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DOMINIC - AUSTRALIA
Stillborn March 6, 2022 Prenatal-onset Mother's GBS Status: Not tested Gestational Age: 36 weeks and 4 days Age harmed: In Utero |
We were not planning to fall pregnant at the time as we were 3 months from our wedding, although when those two lines came up I was over the moon. My husband and I had experienced a perfectly healthy, textbook pregnancy. We had a gender reveal at our wedding to find out that we were expecting a bouncing baby boy, who we had decided to name Dominic Jameson George. I had a few small maternal health issues in my third trimester, but my son was still perfectly healthy. At 34 weeks, I fainted at home to be rushed to hospital in threatened pre-term labour. I had asked my drs to swab me for GBS as I felt there was something seriously wrong as a mother doesn't faint for no reason. They denied my request.
Thirteen days later, my husband took me to what ended up being our last routine check up. We were scheduled as one of the first appointments of the day, but made to wait for over 2 hours to see the dr. They did my stomach measurements and as normal, Bub was measuring over two weeks ahead of his due date, although when it came to the doppler the dr was unable to find my baby's heartbeat. That was when I started to panic. She then put the doppler down and said that she was going to get the portable ultrasound to check to make sure baby was okay. When she started the ultrasound, my heart sank.. In less than 5 minutes I had gone from being excited to find out whether we would be meeting our baby sooner than his due date to "I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat." I was immediately admitted to the L&D floor and the drs started the induction process.
In the early hours of March 6th 2022 my son Dominic was born still but perfect. My family and my husband's parents were with us in the hospital to meet and farewell our baby. We had decided to go ahead with a full autopsy to determine our little man's cause of death. In less than a month, we had our answer. Our son had passed away from severe GBS and E. coli infection in his internal organs, which had made it impossible for him to breathe and stopped his heart. Five months on and there is still no answer as to whether this could have been prevented if the swab had been done, but all I can do now is tell my son's story and hope that someday, GBS-related stillbirths can and will be prevented so that other mums and dads don't have to suffer the pain of losing their child to something so incredibly rare.
- Jessica Gabel
Jessica spreads GBS awareness through starting a crafting business to raise well needed funds for GBS-related stillbirths in Australia.
Thirteen days later, my husband took me to what ended up being our last routine check up. We were scheduled as one of the first appointments of the day, but made to wait for over 2 hours to see the dr. They did my stomach measurements and as normal, Bub was measuring over two weeks ahead of his due date, although when it came to the doppler the dr was unable to find my baby's heartbeat. That was when I started to panic. She then put the doppler down and said that she was going to get the portable ultrasound to check to make sure baby was okay. When she started the ultrasound, my heart sank.. In less than 5 minutes I had gone from being excited to find out whether we would be meeting our baby sooner than his due date to "I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat." I was immediately admitted to the L&D floor and the drs started the induction process.
In the early hours of March 6th 2022 my son Dominic was born still but perfect. My family and my husband's parents were with us in the hospital to meet and farewell our baby. We had decided to go ahead with a full autopsy to determine our little man's cause of death. In less than a month, we had our answer. Our son had passed away from severe GBS and E. coli infection in his internal organs, which had made it impossible for him to breathe and stopped his heart. Five months on and there is still no answer as to whether this could have been prevented if the swab had been done, but all I can do now is tell my son's story and hope that someday, GBS-related stillbirths can and will be prevented so that other mums and dads don't have to suffer the pain of losing their child to something so incredibly rare.
- Jessica Gabel
Jessica spreads GBS awareness through starting a crafting business to raise well needed funds for GBS-related stillbirths in Australia.
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.
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.