“If we’d have waited until morning we might not have been leaving that hospital with our boy.”
Grace’s son Oscar rapidly deteriorated after she noticed strange breathing and rushed him to hospital. She encourages other parents not to wait to get help.
“Meningitis took hold of our 6-week-old baby boy. Words can’t describe how we were feeling, thinking we might not bring our baby back from hospital. No parent should ever have to go through that.
“Meningitis is known for the telltale rash but Oscar never developed one. We initially called for help because of his breathing. It was loud, fast and we were very worried that he was struggling to breathe.
“Ozzy was showing no interest in feeding, he had very cold hands and feet, he was very pale and had a vacant stare. He wouldn’t take his eyes off the ceiling, almost like he didn’t want to move his neck around.
"Something was definitely ‘off’. We were blue lighted to York Hospital.
Vouch for your babies
"Oscar only spiked a temperature once we got to resus at the hospital. They gave him IV antibiotics straight away as any high temperature in babies implies they are fighting off an infection somewhere.
"This disease can kill within hours so getting antibiotics into the system as fast as possible gives the best chance of survival. If we’d have waited until morning we might not have been leaving that hospital with our boy.
"Please vouch for your babies - if your instincts are telling you something is wrong then there just might be!
"Ozzy had an emergency CSF tap which confirmed the suspension of bacterial meningitis. They told us it was Neisseria meningitidis.
Long days and nights
"What followed were long days and nights in hospital on antibiotic drips with feeding tubes in. The temperature spikes were still going on as he also had a viral infection at the same time.
"Seeing my 6-week-old baby laying lifeless for days on end being stuck with more needles and cannulas than I can count will haunt me forever.
"The doctors and nurses at York Hospital were unbelievable and acted so quickly, saving our baby boy’s life. We will be forever grateful.
"We managed to make it home with him and, so far, he’s doing really well. As Oscar was so young when he contracted meningitis the doctors cannot tell us how it will affect him in the long term, which scares me so much.
Focus on development
"We’ve put lots of things on hold, including our wedding, which we decided to postpone. We have wanted to focus on Oscar’s development, especially as there are lots of milestones he needs to reach in his first year of life.
"Oscar still has hearing tests and monthly check ups but, because he was treated quickly, his consultant feels he has a good chance to make a full recover.
"The experience has definitely scarred me emotionally as a mum. I worry about illnesses a lot more now. I fear the worst as soon as either of my children gets poorly, which has affected me going out with them for fear of them catching something.
"Reading others’ stories has made me feel much less alone and gives me confidence that my boy will be okay. The information on the Meningitis Now website and social media has been amazing to read and very inspirational.
