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LEAH - USA
Lived January 7, 2013 to January 13, 2013 Prenatal-onset Mother's GBS Status: Tested positive Gestational Age: 36 weeks, 6 days (c-section) Age Harmed: GBS likely infected Leah before labor started/water broke |
Leah was born (via c-section) January 7, 2013 at 7:25 am and very sick. She couldn't breathe effectively and was immediately taken to the NICU. The doctor worked on her for several hours and eventually came to tell us that she was septic and needed to be put on ECMO, which could happen at Children's Hospital. Thankfully, she survived the hospital transfer and surgery. Unfortunately, she also had a brain bleed that got progressively worse. She had to be taken off ECMO on January 13, 2013. Her lungs had not healed enough to survive without ECMO and she went into the perfectly loving arms of Jesus at 4:50 pm.
Unlike many women's stories whose babies die from a GBS infection, I DID know that I was positive and DID receive antibiotics at the time of delivery. Unfortunately, that was too late. The infection had passed through my intact membranes. There are several ways this can happen, when the mucous plug is lost (which is when I think it got to Leah), when the doctor performs an invasive exam (like checking for dilation), membrane stripping, or just for no known reason. My doctor, nor any doctors in her practice, knew that GBS could pass like this. From what I've read, most babies are stillborn when they get prenatal-onset GBS. Thankfully, Leah was with us for 6 days and we got to show her as much love as we could.
One thing I've learned in my research since Leah died is that if GBS comes back in a urine culture, women are considered more heavily colonized. Women should talk to their provider about taking oral antibiotics, especially if the colony count is over 100,000 cfu. In my subsequent pregnancies, I have been tested monthly for GBS in my urine and treated accordingly.
— Bevin Tomlin, USA
Bevin is GBSI's Southeast Coordinator and also founded Leah's Legacy with her husband. She shares GBS info at Babypalooza events throughout the State of Alabama and started the Alabama GBS Awareness Campaign which promotes awareness and prevention of group B strep disease in babies throughout the State of Alabama by:
Unlike many women's stories whose babies die from a GBS infection, I DID know that I was positive and DID receive antibiotics at the time of delivery. Unfortunately, that was too late. The infection had passed through my intact membranes. There are several ways this can happen, when the mucous plug is lost (which is when I think it got to Leah), when the doctor performs an invasive exam (like checking for dilation), membrane stripping, or just for no known reason. My doctor, nor any doctors in her practice, knew that GBS could pass like this. From what I've read, most babies are stillborn when they get prenatal-onset GBS. Thankfully, Leah was with us for 6 days and we got to show her as much love as we could.
One thing I've learned in my research since Leah died is that if GBS comes back in a urine culture, women are considered more heavily colonized. Women should talk to their provider about taking oral antibiotics, especially if the colony count is over 100,000 cfu. In my subsequent pregnancies, I have been tested monthly for GBS in my urine and treated accordingly.
— Bevin Tomlin, USA
Bevin is GBSI's Southeast Coordinator and also founded Leah's Legacy with her husband. She shares GBS info at Babypalooza events throughout the State of Alabama and started the Alabama GBS Awareness Campaign which promotes awareness and prevention of group B strep disease in babies throughout the State of Alabama by:
- Providing materials to help providers educate pregnant women and new mothers as to how to help protect their babies from GBS disease.
- Making resources readily available for providers to learn more about GBS prevention.
Join Bevin's "What If We Had Known . . . ? campaign page HERE in tribute to Leah.
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.