A mum has spoken out after her baby contracted meningitis and almost died due to a condition that could have been prevented with a simple test.
Mum-of-three Laura Robinson delivered baby Faith in May but just three weeks on she knew something wasn't right.
Laura, from Belfast, told Mirror Online her newborn daughter had been extremely irritable and constantly crying.
"She suddenly wasn't breathing, it was about 20 seconds and her left arm had gone limp.
"I thought she'd had a stroke."
The 33-year-old rushed her tiny baby to the Royal Belfast Hospital and the tot was quickly given blood tests and a CT scan.
Laura said: "I was told she had Group B Strep. I had never heard of it."
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Group B Strep is a type of bacteria and according to the NHS 2 out of 5 people have it in their body, usually in the rectum or vagina.
It's normally harmless and most people won't realise they have it.
But it can be fatal for newborns who can catch it when they go through the vaginal canal during birth.
Laura said: "You know your baby, from the first minute.
"I asked the doctors if there was anything I could've done differently.
"They said she would have died if I hadn't got her to hospital when I did."
At just three weeks old, the Group B Strep bacteria caused Faith to contract meningitis and she was left fighting for her life as her body battled the disease.
After getting through the meningitis, it was clear to doctors and mum Laura that Faith was still not out of the woods.
An MRI scan revealed Faith now had hydrocephalus – fluid on the brain – which needed draining to save her life.
Laura, who is also mum to Brandon, 9 and Shane, 6, was told her youngest child needed brain surgery.
"It was horrendous, especially when you have other kids at home.
"I was told she needed a shunt inserted into her brain.
"It goes from her brain into her neck and into her stomach, releases fluid into stomach."
The family know that the shunt can get blocked at any time and Faith has already had more brain and stomach surgery to insert a new shunt after the first one blocked.
Faith has an 80% chance of needing another shunt within the year, all of which means she is put through another round of brain surgery and all the risk associated with it.
Laura says despite all of her challenges, little Faith who is now six months old, has slotted perfectly into her family and her big brothers adore her.
"She is the best baby, she doesn't hardly cry, she sleeps all night, she's a dream," proud mum Laura adds.
"Shes a special little girl. She's just a special baby and she was sent here for a reason. I wouldn't change anything about her.
"We're just taking everything one day at a time."
In the UK women are not routinely screened for Group B Strep, but testing is increasingly being made available within the NHS, and is widely available privately.
Intravenous antibiotics are offered to women in labour to reduce the risk of their newborn baby developing Group B Strep , if they are aware they carry the bacteria.
Laura said she would advise pregnant women to get the test done.
She added: "I would say definitely get the test done at the hospital, or a private clinic.
"It's only a few pounds. That's all it would have taken.
"Once they know they can give antibiotics.
"Faith could be left like this for life. I wouldn't want another baby to go through what Faith has."
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