A mother’s “beautiful” new baby passed away in her arms after repeatedly being assured there was “nothing to worry about.”

Three days after his birth, Joshua, the son of Louise Martin, was diagnosed with group B strep (GBS). The infection resulted in major issues like brain damage.

In Britain, GBS is most commonly contracted by babies; the infection can be transferred from mother to child at birth.

Mother Louise, 39, suspected her child had a GBS infection because of her infant’s grunting and lack of appetite.

The day after Joshua was delivered, Louise was sent home by Lister Hospital in Stevenage. When she called the hospital again to express her worries, she was instructed not to worry.

When Joshua was two days old, he was returned to Lister Hospital. There, a ventilator was installed and GBS meningitis was diagnosed.

With severe brain damage, Joshua struggled to survive for eight months before passing away in his mother’s arms.

Even though losing Joshua was extremely difficult, Hitchin, Herts. resident Louise commented, “We loved him so much.”

“My grandparents lost their only grandchild, our girls lost their dear brother, and we lost our beautiful son.”

“I believe Joshua would still be here with us and be leading a happy, healthy life if the GBS infection had been discovered sooner.”

“Until I studied more about GBS, I was shocked by how widespread it is.” Why more isn’t being done to identify it and prevent human infection is unclear.

Louise encourages all expectant mothers to get tested for group B strep at the end of their pregnancy because she has two daughters. In this manner, care plans can be modified as needed.

It follows after Irwin Mitchell secured for her a confidential settlement about Joshua’s care from the Hospital Trust. The Hospital Trust refuted any accusations of negligence.

A root cause analysis inquiry report found that Louise’s Group B Strep carriage status was “inappropriate” for the Trust to handle and discuss.

Additionally, Louise stated, “I hope that by speaking out, I can help more people learn about GBS, even though it’s too late for Joshua.”

If I can use what happened to our family to benefit others, then maybe Joshua’s death wasn’t entirely meaningless.

“In none of my previous pregnancies did I receive any information on GBS. It was only once that I can recall being questioned about it by a midwife at an antenatal visit when I was expecting Joshua. I had never before received a GBS diagnosis.

“I didn’t give it much thought at the time because I didn’t know what GBS was.” I’ve always been anxious when I get pregnant because we lost our first child, but this time around with Joshua, it went rather well.

“But I felt like something wasn’t right while I was laboring.”

Joshua began to moan and stop eating not long after he was born.

Every time I attempted to bring it up, though, there was nothing to be concerned about. Even after we were told to return home, I sensed something wasn’t right.

A blood clot in the boy’s brain caused his death in 2012; Louise and her husband were the parents of the stillborn child. Louise’s subsequent pregnancies were regarded as high-risk.

On New Year’s Eve 2020, Louise visited the hospital. She was induced that afternoon and was there alone due to Covid limits.

She claimed to have overheard doctors discussing the necessity for antibiotics and how concerned they were about her condition that evening.

On January 1, 2021, shortly after six a.m., Joshua was born. Within a few hours of Joshua’s birth, following the first feeding, Louise became concerned because he was moaning, experiencing problems with his body temperature, and refusing to eat.

On January 2, in the afternoon, the two were allowed to return home. Louise was still concerned, though, when she came home.

That evening, she called the hospital and was informed there was nothing to be concerned about.

Joshua was brought back to the hospital because he was hungry during the night and was chilly and limp in the morning.

On January 4, 2021, Joshua was admitted to neonatal intensive care and diagnosed with a GBS infection.

Louise sought to get tested to determine whether she had GBS after he was diagnosed. Despite first being informed that the test result was negative, the results turned out to be positive.

Joshua’s medical professionals believed he might not survive, but in February 2021, they released him from the hospital.

After spending roughly six weeks in the hospital, he was discharged to Keech Hospice and given permission to return home.

At the age of eight months, Joshua passed away in his mother’s arms due to persistent and severe health issues.

According to the information on his death certificate, he had a severe brain injury from a GBS infection and died of respiratory failure.

Louise requested an investigation into their treatment from the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which manages Lister Hospital, by the knowledgeable medical negligence attorneys at Irwin Mitchell.

“The bacterium is usually harmless to the one in four women who carry it, but a small number of babies will get very sick or even die if they are exposed to it around birth,” stated Alexandra Highfield of Irwin Mitchell.

To find out if a pregnant lady is harboring the bacteria, a straightforward test can be performed. If so, her treatment plan may need to be adjusted to include intravenous antibiotics during birth in order to prevent infection in the unborn child.

Louise and her family are still quite distraught about Joshua’s death and what transpired, as one could anticipate.

“We’re happy we were able to get them this settlement so they can move past the case, but nothing can make up for the pain they’re still going through.”

“What happened to Joshua serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with GBS infection and the importance of everyone being aware of the symptoms.”

A person’s life can be changed by learning about group B strept and having access to prenatal testing, according to Jane Plumb MBE, CEO of the charity Group B Strep Support. “Knowledge is power, and it’s a very important tool when it comes to group B Strep, helping to stop tragedies like Joshua’s death.”