The life of a Frome baby has been saved thanks to guidance from a national infant charity.
Frome couple Matt and Laura Bradbury-Stewart acted quickly after Laura recognised the signs and symptoms of an infection in their baby, Sam, from an educational video on The Lullaby Trust’s social media.
“We had just been home for a few days and Sam was sleepy but feeding fine,” explained Laura. “On the third day he wouldn’t wake up or take any milk. I was looking through Instagram and saw on The Lullaby Trust’s page a video of a woman sharing her experience of her baby dying from an infection for the charity’s Infection Prevention Week.
“She said her baby, Joshua, had a low temperature and so Matt and I decided to check Sam’s temperature. When we discovered it was low, we instantly called the midwife who contacted the hospital who told us to come straight in. En route we couldn’t tell if Sam was breathing so called an ambulance who arrived and rushed him into infant resuscitation where they confirmed he was having breathing apnoeas (temporary pauses to breathing). From there he was warmed, given antibiotics, put on equipment to help his breathing and taken to neonatal intensive care. Sam went straight into an incubator where he spent a week in intensive care undergoing tests to try and figure out what was had caused his apnoeas.”
The Lullaby Trust offers trusted advice for parents and carers on safer sleep, reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and baby safety. This includes practical resources on spotting illness and infection in babies and when to seek medical help.
From 19th to 25th October, the Trust has been marking Infection Prevention Week aiming to give parents and carers the confidence to seek support, share tips on preventing the spread of infections and provide clear guidance on spotting when a baby needs urgent medical attention.
Laura said, “If it wasn’t for the awareness about infection from The Lullaby Trust, I don’t think I’d have taken his temperature as you always worry about babies having high temperature, so I didn’t even think about it being low. We both wonder if I hadn’t seen that Instagram post and Joshua’s story, whether Sam would be with us now.
“If sharing our experience can save another baby, that means everything. Our message to other parents this Infection Prevention Week, is it’s always better to get your baby checked than to wait as the consequences of not are too much. Don’t worry about bothering people. If you’re worried, it’s for a reason and any health professional would rather you call than sit at home worried.”
For more information about Infection Protection Week, visit lullabytrust.org.uk/about-us/our-campaigns/infection-prevention-week
![Town-wide programme brings month of social activities in May
A month-long programme of activities and events is set to take place across the town in May as part of an initiative encouraging residents to connect with themselves, each other and local places.
The scheme, Frome Connects, will run throughout the month and includes a mix of social activities, creative events and informal meet-ups in community spaces.
Highlights include the return of Dress Up Fridays, which began during lockdown and invites people to wear formal clothing or fancy dress and turn the town into their catwalk each Friday.
Set-piece moments include a Kate Bush-themed flashmob (Running Up That [Catherine] Hill) on 30th May, followed by a bell peal at St John’s Church where the bells will play Running Up That Hill.
There will also be a whole-town drone photo on Friday 30th May, with everyone encouraged to ‘look up’ at around 12.30pm.
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
Pictured: l-r Jenny Hartnoll and Ginny Adams](https://scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/684201964_18069463433653265_2722712448142239347_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiRkVFRC5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=lpPD1lkIpzUQ7kNvwGc5hdb&_nc_oc=Adpzr2hnI58mBzDyMxcnkdK_pr7-84FAARfoTk3dgtKJKwIbvYouQytEkAdXpaUAvxU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Urk_LoKdbyA5wCGXfOsmxA&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQE9bG0JiwAGbDiRybWpniHl3S_JME1opy0wA9QFDIy0XxntRNw8bGoPIKb_1jRonirVvDCw6NYu&oh=00_Af12PjQUAyrVZjkbOBVFQkTHkVywPeQ0QxjRSdeTjBvGIg&oe=69F6752A "Town-wide programme brings month of social activities in May
A month-long programme of activities and events is set to take place across the town in May as part of an initiative encouraging residents to connect with themselves, each other and local places.
The scheme, Frome Connects, will run throughout the month and includes a mix of social activities, creative events and informal meet-ups in community spaces.
Highlights include the return of Dress Up Fridays, which began during lockdown and invites people to wear formal clothing or fancy dress and turn the town into their catwalk each Friday.
Set-piece moments include a Kate Bush-themed flashmob (Running Up That [Catherine] Hill) on 30th May, followed by a bell peal at St John’s Church where the bells will play Running Up That Hill.
There will also be a whole-town drone photo on Friday 30th May, with everyone encouraged to ‘look up’ at around 12.30pm.
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.
Pictured: l-r Jenny Hartnoll and Ginny Adams")
