NANTWICH mum Sue Leighton has just become the newest volunteer ambassador for a national baby charity close to her heart, Group B Strep Support.

Sue and her family now know just how lucky their newborn baby daughter Hannah was to survive her group B Strep infection in 2004.

Group B Strep is the UK’s most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies – causing septicaemia, pneumonia and meningitis. Carried naturally by two to three pregnant women in every 10, group B Strep is rarely dangerous to the mum but, if passed onto a baby around birth, can have potentially devastating consequences for the baby.

Sue and her family had neither heard of group B Strep nor was Sue offered a test during her pregnancy to detect group B Strep carriage.

Hannah and her twin brother William, were born prematurely at around 32 weeks in February 2004.

Hannah was poorly shortly after she was born, due to developing a group B Strep infection.

She spent two weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit at University Hospital of Staffordshire, and then allowed home for the first time.

However, the following morning she became gravely unwell and was unable to maintain her normal temperature. She awoke ‘grey’, ‘grunting’ and unable to feed.

Mum Sue gave her ‘mouth to mouth’ and rushed Hannah back to hospital where she spent a further two weeks.

She had a lumbar puncture, an investigative procedure to detect meningitis, and was put on intravenous antibiotics to clear her group B Strep infection.

Sue said: “The biggest shock with group B Strep is that it is preventable. Knowing this leaves you feeling angry and asking, why aren’t we doing more in this country to prevent group B Strep infection in newborn babies?

"We were lucky, Hannah received the best care she could, but her tiny life was in the balance.

"At the time, the only information I saw on group B Strep was via an article in a magazine. Since Hannah’s birth, I have lent my support whenever I can to help more expectant families be group B Strep aware. It is so important, and can save babies’ lives.

"I am extremely honoured to become a Volunteer Ambassador for a charity that is so close to my heart. I do not want to see what happened to our family, happen to someone else.

“I cannot believe that the UK health service continues to ignore a prevention strategy that could save babies’ lives. Why should health professionals have to use a test that’s little more than guesswork? It is time to stop guessing, and start testing.”