Parents all over the UK have been sharing their harrowing stories in a bid to raise awareness of meningitis, and now one couple are raising their voices for another important issue.
Alaska-Lily Morrison and Callum Perry have called for mandatory Group Streptococcus B testing for every pregnant woman in Britain, following their baby daughter’s ordeal with septicaemia.
Their experience dates back to last October, at the birth of daughter Amelie. Alaska-Lily had been tested for Group Strep B during her pregnancy, with one of the tests coming back positive. As a result, Alaska-Lily was given antibiotics during her labour, as there is always a risk of the infection passing from mother to child.
Little Amelie was not breathing when she was born, and she was subsequently rushed to intensive care. After being resuscitated, the tot later became unresponsive once again and was put on antibiotics and placed in a special care unit.
It was then that Amelie was diagnosed with septicaemia and, after a four-day ordeal of blood tests and a lumbar puncture, she finally recovered.
Although Amelie is now doing well, her parents have told local media that she is lucky to be alive. They credit Alaska-Lily’s Group Strep B testing with saving their baby’s life, and they now want this simple test to be made available to each and every mum-to-be.
They have since lent their support to a Group Strep B Support charity’s campaign for the NHS to make these tests mandatory for every pregnant woman.
