My baby girl was killed by a cough – I screamed in horror as doctors tried to give her CPR
SCREAMING in horror, mum Charlotte Cooper watched as her worst nightmare played out in front of her.
Her tiny baby girl was lying lifeless as doctors desperately tried to save her.
After trying for two years to get pregnant with her husband and partner of nearly five years, Andrew Cooper, 39, Heidi was born on September 27, 2018.
But, nine months later, the tot fell ill with what appeared to be a sickness bug.
Days later when Heidi's heart stopped, her parents were forced to watch on in horror as medics tried to save her.
Their efforts were in vain, as hours later CT scans showed Heidi had suffered catastrophic brain damage and was brain dead.
Doctors then told the couple Heidi had been struck by meningitis and sepsis.
Their ordeal began on July 7, when Charlotte, 39, from Airdrie, Scotland, took Heidi to Wishaw General Hospital where she was treated for a viral bug, before being sent home two days later.
"Heidi woke up on Monday afternoon after her nap and wouldn't stop crying, she had a fever and couldn't keep food down," she said.
Charlotte called NHS 111 and took Heidi to her local health centre, where staff told her to go to hospital.
There medics treated the tot, and her temperature began to come down and she was able to eat again.
By Tuesday afternoon, Charlotte was able to take Heidi home.
But, the nine-month-old failed to show any signs of getting better, and by the following afternoon, Charlotte said she couldn't ignore her instincts anymore.
She took Heidi back to hospital, where her fever got worse, her joints started to hurt and she wouldn't even look at her parents.
I held her in my arms as she was pronounced dead, it was the worst moment of our lives
Charlotte Cooper
Charlotte said things went from bad to worse.
"She just sat in her chair lifeless, so I asked Andrew to come home from work so we could take her to hospital," the 39-year-old said.
"Every symptom Heidi had, such as constant vomiting, was labelled as part of a virus.
"She was admitted to a ward early on the Thursday morning for further observation, where a nurse took her to a treatment room at around 3am.
"While she was in there, six doctors were working on her at once."
SPOT THE SIGNS OF SEPSIS IN BABIES
SEPSIS is a killer condition triggered by an infection - including meningitis, pneumonia and urinary infections.
It's where the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock.
Signs in a child
Although sepsis is a rare condition, it can be deadly if not treated quickly.
According to the , you should take your child to A&E immediately if they feel "abnormally cold to touch" or is "very lethargic or difficult to wake".
Additionally, if your child has developed a blue tone to their skin, looks very pale or is "breathing very fast" then this is reason to call 999.
Another crucial symptom of sepsis is a "rash that does not fade when you press it".
You should also seek urgent medical attention by calling 111 if your child is finding it difficult to speak, making "grunting noises with every breath" or has developed a worryingly high or low temperature.
In older children, sepsis can also cause diarrhoea, less frequent urination, clammy skin and slurred speech.
Symptoms in babies
Due to their weak immune systems, parents of toddlers and babies have to be extra vigilant when looking out for symptoms of sepsis.
A temperature of over 39C or below 36C in babies aged three to six months warrants a call to 111.
If your child is struggling to eat or drink and not wet their nappy for over 12 hours, then this could also be a sign of the life-threatening condition.
You should also seek urgent medical attention if your baby has developed a bulging soft spot on their head.
Young children with sunken eyes who are physically weak, whining and crying could also be suffering from sepsis.
It was then doctors told Charlotte that Heidi was suffering sepsis, and warned she would need to be transferred to intensive care at a specialist hospital.
Realising something was "very wrong" with her daughter, Charlotte still could not compute that she might not survive.
Just before transferring her, doctors took Heidi into the operating theatre to insert a breathing tube.
But just before reaching surgery, Heidi's heart stopped.
"I will never forget that moment when I saw doctors giving her CPR," Charlotte said, describing how she collapsed to the floor and screamed "no" as her husband dragged her away.
Heidi's heart stopped for two minutes and vomit flooded her lungs, but miraculously her heart started again and doctors got her on to life support.
Charlotte and Andrew then faced a torturous three-hour wait for Heidi to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
"Every footstep we heard outside made us expect to see a doctor coming for us," Charlotte said.
"I couldn't sleep, eat or drink - I was in complete shock."
Finally, on the 20-minute drive to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlotte spoke to her daughter the entire way.
Yet, despite clinging on to hope, when Heidi arrived, medics shared the devastating news that she was brain dead.
A CT scan had confirmed the tot no longer had any brain activity.
Heidi had suffered catastrophic brain damage due to a lack of blood to her brain when her heart stopped.
Remembering the final moments, as she said goodbye to her daughter, Charlotte said: "Looking at Heidi and touching her cold head, listening to the sounds of the machines, I knew she was gone.
"We had all the family there when we switched off the machines on July 11.
“I held her in my arms as she was pronounced dead, it was the worst moment of our lives.”
A week after her death, Charlotte and Andrew met with two doctors from Wishaw who explained that Heidi had pneumococcal septicaemia which caused sepsis and meningitis.
Charlotte said: "Her infection was pneumococcal, which she caught from someone coughing or sneezing, according to the doctors.
"I never believed Heidi was dangerously ill, nor did I understand that she was in a life or death situation.
"Now, we just have to keep busy and find little things to do each day, but it still feels like a hell we can't escape from.
“Andrew would like to try again for another child, but I don't think I can - nothing can replace Heidi and I know I would be anxious at every little cough and sneeze.”
MORE ON SEPSIS
The couple are now speaking out to warn other parents of the danger sepsis poses to their kids.
"Parents need to know more about sepsis, it kills so many people," Charlotte said.
"I can't help but think that if we knew more about sepsis she could still be here now - I would have insisted it to the doctors and asked her to be checked sooner.
“Every hour counts with sepsis and the chance of surviving it - I don't want this to happen to another innocent baby.”
Charlotte is determined not to let Heidi's death be for nothing as she has decided to set up a Just Giving page and arranged a charity walk in September in Edinburgh for Sepsis Research FEAT.
Charlotte's and sign up for the
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