A mother has released terrifying footage of her baby girl who nearly died from sepsis in order to warn other parents of how dangerous it is.
Katie Goulbourn’s daughter Chloe Pierce went from being healthy and ‘off her food’ to ‘fighting for her life’ within just four hours last month.
She has shared footage of her 11-week-old, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, saying if she’d have known the symptoms she would have been quicker to get help.
More than 1.5 million people have watched the clip, posted on Facebook, with thousands praising her for sharing it – despite it bringing back all her fear.
Katie Goulbourn’s daughter Chloe Pierce went from being ‘off her food’ to ‘fighting for her life’ within just four hours last month
She has shared footage of her 11-week-old, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, saying if she’d have known the symptoms she would have been quicker to get help
Describing the video, taken before Chloe was hospitalised, she told Manchester Evening News: ‘This is Chloe at 3.53pm on Tuesday, January 16.
‘By 5pm she was in resuscitation with 10+ medical professionals doing everything to keep her alive.
‘Watching this video brings back all the fear from that night, however if I had known the symptoms that Chloe was displaying that afternoon were life threatening, I could have acted quicker.
‘Chloe went from being “off her food and a bit unsettled” to fighting for her life in under 4 hours.’
Miss Goulbourn added: ‘This was an extremely difficult and personal time for our family, one we have thought long and hard about sharing.
‘Ultimately we decided that if it makes one parent check symptoms quicker – then something good can come from sharing this.’
More than 1.5 million people have watched the clip, posted on Facebook, with thousands praising her for sharing it – despite it bringing back all her fear (Chloe pictured in hospital)
Miss Goulbourn, 28, took the video to send to Chloe’s firefighter father Tom Pierce, 33. He suggested seeking medical help
Miss Goulbourn is now trying to raise awareness of the symptoms of sepsis, which the Daily Mail has long campaigned for (Chloe pictured with her older sister Sophie, 15 months)
Miss Goulbourn, 28, took the video to send to Chloe’s firefighter father Tom Pierce, 33. He suggested seeking medical help.
She took Chloe to her doctor who then called an ambulance. Tom was at work in Wrexham and rushed to meet them both at Leighton Hospital.
Miss Goulbourn is now desperately trying to raise awareness of the symptoms of sepsis, which the Daily Mail has long campaigned for.
She said: ‘Grunting noises when breathing – it started off sounding very normal, like she was trying to poo, and gradually escalated to the sounds you hear in the video.
‘Struggling to breathe – notice how Chloe’s stomach is being drawn in beneath her ribs as she breathes.
‘Signs could also be chest dropping and head bobbing with each breath.’
Chloe is now at ‘home and doing well’, following a week in hospital with round-the-clock care from more than 50 NHS workers.
Miss Goulbourn, on maternity leave,’ added: ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce – although we should say feisty, as described by many nurses and doctors.’
Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs.
It is the leading cause of avoidable death, killing at least 44,000 a year, and the Mail has long campaigned for more awareness.
If caught early, the infection can be controlled by antibiotics before the body goes into overdrive – ultimately leading to death within a matter of minutes.
But the early symptoms of sepsis can be easily confused with more mild conditions, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose.
A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital – yet this rarely happens.
Miss Goulbourn has now urged other partents to trust their instincts.
She told MEN: ‘I would say always trust your instincts and seek further advice if you have any doubts at all.
‘I knew something wasn’t right but it’s thanks to Chloe’s dad for noticing the signs and telling me to call the doctor.
‘She was on oxygen in the GP surgery before the paramedics arrived. I thought we’d lost her in the ambulance.
‘You could tell how serious it was from the panic in resuscitation, they were all running around frantic desperately trying to stabilise her.
‘I’ve been back to the doctor’s since and they all recognised her name and said they had’t seen a baby that poorly in an extremely long time.
‘We can’t thank the duty doctor enough for acting so quickly that day.’