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LUCAS — USA
Born August 12, 2019 Late-onset Mother's GBS Status: Tested negative Gestational Age: 38 weeks Age harmed: 3 weeks old |
I was set to be induced starting on Friday, August 7th. I didn't end up able to go in until 7pm and they started me on medication to start the induction process maybe an hour after we arrived. It was a very long process and many different things used to try to get me to go into labor. Saturday I told the nurses it was burning and hurting when I used the bathroom and I thought I had a urinary tract infection. They did a urine culture (this will be important later). Finally around midnight I started having contractions, Sunday they broke my water and after ups and downs and talks of C-sections I finally gave birth to my son at 3:01am Monday morning. A perfect 8 lb. 1 oz. Baby boy. Lucas Alexander. Even the nurses and doctor were cheering he was finally here. Everything seemed good. There was a little concern that I had a low grade fever during labor and Lucas also had a low grade fever at birth but all his tests came back okay and we were okayed to go home Tuesday afternoon. Shortly before we were about to leave a new doctor came on and said my urine culture came back positive for group b strep and they would be sending in a script for antibiotics for me. That was it and we went home. They did not tell me that meant to watch for anything for Lucas or any signs of it at all.
Something always seemed a little off with Lucas. He slept a lot but newborns sleep a lot. He screamed bloody murder during his bath and diaper changes. He kept his left leg bent a lot. But all these things I would talk myself out of being problems saying I was just a paranoid first time mom. Newborns just sleep a lot right. He just doesn't like his bath, he just is keeping his leg in the fetal position... Until one day his knee was really swollen. I took him in right away to the walk in clinic. The doctor we saw was great. He said, "It is rare in a baby this young, but I think its a joint infection and you need to go right to St. Mary's Emergency Hospital." So we went. We were admitted to the pediatric unit where we stayed for the next 21 days. Lucas had surgery to clean out the infection in his knee. After what felt like hundreds of IVs and tests including a lumbar puncture, it was finally found that his infection was group B strep. He had a pic line placed because his IVs wouldn't stop blowing his tiny veins. As a baby they even put them in their head, it is heart breaking to watch them stick out all over their little bodies. He had 21 days of IV antibiotics. I remember maybe a couple weeks into our stay one of the doctors with infectious disease saying to me she thought it was finally safe to say we were over the critical stage and he was going to be okay. I was so shocked because it had never even entered my mind he wasn't going to make it.
I am so thankful to that doctor that sent us right to the ER that day and the Mayo Clinic for saving my son. He is the greatest blessing in the world.
He is almost 17 months now and we just had his check up on his leg this week. They check on it every so often to make sure the one he had surgery on from the infection is growing the same as his other one. Everything is good and we don't have to have any more appointments for it!
He does have one last hearing test at 2 years old to check his hearing from the antibiotics so young (which I'm sure will be fine as he can definitely hear us) and then he officially has a clean bill of health from everything!
- Ashley
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Something always seemed a little off with Lucas. He slept a lot but newborns sleep a lot. He screamed bloody murder during his bath and diaper changes. He kept his left leg bent a lot. But all these things I would talk myself out of being problems saying I was just a paranoid first time mom. Newborns just sleep a lot right. He just doesn't like his bath, he just is keeping his leg in the fetal position... Until one day his knee was really swollen. I took him in right away to the walk in clinic. The doctor we saw was great. He said, "It is rare in a baby this young, but I think its a joint infection and you need to go right to St. Mary's Emergency Hospital." So we went. We were admitted to the pediatric unit where we stayed for the next 21 days. Lucas had surgery to clean out the infection in his knee. After what felt like hundreds of IVs and tests including a lumbar puncture, it was finally found that his infection was group B strep. He had a pic line placed because his IVs wouldn't stop blowing his tiny veins. As a baby they even put them in their head, it is heart breaking to watch them stick out all over their little bodies. He had 21 days of IV antibiotics. I remember maybe a couple weeks into our stay one of the doctors with infectious disease saying to me she thought it was finally safe to say we were over the critical stage and he was going to be okay. I was so shocked because it had never even entered my mind he wasn't going to make it.
I am so thankful to that doctor that sent us right to the ER that day and the Mayo Clinic for saving my son. He is the greatest blessing in the world.
He is almost 17 months now and we just had his check up on his leg this week. They check on it every so often to make sure the one he had surgery on from the infection is growing the same as his other one. Everything is good and we don't have to have any more appointments for it!
He does have one last hearing test at 2 years old to check his hearing from the antibiotics so young (which I'm sure will be fine as he can definitely hear us) and then he officially has a clean bill of health from everything!
- Ashley
Share info on social media to spread GBS awareness
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.