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HAILEY GRACE — USA
Born June 9, 2018 Late-onset Mother's GBS Status: Tested positive Gestational Age: Full-term Age harmed: 3 weeks, 1 day |
My labor was eventful. I was on IV antibiotics after my membranes ruptured while getting out of bed. Thankfully I was 38 weeks, but I always thought she’d come later. I had no contractions, so I was induced. I got through 5 rounds of IV antibiotics before my daughter was born.
My daughter was three weeks old when symptoms started to appear. It was 1 day after her umbilical stump fell off. She was nursing like a champ, peeing, pooing and sleeping like normal. I noticed though, that she would cry a very particular cry when I raised her right leg for a diaper change. Weird. Then she started getting hot and fussy. Her temperature was exactly 100.3, the cutoff for taking infants under 3 months in to the doctor. This was Sunday evening.
I took her as soon as my ped opened Monday morning. My N.P was extremely pregnant at the time, assessed my daughter, and said that usually she wouldn’t say this...but she just had a bad feeling and that I needed to go to Children’s Hospital ER immediately. I owe her at very least my daughters leg, if not her life.
We went to Children’s Hospital in Detroit where my fragile 8 pound newborn was poked, proded and assessed for everything they could think of. Then her lab work came back and confirmed: GBS. Immediately they were terrified she had meningitis. She was admitted to the PICU instead of the NICU due to space.
My daughter only had septic arthritis of her right hip, that somehow caused no cartilage damage because of how early we caught it. She did not have meningitis either.
1 I&D of the right hip, 3 sedations, 1 central line, 1 MRI, 2 failed lumbar punctures, 2 ultrasounds of the brain, 9 x-rays, 5 dressing changes, a million pokes and 34 days later we were released from the hospital.
I am eternally grateful for my daughter, the staff at DMC Children’s Hospital and my wonderful N.P. for recognizing her illness so quickly. She has no lasting effects, and is now starting to take steps on her affected leg.
-Kyrstin Esau
Kyrstin spreads GBS awareness through word of mouth.
My daughter was three weeks old when symptoms started to appear. It was 1 day after her umbilical stump fell off. She was nursing like a champ, peeing, pooing and sleeping like normal. I noticed though, that she would cry a very particular cry when I raised her right leg for a diaper change. Weird. Then she started getting hot and fussy. Her temperature was exactly 100.3, the cutoff for taking infants under 3 months in to the doctor. This was Sunday evening.
I took her as soon as my ped opened Monday morning. My N.P was extremely pregnant at the time, assessed my daughter, and said that usually she wouldn’t say this...but she just had a bad feeling and that I needed to go to Children’s Hospital ER immediately. I owe her at very least my daughters leg, if not her life.
We went to Children’s Hospital in Detroit where my fragile 8 pound newborn was poked, proded and assessed for everything they could think of. Then her lab work came back and confirmed: GBS. Immediately they were terrified she had meningitis. She was admitted to the PICU instead of the NICU due to space.
My daughter only had septic arthritis of her right hip, that somehow caused no cartilage damage because of how early we caught it. She did not have meningitis either.
1 I&D of the right hip, 3 sedations, 1 central line, 1 MRI, 2 failed lumbar punctures, 2 ultrasounds of the brain, 9 x-rays, 5 dressing changes, a million pokes and 34 days later we were released from the hospital.
I am eternally grateful for my daughter, the staff at DMC Children’s Hospital and my wonderful N.P. for recognizing her illness so quickly. She has no lasting effects, and is now starting to take steps on her affected leg.
-Kyrstin Esau
Kyrstin spreads GBS awareness through word of mouth.
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.