Gabriel and David says parents should learn GBS after their experience with Baby Bowen
At only three weeks, Bowen settled in family life with his parents and his older sister. But although there is nothing wrong with clearly, it will be close to the intensive care wing, fighting for his life. Parents of Gabriel and David Hertig, both of whom are 30, believe that confidence in their instincts means that their son survived “From birth, Bowen was a truly satisfied child, I cried when a child was usually easily settled, and certainly took my full genes,” said David of Bournemouth. “Our life was generally great, as I enjoyed it with our daughter, which was absolutely the time of stealing in the best way. “We have always been planning another existence, so when my wife became pregnant for the second time, we were all in our little bubble waiting for new access.”
Boen was born in December 2023, but at the age of three weeks, Gabriel had a strong feeling that there was something wrong. “The only sign that my wife identified is that Bowen was crying more than usual; he did not cry much in general, so the signs were very small,” explains David. “I was outside the first part of the day when my wife was Bowen. “I mentioned that it was more annoyed than the usual and the usual things will not be settled like a cuddling, play, milk or sleep. I must say that one of the most amazing things in the world is the instinct of the mother. “My wife said that something is not true and wanted to be examined until we did, and thank God we did that the result might be very different.” The following steps occurred in the blink of an eye. Gabriel Bowen took A& E, where David met them. “I realized that he was dangerous when Bowen had been moved in the arms of Gabriel without life and pale surrounded by many medical professionals who rushed inside and outside the room,” David recalls.
“We were transferred to intensive care where there was a consultant awaiting us and who confirmed that they might need to be ventilated and transferred to Southampton. The next day, they confirmed that Bowen had blood rot in his blood and they had to get a lower back image to check meningitis that he did not fortunately. “We were confused, afraid and anxious about what Bowen means.” Ultimately, the little boy will be diagnosed with the late BTPS group (GBS), which is the most common cause of life -threatening infection in newborns, causing serious infections including poisoning, pneumonia and meningitis. On average, two children per day develop GBS infection in the UK, and one child dies a week. Most of these cases can be prevented through early diagnosis and timely treatment. Gabriel had tested positive for GBS during a routine test during pregnancy, but the paramedics told her that he had no worry. David recalls: “She has not been given any information during pregnancy for what should be searched for, so we only put it from our minds and we have never considered that it could be something that generates us again in childbirth after birth,” David recalls. Boen was initially treated for the respiratory virus (RSV). However, GBS was also treated as a preventive measure, and his condition began to improve. “If this was not to test urine during pregnancy, which then prompted us to inform the doctors that I had experienced positive for Strep B, his treatment was different, which means that his correct diagnosis could have been missed as it was at the time that RSV was treated,” Gabriel added. “Once we got the diagnosis of sepsis in Group B, and the inflammation of potential meningitis, we realized how weak it was. He had tubes out of his nose, and the air was pumped into his lungs and the injection was after injection as well as intravenous antibiotics.”
A year after Bowen's diagnosis, he is happy and healthy, and is looking to celebrate his first birthday. “We were very fortunate because Bowen had survived and also completely recovered without any other effects to change life because others are not so fortunate,” added David. “I will always celebrate and be grateful to NHS and all medical professionals like everyone who dealt with us and where was incredible. The care was incredible and it was well taken care of. “I hope that more people know what the group is Strep, and who can affect, its risks and risks, and what can be done to prevent this. Pregnant women should be given more information about the group B during the pregnancy trip and must be tested routinely, and health care professionals must be aware of the group B and potential effects.
“More awareness must be raised about Group B, it is a horrific thing that 1 in every 4 women carry during pregnancy, but there is no information provided at all during this time.” David runs the London Marathon in 2025 to support the Stur Group B Charity Group B, which stops infection in Group B in children. “I run the marathon so that we can return something and hope that we will support other families who are not lucky as we were,” explains David. “Perhaps we were lucky, yet our newborn days stole with Bowen, and instead, we filled with dread because there is an opportunity to reunify the infection of up to three months. I want to raise awareness to stop the group B. Learn more about Group B support at www.gbss.org.uk
