A terrified mum who watched her “whole world” crash down around her has thanked the doctors who saved her baby’s life after a seizure.
Chloe Locke, from St Mary’s Bay, on Romney Marsh, watched in horror as baby Autumn began to shake before going “floppy and unresponsive”.
The 27-year-old called an ambulance and impressively, teams arrived at their home within three minutes last Thursday.
Miss Locke recalled: “She was having a bit of an off day, just was a bit sick after her feeds.
“I was just starting to do dinner and my two-and-a-half-year-old Willow said: ‘Mummy, mummy, Autumn poorly.’
“I ran over to the crib and she started shaking and I heard this gasp for air.
“Once she stopped she was so floppy and unresponsive to the point where she was like a doll. Her head was just dropping down.”
The mum put Autumn in the recovery position while brave toddler Willow let in the paramedics herself, before the baby was rushed to hospital.
Miss Locke said: “When I saw them hit the trauma light in the ambulance, I was really scared.
“Autumn was just inconsolable. She kept crying and then all of a sudden she’d stop and wouldn’t make a sound.”
Once at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, they were sent to the children’s A&E, where doctors began fighting to save the sick baby’s life.
Miss Locke told KentOnline: “It was like a movie.
“It was like so many doctors were swarming her at once and putting cannulas in.
“They were treating her for the highest possible infections and they didn’t know if she’d make it. It was really difficult.
“It felt like the room stopped for a second and I was watching my whole world crash around me. She was just lifeless.
“I hate to use the word, but it looked like she was dead.
“It was horrible. She was pale. She just wouldn’t move.”
Autumn stabilised and after blood tests and investigations, she was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with possible sepsis.
Miss Locke says doctors think as antibiotics were administered so quickly, the serious infection did not show up in later tests.
After staying in hospital for two nights, Autumn was sent home last Saturday, to come back for more antibiotics the next day.
Miss Locke added: “At first she came out in a really bad spotty rash and they didn’t know if it was meningitis, but they all cleared.
“The staff were fantastic. Not only did they look after my daughter in the highest possible way, but they knew that I had severe anxiety so they let Autumn’s dad Charlie stay as well.
“Usually only one parent is allowed overnight.
“They kept on coming in, checking that I was OK. They were so lovely in ways I didn’t expect.”
East Kent Hospital Trust, which runs the William Harvey, has been under scrutiny in recent months.
For eight straight months, it has been ranked among the six worst in the country for 12-hour ‘trolley waits’, with patients enduring lengthy delays to get a bed on a ward.
Miss Locke said: “I heard conversations between staff about who was coming through the doors and how they were dealing with it.
“I think it opened my eyes a little bit to just how much pressure they are under.
“I just want to thank them for saving my baby and for responding so quickly and doing everything that they did – everything that they could have done.
“I just can’t even put it into words. I’m just so grateful.”
Since her ordeal, Autumn has been recovering well and even smiled for the first time on Saturday night.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “‘We are delighted that Autumn is doing well.
“Our teams work incredibly hard to provide the highest standards of care to all our patients and receiving positive feedback means so much.”
Newly qualified paramedics, Katy Ratchford and Mandy Nash, from South East Coast Ambulance Service, said: “We’re so relieved to hear that Autumn is now home and recovering. This must have been an incredibly frightening experience for Chloe and her family, and we’re glad we could be there to help when they needed us most.
“We wish Autumn a full and speedy recovery and send our best wishes to the whole family.”
RSV is not usually a serious illness, but the elderly and babies under six months have a higher risk of getting seriously ill.
Symptoms can include:
– a cough that gets worse
– shortness of breath
– faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
– difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
– noisy breathing (wheezing)
Sepsis is life-threatening and can be hard to spot. Parents should call 999 or go to A&E if their child has:
– blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
– a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis
– difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast
– a weak, high-pitched cry that’s not like their normal cry
– not responding like they normally do, or not interested in feeding or normal activities
– being sleepier than normal or having difficulty waking up
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