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
  • chills and shivering
  • a fast heartbeat
  • fast breathing

In some cases, symptoms of more severe sepsis or septic shock (when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level) develop soon after. These can include:

  • feeling dizzy or faint
  • a change in mental state, such as confusion or disorientation
  • diarrhoea
  • ausea and vomiting
  • slurred speech
  • severe muscle pain
  • severe breathlessness
  • less urine production than normal (for example, not urinating for a day)
  • cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin
  • loss of consciousness

Severe sepsis and septic shock are medical emergencies. If you think that you or someone in your care has one of these conditions, call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Source: NHS Choices 

‘I think it is something we wanted to do. When Arthur grows up he will want to love and honour William’s memory and they are both part of the family.

‘We will never get used to the idea of William never coming home.

‘But we are just expanding our family. We will always be a family of four and will make sure we always stay that way.’

The family delayed announcing Arthur’s arrival to give them some time alone – but she has now been swamped with messages of support.

The news was first announced her her husband Paul, 32, on Facebook.

He wrote: ‘Melissa, William and I would like to announce the arrival of the new addition to our family.

‘Arthur William Mead was born on 27th September at 10.41am weighing 7lbs 11oz.

‘Melissa has been amazing as usual and Arthur is just perfect.

‘We all want to thank everyone in advance for messages as it could take a while before we get round to answering them as we have our hands full!’

William was just 12 months old when he died of sepsis at home.

A damning report obtained by the Mail revealed how there had been 16 failures in his case, with a string of clinicians failing to spot signs he was suffering from the condition, which affects the immune system.

Errors at the troubled NHS 111 helpline – which was not sensitive to signs of the condition – were among a string of appalling blunders that contributed to William’s death in December 2014. 

The local out-of-hours service and GPs also failed to spot he had sepsis, which had been caused by an underlying chest infection and pneumonia.

Following the Mail’s revelations, Mr Hunt was dragged to the House of Commons to answer urgent questions, and was forced to publicly apologise for the failures which led to William’s death.

He also admitted the health service’s approach to sepsis – the leading cause of avoidable death in the UK – was ‘totally inadequate’.

She said her second child would always carry William’s memory and they would always be a family of four – despite his tragic death

Mrs Mead, who launched campaign alongside the Mail to change the legislation in screening for blood poisoning, said: ‘We will never get used to the idea of William never coming home’ (pictured with husband Paul, 32)

He agreed to collaborate with the Mead family to plan a new approach to combating the condition and improve the way ‘red flags’ for the illness are recognised. 

Mrs Mead launched her high profile campaign, alongside the Mail, after health workers missed a string of chances to save William.

Her fight – which raised more than £120,000 for the Sepsis Trust – has resulted in changes to the way doctors screen for the blood poisoning condition.

Earlier this month, following the campaign, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt promised a nationwide awareness drive. 

Following the revelations, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was forced to publicly apologise for the failures which led to William’s death

He announced the Department of Health is to fund the project, led by the UK Sepsis Trust and Public Health England.

It will be launched later this year and seek to inform millions of patients and clinicians around the country about the condition.

Posters and leaflets have been drafted, with a checklist telling parents when to call 999. The campaign will focus on the message: ‘Just ask – could it be sepsis?’

Mr Hunt said: ‘Sepsis is a devastating condition and patients rightly expect the NHS to be able to recognise it and provide the highest quality patient care.

‘We are committed to a new campaign that will raise awareness of the condition and have worked closely with the UK Sepsis Trust to make sure it will help people spot the signs and get the help they need.’

The birth comes just weeks after a video she made went viral – being viewed more than fifteen million times.

In it, Mrs Mead held up a series of cards telling her story – along with facts about sepsis. 

She starts the video by holding up a photo of William, who was affectionately known as ‘Grumpus’, followed by a scan image of her second child.

With Fight Song by Rachel Platten playing in background, she holds up signs reading: ‘I will never have a picture of them together because William lives in heaven now and they will never meet.

‘William suffered a chest infection and pneumonia in the weeks leading to his death.

‘Just 17 days after his first birthday, William died from sepsis. I found him in his cot. My baby was gone.

‘No one mentioned sepsis before William died. The first time I saw the word was on William’s death certificate.

‘I thought that it must be rare, but I quickly learned it is not rare. Sepsis is the body’s response to an infection. It injures its own tissues and organs. It leads to shock, multiple organ failure and death.

‘Every 3.5 seconds someone in the world dies from sepsis. 

‘It happens regularly and does not discriminate, it spares no ethnic group, no social class, no age or geographic region.

‘It is the most common pathway to death due to an infection, and kills more people than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined.’

The birth comes just weeks after a video she made went viral – being viewed more than fifteen million times. In it, Mrs Mead held up cards telling her story – along with facts about sepsis