Lisa's son   — Lisa Postel, IA, USA

My son was born two and one half weeks before my due date. I had noticed that I wasn't measuring the same or ever higher when I was at doctor appointments. I asked about this and was told that it was normal. Well, when he was born he was only 5 pounds, 15oz. and 19 inches long. His birth took only 2 hours and 25 minutes. The doctor told me they were taking him to NICU because of his lungs. I just thought it was normal. When I first got to see him two hours later he was hooked up to oxygen and glucose by IV. The doctors were concerned at his blood sugar levels which were way too low. I didn't have any idea that there would be something wrong with my child. He wouldn't nurse at all that day, and he refused the bottle. I was told that he would be released to the newborn nursery by the morning. Still, no problem. Well, when I got up the next morning I was told that he was not there so I went looking in the NICU. That is when I was told that overnight they got the blood work back and in 8 short hours he had to undergo a spinal tap to be certain that the infection hadn't spread into his brain. I guess ignorance is bliss as I still didn't know what Group B strep was or how dangerous it could be. During his first two years we fought off bronchitis and pneumonia. That resulted in an allergy to penicillin. After that we fought off chronic strep infections of the throat. Now at eight years of age we are again fighting a chronic infection of ring worm. I have been told that all he needs to do is take the medicine and it will go away. Well, after 6 months of taking it we still can't get rid of this. I just want him to have a normal life and not have to fight so many things that other children will never have to.