As his condition worsened they took him to hospital, where tests revealed viral meningitis. Laura, from Middlesbrough, recounts their story here.
“When Harry turned a week old I thought I was one of those lucky mums who had a good sleeper. He slept a lot like any new-born but completely different to my eldest, who was constantly cluster feeding.
“As the week progressed he started going longer and longer between feeds. Then the night before we ended up in hospital he wouldn’t latch on and he was screaming in pain – his tummy had ended up unusually large and bloated.
Something amiss
“My instincts told me there was something definitely amiss – I blamed my breastfeeding ability and asked the health visitor for advice. They told me to visit the breastfeeding clinic the following week or see my GP if I was concerned.
“That night he went further downhill, screaming and wouldn’t be settled until finally, in the early hours, he became extremely sleepy. I hadn’t fed him since 4pm, so we took him to the hospital.
“Instantly the midwife sent him to PDU for assessment. On arrival his condition had worsened – he was floppy, hot and a rash had appeared.
All a blur
“At the point of seeing the consultant things moved in a blur – he had a tube fitted and IV antibiotics were given. He had an infection but they weren’t sure where. Scans, lumbar punctures, bloods, nasal and urine tests were taken over the next few days.
“It was a terrifying and worrying time, especially seeing your tiny baby hooked up to tubes and monitors without being able to do anything to make them better.
“On day three we had the answer. The lumbar puncture and CFS came back positive for parechoviral meningitis.
So relieved
“We were so relieved that he had all the right support and after one week in hospital he had made a full recovery, was feeding without the tubes and we could go home.
“I can’t thank the hospital staff enough for their care and support during our stay and making sure my son was comfortable during all his treatments.”
