A MUM’S “beautiful” new baby died in her arms after being told over and over that she had “nothing to worry about.”
Joshua, Louise Martin’s son, was diagnosed with group B strep (GBS) three days after he was born. The infection caused serious problems, such as brain damage.
Babies in Britain are most often infected with GBS, which can be passed from mother to child around birth.
Concerned about her baby’s grunting and lack of interest in eating, 39-year-old mother Louise knew her child had a GBS infection.
Lister Hospital in Stevenage sent Louise home the day after Joshua was born. She called the hospital twice to voice her concerns, but was told there was nothing to worry about.
Joshua was taken back to Lister Hospital when he was two days old. There, he was diagnosed with GBS meningitis and put on a ventilator.
Joshua’s brain was badly hurt, and he had a hard time staying alive for eight months before he died in his mom’s arms.
As painful as it was when we lost Joshua, Louise from Hitchin, Herts., said, “We loved him so much.”
“We lost our lovely son, our girls lost their beloved brother, and my grandparents lost their only grandson.”
“If the GBS infection had been found earlier, I think Joshua would still be here with us and living a happy, healthy life.”
“I was surprised by how common GBS is until I learned more about it.” It’s not clear why more isn’t being done to find it and stop it from infecting people.
Because Louise has two daughters, she wants all pregnant women to get tested for group B Strep near the end of their pregnancy. This way, if necessary, care plans can be changed.
It comes after Irwin Mitchell got her a settlement from the Hospital Trust that was kept secret over Joshua’s care. The Hospital Trust did not say they were at fault.
It was “inappropriate” for the Trust to manage and talk about Louise’s Group B Strep carriage status, according to a root cause analysis investigation report.
Louise also said, “It’s too late for Joshua, but I hope that by speaking out I can help more people learn about GBS.”
It might not have been completely pointless for Joshua to die if I can help other people by telling them what happened to our family.
“I didn’t get any information about GBS during any of my other pregnancies. The only time I remember being asked about it was by a midwife at an antenatal appointment when I was pregnant with Joshua. I had not been diagnosed with GBS before.
“At the time, I didn’t know what GBS was, so I didn’t think much about it.” Because we lost our first baby, I’ve always been nervous during my pregnancies, but my pregnancy with Joshua was pretty easy.
“But while I was laboring, something didn’t feel right.”
“Just a short time after Joshua was born, he started grunting and not eating.”
There was nothing to worry about, though, every time I tried to bring it up. I knew something wasn’t right even after we were sent home.
In 2012, Louise and her husband had a stillborn son whose death was caused by a blood clot in his brain. After that, Louise’s pregnancies were considered high-risk.
Louise went to the hospital on New Year’s Eve 2020. Because of Covid restrictions, she was there by herself and was induced that afternoon.
That night, she said she heard doctors talking about how worried they were about her health and whether she needed antibiotics.
Joshua was born on January 1, 2021, just after 6 a.m. After the first feed, within a couple of hours of being born, Louise was worried that Joshua had started grunting, having trouble with his body temperature, and not wanting to eat.
The two were let go home in the afternoon of January 2. But when she got home, Louise was still worried.
After calling the hospital that night, she was told there was nothing to worry about.
Joshua wasn’t fed during the night and was limp and cold in the morning, so he was taken back to the hospital.
Joshua was taken to neonatal intensive care on January 4, 2021, and was told he had a GBS infection.
After he was diagnosed, Louise asked to be tested to see if she had GBS. The test came back positive, even though she had been told at first that it was negative.
Doctors thought Joshua might not make it, but in February 2021, he was released from the hospital.
He was in the hospital for about six weeks before being sent to Keech Hospice and then allowed to go home.
Joshua kept having serious problems and died in his mom’s arms when he was eight months old.
On his death certificate, it said that he died of respiratory failure due to a severe brain injury caused by a GBS infection.
Louise asked the skilled medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to look into their care, which was provided by the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs Lister Hospital.
Alexandra Highfield from Irwin Mitchell said, “The bacterium is usually harmless to the one in four women who carry it, but a small number of babies will get very sick or even die if they are exposed to it around birth.”
However, a simple test can be done to see if a pregnant woman is carrying the bacteria. If she is, her care plan can be changed to include intravenous antibiotics during labor to keep the baby from getting an infection.
As you might expect, Louise and the rest of her family are still very upset about Joshua’s death and what happened.
“Nothing can make up for the pain they’re still going through, but we’re glad we were able to get them this settlement so they can put the case behind them.”
“What happened to Joshua vividly highlights to dangers of GBS infection and the need for everyone to be aware of the signs and symptoms.”
Jane Plumb MBE, CEO of the charity Group B Strep Support, said, “Knowing about group B Strep and being able to get prenatal testing can change a person’s life.” “Knowledge is power, and when it comes to group B Strep, it is a very important tool that can help stop tragedies like Joshua’s death.”
