Natalie Q.

Survivor

My little girl Natalie was born November 9th, 2007, perfectly healthy. When she was 2 months old I noticed that she was arching her back when I would lay her down. I thought this was strange so I made her a doctor appointment. The doctor said it was just a cold and sent us home. The next day I noticed this again and took her back to the doctor. He said it could be RSV and sent us to the hospital for tests and to watch her. They did some blood work, and the RSV test came back negative. Her blood work however, was not okay. Her culture grew a bacteria, Strep D. My baby had sepsis.

She spent almost a month in the pediatric intensive care unit receiving IV antibiotics. I remember asking the doctor when he came in and told us the news if she would be okay, and his reply was that she was a very sick little girl and he couldn’t promise us that she would make it. I spent every moment by her bedside, and thankfully she made it.

She will be 11 years old this week and I am so thankful that I followed my instincts and sought care for her when I did. They never found the cause of her sepsis, the doctor called it a fluke. She never spiked a fever, never even seemed very sick when I took her to the doctor. Just a little congestion and arching her back. I never dreamed it would be sepsis.

Source: Emma (mother)

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