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GIA ANNE — UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Lived March 13, 2017 to September 25, 2017 Late-onset Mother's GBS Status: Tested negative Gestational Age: 38 weeks Age harmed: 2 weeks old |
Finding out I was pregnant with Gia was the happiest day of my life. I fell madly in love with her the second I heard her heart beat. My pregnancy was relatively easy. I followed all the doctors' recommendations, did all the tests and stayed fit throughout the 38 weeks I was pregnant. My GBS high swab at 36 weeks came back negative and the doctor was very happy with how my pregnancy was progressing. Gia was growing well and she was healthy. The birth was rather easy compared to what I have heard from other moms. I took no pain relieve medication as my husband and I had decided early on that I would try completely natural.
Gia Anne entered the world on the 13th March 2017 at 10:40am weight 3.75kg and 55cm, the day before my birthday. She was just perfect! My husband and I were in awe of this little girl. The doctor was happy with both her and I.
But that night things started to go wrong. She was struggling to latch, she screamed if you touched the back of her head and nurses were getting rather rough and annoyed with us both. The doctor who completed her discharge test could not have spent more than 5 minutes with her so I can honestly say I wouldn't recognize him if he stood in front of me. To keep this solely about Gia I will keep this part brief....
She was discharged as "breastfed" which is untrue, with untreated jaundice, losing 9.7% weight and we were told to "go home and feed her". We decided to try combine formula and breast feeding and she fed with the bottle well but just was still losing weight. I took her back three times begging doctors to check her as I knew in my gut something was not okay. After the third time, my husband was told he has a "neurotic wife" and we were sent home, again.
Two days later, my precious little girl was admitted into NICU isolation with severe infection. All i can remember about that day is doctors taking her out of my arms and putting tube after tube in her. By the time we were allowed to see her she was on a ventilator and lying in the incubator so still. She looked so innocent and helpless and my heart broke right there in the isolation room.
We were informed that her CRP (infection count) which is meant to be under 5, was over 300 and that she had a severe GBS infection. Test after test were done on her tiny body including a lumbar puncture and a couple days later, we received the worst call, Gia had bacterial streptococcal meningitis. The most deadly ruthless bacteria anyone could contract. we were informed that we needed to prepare ourselves to say our good-byes.
After watching her lie in the incubator for over 2 weeks, and me constantly looking for the answers "how", "why", "when". Fighting with doctors. Waiting for daily CRP updates. Watching her monitors closely. Counting how many breaths she took on her own compared to the ventilator assisting her. Crying. Screaming. My husband looked at me with wide eyes while I shouted at a nurse who was just so negative about my baby's future, and said "She is reacting to how you react. She is reacting to your moods. Her stats change according to you"... and that is the moment the mamma in me took over the anger and pain.
I walked into her isolation room and I lectured my month old baby. I told her that we are fighters. That we don't give up. That we are strong and brave and that no mater what the future holds, it's her and me together facing the world. That SHE is my light! my heart! my world! my everything. And things started changing. My baby girl started to fight like no human being I have ever encountered. She started breathing on her own. Her CRP count started dropping. And we started to work on her sucking so that she could be bottle fed again.
I realised that as mothers, all our babies need is for US to believe in them. To have faith in them. For them to know that we will fight for with and with them. But mostly, that no matter what, we love them with all we are. There are zero conditions to the love we have for them.
After 35 days living in a hospital and sleeping on steel chairs as I refused to leave my baby, even though I was only allowed near her 3 times a day for 1 hour, she was discharged and came home. She wasn't opening her eyes and she no longer cried, but my baby was alive and in my arms.
We took her to endless specialists - ophthalmologists, paediatricians, neurologists, occupational therapy, physiotherapy.... the list is endless. My life was consumed by her and her needs and i didn't care. I wanted everything to be "Gia". It was all about giving her the BEST chance in life we could. As a qualified speech pathologist and audiologist, i knew what life for a child with severe brain damage could mean and how important early intervention was. I also knew that Gia was a fighter and she showed us daily what she was able to achieve.
She and I flew to South Africa in June 2017, two months after she was out of the hospital to get second opinions from doctors I knew there as well as to have hearing aids fitted for her.
Unfortunately, the trip did not go well. Gia contracted a bad chest infection and was once again admitted to NICU. The infection went to her brain again, but this time was stopped very quickly with the use of steroids. And so I spent another 8 days living in a hospital. Doctors were once again not hopeful. But I informed them that they have no idea who they are dealing with. That my little baby is a fighter. And once again, this little girl showed them. They were all shocked at her recovery. But 2 weeks later, she was once again in ICU with recurrent pneumonia. It is why it is so important that us moms have very strict rules. NO ONE who has a slight sniffle should be around babies. I had these rules but I was ignored, and so my baby had to suffer. She spent a further 8 days in ICU. This time she was discharged with oxygen as her saturation levels were not stable, and without the 5% oxygen, she wasn't able to breathe on her own. We were unable to fly back home to Dubai until she was off the oxygen, so once again, mamma had to have a stern talking to her baby. It took her a few days, but she weaned herself off and a week later we were able to leave.
Gia was doing well. She was now on epileptic medication, a variety of vitamins and opening her eyes more. She even laughed the one day - the sweetest sound i had ever heard. She was doing well. Lifting herself when on tummy time, sitting with pillow support. We were so proud of our little girl. We knew the road ahead would be tough, but we also knew that she was a fighter. And she didn't give up easily.
On the 24th September 2017, we rushed her back to hospital. She was coughing up coffee ground mucus and couldn't even keep water down. Doctors couldn't pin point what infection she had. And at 2am, we were called to inform us she had to be ventilated. We rushed back to the hospital immediately and I held my baby's hand watching her. The doctors were unable to find veins for drips and were using a central line to assist her. They were pumping her with medication to keep her alive. Late in the afternoon on the 25th September 2017, 24 hours after we had rushed her to hospital, while she was holding super tight onto her daddy's finger, she opened her eyes and looked into mine, and I just knew. I knew she was telling me she was tired and just couldn't fight any more. I looked at her and told her it was okay. That I wouldn't ask her to fight for me anymore. That I loved her and I was so proud of her. That she gave me 6 and a half months of love and pure joy. That I wouldn't be angry if she wanted to let go.
And let go she did. Even with the ventilator, all the medication and over an hour of CPR, Gia Anne grew her angel wings and went to heaven at 11pm that night.
We will never get the answers as to why this happened, or how this happened. As much as my gut tells me it was negligence from the hospital where she was born, fighting them won't bring her back. All we can do now is honour her fight. Inform other parents of the signs of GBS. Inform parents to be strong and don't give up and that doctors don't always know best.
Gia Anne left a huge legacy. Her story is world wide on social media and her fight is honoured by many. I will never forget standing up at her memorial service to say my final goodbyes and looking up and seeing over 200 people looking back at me. Each and every person was there because Gia had taught them something.
I will forever love my baby girl and I will forever continue to honour her.
Gia Anne, forever, you are my light, you are my heart, you are my world, YOU are my everything. RIP my baby.
-Andria van Niekerk
Andria informs other parents about GBS through social media.
Gia Anne entered the world on the 13th March 2017 at 10:40am weight 3.75kg and 55cm, the day before my birthday. She was just perfect! My husband and I were in awe of this little girl. The doctor was happy with both her and I.
But that night things started to go wrong. She was struggling to latch, she screamed if you touched the back of her head and nurses were getting rather rough and annoyed with us both. The doctor who completed her discharge test could not have spent more than 5 minutes with her so I can honestly say I wouldn't recognize him if he stood in front of me. To keep this solely about Gia I will keep this part brief....
She was discharged as "breastfed" which is untrue, with untreated jaundice, losing 9.7% weight and we were told to "go home and feed her". We decided to try combine formula and breast feeding and she fed with the bottle well but just was still losing weight. I took her back three times begging doctors to check her as I knew in my gut something was not okay. After the third time, my husband was told he has a "neurotic wife" and we were sent home, again.
Two days later, my precious little girl was admitted into NICU isolation with severe infection. All i can remember about that day is doctors taking her out of my arms and putting tube after tube in her. By the time we were allowed to see her she was on a ventilator and lying in the incubator so still. She looked so innocent and helpless and my heart broke right there in the isolation room.
We were informed that her CRP (infection count) which is meant to be under 5, was over 300 and that she had a severe GBS infection. Test after test were done on her tiny body including a lumbar puncture and a couple days later, we received the worst call, Gia had bacterial streptococcal meningitis. The most deadly ruthless bacteria anyone could contract. we were informed that we needed to prepare ourselves to say our good-byes.
After watching her lie in the incubator for over 2 weeks, and me constantly looking for the answers "how", "why", "when". Fighting with doctors. Waiting for daily CRP updates. Watching her monitors closely. Counting how many breaths she took on her own compared to the ventilator assisting her. Crying. Screaming. My husband looked at me with wide eyes while I shouted at a nurse who was just so negative about my baby's future, and said "She is reacting to how you react. She is reacting to your moods. Her stats change according to you"... and that is the moment the mamma in me took over the anger and pain.
I walked into her isolation room and I lectured my month old baby. I told her that we are fighters. That we don't give up. That we are strong and brave and that no mater what the future holds, it's her and me together facing the world. That SHE is my light! my heart! my world! my everything. And things started changing. My baby girl started to fight like no human being I have ever encountered. She started breathing on her own. Her CRP count started dropping. And we started to work on her sucking so that she could be bottle fed again.
I realised that as mothers, all our babies need is for US to believe in them. To have faith in them. For them to know that we will fight for with and with them. But mostly, that no matter what, we love them with all we are. There are zero conditions to the love we have for them.
After 35 days living in a hospital and sleeping on steel chairs as I refused to leave my baby, even though I was only allowed near her 3 times a day for 1 hour, she was discharged and came home. She wasn't opening her eyes and she no longer cried, but my baby was alive and in my arms.
We took her to endless specialists - ophthalmologists, paediatricians, neurologists, occupational therapy, physiotherapy.... the list is endless. My life was consumed by her and her needs and i didn't care. I wanted everything to be "Gia". It was all about giving her the BEST chance in life we could. As a qualified speech pathologist and audiologist, i knew what life for a child with severe brain damage could mean and how important early intervention was. I also knew that Gia was a fighter and she showed us daily what she was able to achieve.
She and I flew to South Africa in June 2017, two months after she was out of the hospital to get second opinions from doctors I knew there as well as to have hearing aids fitted for her.
Unfortunately, the trip did not go well. Gia contracted a bad chest infection and was once again admitted to NICU. The infection went to her brain again, but this time was stopped very quickly with the use of steroids. And so I spent another 8 days living in a hospital. Doctors were once again not hopeful. But I informed them that they have no idea who they are dealing with. That my little baby is a fighter. And once again, this little girl showed them. They were all shocked at her recovery. But 2 weeks later, she was once again in ICU with recurrent pneumonia. It is why it is so important that us moms have very strict rules. NO ONE who has a slight sniffle should be around babies. I had these rules but I was ignored, and so my baby had to suffer. She spent a further 8 days in ICU. This time she was discharged with oxygen as her saturation levels were not stable, and without the 5% oxygen, she wasn't able to breathe on her own. We were unable to fly back home to Dubai until she was off the oxygen, so once again, mamma had to have a stern talking to her baby. It took her a few days, but she weaned herself off and a week later we were able to leave.
Gia was doing well. She was now on epileptic medication, a variety of vitamins and opening her eyes more. She even laughed the one day - the sweetest sound i had ever heard. She was doing well. Lifting herself when on tummy time, sitting with pillow support. We were so proud of our little girl. We knew the road ahead would be tough, but we also knew that she was a fighter. And she didn't give up easily.
On the 24th September 2017, we rushed her back to hospital. She was coughing up coffee ground mucus and couldn't even keep water down. Doctors couldn't pin point what infection she had. And at 2am, we were called to inform us she had to be ventilated. We rushed back to the hospital immediately and I held my baby's hand watching her. The doctors were unable to find veins for drips and were using a central line to assist her. They were pumping her with medication to keep her alive. Late in the afternoon on the 25th September 2017, 24 hours after we had rushed her to hospital, while she was holding super tight onto her daddy's finger, she opened her eyes and looked into mine, and I just knew. I knew she was telling me she was tired and just couldn't fight any more. I looked at her and told her it was okay. That I wouldn't ask her to fight for me anymore. That I loved her and I was so proud of her. That she gave me 6 and a half months of love and pure joy. That I wouldn't be angry if she wanted to let go.
And let go she did. Even with the ventilator, all the medication and over an hour of CPR, Gia Anne grew her angel wings and went to heaven at 11pm that night.
We will never get the answers as to why this happened, or how this happened. As much as my gut tells me it was negligence from the hospital where she was born, fighting them won't bring her back. All we can do now is honour her fight. Inform other parents of the signs of GBS. Inform parents to be strong and don't give up and that doctors don't always know best.
Gia Anne left a huge legacy. Her story is world wide on social media and her fight is honoured by many. I will never forget standing up at her memorial service to say my final goodbyes and looking up and seeing over 200 people looking back at me. Each and every person was there because Gia had taught them something.
I will forever love my baby girl and I will forever continue to honour her.
Gia Anne, forever, you are my light, you are my heart, you are my world, YOU are my everything. RIP my baby.
-Andria van Niekerk
Andria informs other parents about GBS through social media.
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.