Hudson's Story   — Jennifer Flowers, GA, USA

Hudson passed away at 6 weeks old due to late onset GBS causing meningitis/sepsis, November 29, 2004. He was my second child so I was well aware of infant behavior. It all just happened so fast. We had just seen the Dr. on Tuesday for a 6 week check up and everything was fine. Three days later on Friday I noticed a fever and lack of interest in eating. I called the pediatrician and we took him in. He was immediatly rushed to the local hospital where antibiotics were started. He was put on a ventilator for breathing and transferred to Childrens' 90 miles away. He died a couple hours after we arrived in the ambulance. From the time I noticed a change in his behavior to the time he passed only spanned a short 12 hour period. It was all a blur. I've done all the reading up on this possible. I know that the mother can test negative and a few weeks later test positive. The GBS can be present one day and not the next. I am pregnant again and scared to death. I will have the antibiotics this time and the baby will be given penicillin before he leaves the hospital but there are still no guarantees. A vaccine is in progress for this but years away. I know that research has come along way in just recognizing the problem and giving antibiotics prior to delivery, however, I feel that we may have had a chance if we would have known the symptoms to look for. My pediatricians number is programmed on speed dial and I've warned the nurses that I'll be calling every time the new baby makes a sound. It's very frustrating to know that our child died from late onset GBS and that my test was negative. It stastically seems that my son had a better chance at becoming an NFL football player. The chances of late onset GBS are so rare. I feel that this issue doesn't get enough medical attention because the death ratio is so small in comparision to other diseases. I will be donating to a worthy cause and hope one day the vaccine will be available to other pregnant women so they won't have to experience the pain, confusion, and daily sadness that we feel.