Newborn in Northumberland nearly died after contracting ‘harmless’ infection Strep B

A mother has described how quick thinking medics saved her baby son who was seconds away from death after contracting a horrific illness.

Andrea Henderson, 32, from Northumberland, contracted a bacterial infection during her pregnancy called Strep B which is usually harmless to babies – but when little Coby was born he was blue and could not breathe. 

He had contracted the infection, which then developed into sepsis and pneumonia.

Andrea Henderson and her partner Brett with their son Coby, who contracted Strep B which developed into sepsis and pneumonia 

Ms Henderson said if it wasn’t for Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary staff deciding to screen for the condition in the first place her baby might not be here today.

She said: ‘I had a normal pregnancy, but at about 32 weeks I developed pains and cramps in my lower pelvis.

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‘They tested me for urine infections, but the swabs came back saying I had Strep B, so I was given antibiotics to stop it spreading further.’

Strep B is a type of bacteria that can develop in the womb and is usually harmless to the baby – but in rare cases it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.

Medical staff quickly realised Coby had contracted Strep B and he was taken to intensive care where doctors looked after him as he battled the condition

Only one out of 2,000 babies will go on to contract the infection from the womb, but if they do it can be lethal – resulting in infections like pneumonia or sepsis – both of which Coby developed.

Sepsis is a condition where the body tries to fight infection, but in doing so attacks vital organs.

Eventually Coby recovered enough to be taken off the full ventilator and was soon gently weaned off breathing support

Because a newborn has a weakened immune system, it’s a race against the clock to save a baby who develops Strep B and even more serious if it develops into different infections.

‘I carried on my pregnancy but started feeling really poorly,’ said Ms Henderson. 

She was also suffering from Hyperemesis, a complication which causes severe nausea and sickness, so the hospital decided to induce her early.

Ms Henderson, who has two other children, said: ‘They induced me early and gave me two sets of antibiotics to try and prevent Coby getting an infection.’

‘Everything was going fine and then he was born and placed on my chest. I knew immediately something was wrong.

‘He was making grunting noises and was really blue. I said to the midwife that I thought something was wrong and they took him away straight away.

Coby is now a gorgeous ‘thriving’ baby and is developing really well, according to his mother 

DEADLY INFECTION THAT KILLS UP TO 340 BABIES A YEAR

GBS infection in newborn babies can cause serious complications that can be life threatening.

Extremely rarely, GBS infection during pregnancy can also cause miscarriage, early (premature) labour or stillbirth.   

If a baby develops GBS infection less than seven days after birth, it’s known as early-onset GBS infection. 

Most babies who become infected develop symptoms within 12 hours of birth. 

Symptoms include:

• being floppy and unresponsive
• not feeding well
• grunting
• high or low temperature
• fast or slow heart rates
• fast or slow breathing rates
• irritability

It’s estimated that about 1 in 2,000 babies born in the UK and Ireland develops early-onset GBS infection. 

This means that every year in the UK (with 680,000 births a year) around 340 babies will develop early-onset GBS infection.

Most babies who become infected can be treated successfully and will make a full recovery.

However, even with the best medical care the infection can cause life-threatening complications, such as blood poisoning (septicaemia);  infection of the lung (pneumonia); infection of the lining of the brain (meningitis). 

However, 2 in 10 babies with GBS infection will recover with some level of disability, and 1 in 10 infected babies will die, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Early-onset GBS infection can cause problems such as cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness and serious learning difficulties.

 Source: NHS Choices and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

‘They acted so quickly – if I wasn’t in the RVI, he probably wouldn’t have made it.

Medical staff quickly realised Coby had contracted Strep B and he was taken to intensive care where doctors looked after him as he battled the condition.

Ms Henderson, who lives with her partner Brett Mate, 41, said: ‘The hospital said to get family to come and meet him if they wanted to. We didn’t know if we would ever be taking him home.

‘It was four days before I could even hold him because of all the tubes and ventilator. It was so difficult and so frightening.

‘I got my two other children, Kurt, six, and Flynn, four, to come to the hospital. I wanted them to understand Coby was poorly.

‘We were all really concerned. We were told he might not make it. Kurt asked if he was going to die – we couldn’t really say no.

‘They both knew we were upset. You try and hide it but they pick up on it.’

Eventually Coby recovered enough to be taken off the full ventilator and was soon gently weaned off breathing support.

He was taken out of intensive care and placed on a ward to ensure he could feed properly before being allowed home.

‘He’s completely thriving now,’ said Ms Henderson. ‘He’s developing really well, he’s a really content baby apart from when he’s hungry.

‘I don’t know what would have happened if the RVI didn’t test me for Strep B. It’s not usually tested for but if I wasn’t induced and given antibiotics it could have been far worse – Coby could have been stillborn.

‘I got information and leaflets about Strep B and read them all, so when Coby was born I knew the signs.

‘I would recommend all pregnant mothers ask to be screened for it in their pregnancy. It can come on throughout pregnancy and knowing about it and knowing the signs could save a life.

‘I don’t think Coby would be here today without the actions of the RVI. We couldn’t have been in a better place.’