Group B Strep International
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ARABELLA — USA
September 12, 2019 - November 22, 2019

Late-onset

Mother's GBS Status: 
Tested negative
Gestational Age: 36 weeks
Age Harmed: 2 months, 8 days 
On a Tuesday, my 2 month old Arabella had a low grade fever and was a little more crabby then usual. She took her bottle fine until the middle of the night. Then, she didn't want to eat at all. I figured it was because at her last feeding she had drank a little more than her usual feeding. Morning came and she was sweating, so I pulled her out of her bed, got her naked, changed her diaper, took her temperature it was 102.9 and she made a grunting sound!

My husband and I quickly put our shoes on, put a onesie on her, put her in her car seat, and we tried getting her to the hospital. We didn't even get out of our driveway before she stopped breathing. I pulled her out of her car seat dialing 911, the dispatcher told us we needed to pull over. We pulled over about a mile later as I'm still holding our daughter panicked and didn't know what to do besides rub her chest and her back. 5 to 10 minutes went by and finally a sheriff comes. He pulls her out of my arms and starts doing CPR right away and radio's for the ambulance to hurry because she wasn't responding. Another officer pulls up and grabs her puts her on the road and starts doing more CPR until the ambulance gets there. As the ambulance pulled up the officer and I run into the side door of the ambulance and they finally got her heart started again, but unfortunately not for long. They kept loosing it until they put an IV in with Epinephrine on a constant drip.

We got to the hospital, and sent by helicopter to a bigger hospital. When I finally got to the PICU shortly after she did, the doctor told us that she was dying. The infection was way too strong and they did not know what type of infection, so they put her on a broad spectrum antibiotics. She was on a ventilator plus the IV epinephrine. Her potassium levels and carbon monoxide levels were dangerously high from being without oxygen for so long. Her kidneys and liver stopped functioning. Her blood was extremely thin and kept bleeding. She ended up having to have 6 blood transfusions and a lot more plasma.

They couldn't tell how much brain damage she had suffered because she was never stable enough for a CT scan. She fought very hard for another day and a half and ended up passing away. I never knew or heard of anything like this until it happened. 

-Areial Burcham
Areial tells others about her daughter's story and informs parents what to watch for.

To learn more about Perinatal & GBS Misconceptions, click HERE.

To learn more about the Signs & Symptoms of Preterm Labor, click HERE.

To learn more about the Signs & Symptoms of GBS Infection, click HERE.

To learn more about Why Membranes Should NOT Be Stripped, click HERE.

To learn more about How to Help Protect Your Baby from Group B Strep (GBS), click HERE.

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  • Home
  • About GBS
    • What Is Group B Strep? >
      • Prenatal-onset GBS Disease
      • Early-onset GBS Disease
      • Late-onset GBS Disease
      • GBS in Nonpregnant Adults
      • Maternal GBS Infections
    • How to Help Protect Your Baby >
      • How Do You Get GBS?
      • GBS Testing
      • Testing Negative
      • Subsequent Pregnancy
      • Risk Factors
    • Signs of GBS Infection
    • GBS Vaccine Efforts
  • Resources
    • GBS Awareness Materials
    • Online Learning Events >
      • GBS Community Days 2023
      • ICGBS 2022
      • ICGBS 2021
      • ICGBS 2020
      • ICGBS 2019
      • Prenatal Infection Prevention Symposium
      • POGBSD Symposium
    • Prenatal Infection Prevention Resources
    • GBS Medical Articles and Abstracts
    • GBS Parent Connection & Grief Support
  • Parent Stories
    • GBS Babies
    • Story Submission
    • Subsequent Pregnancies
    • Possible GBS Infections
    • Perinatal Infection Stories
  • WAYS TO HELP
    • Make a Donation
    • Fundraising
    • The WAVES Study
    • Campaigns & Projects
    • Awareness Calendar >
      • Group B Strep Awareness
      • Prenatal-onset GBS Disease Recognition Month
      • Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
    • Suggested Topics for Researchers
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Our Board of Directors
    • Our Partners & Perinatal Health Affiliates
    • Fast Facts
    • Contact Us