Well, here goes my story about Archer's early few months......I will tell it backwards, hope it's not too confusing......
Born in September 04, my 3rd child, Archer was the perfect baby, sleeping and feeding - completely settled from the very 1st day!
It all changed on Christmas Day 04. After getting up normally in the morning, we opened some presents and did our usual morning routine. Then all hell broke loose! Archer, who was a 2 hourly feeder, started crying and the crying elevated to screaming. Now, at the age of 3 months, and my 3rd baby, I was a little distressed too, as it was completely out of character for him. I did everything that I knew to do to try and sooth him to no avail. I couldn't get him to feed, and the screaming went on for 6 hours until he finally collapsed in exhaustion.
This was the start of trouble.....Archer went from feeding only once at night, to only sleeping in 30 - 45 minute lots, and waking up screaming in great pain. This persisted for 3 months, and I had returned to full time work. I got to the point of complete meltdown, as I just couldn't cope. It felt like I was a 1st time mum again. It was then that I first administered Nurofen, because no-one could help me with any answers. The Nurofen answered my prayers - he suddenly started sleeping through the night. I was so relieved! But, he was still the crankiest, most unhappy baby I have ever known.
Then Archer started developing lesions on his torso - they looked like extremely inflamed mosquito bites. Every time they were touched, they flared up again. I thought that he had an allergy to our hand soap, because of the location of the lesions. They came and went, and I started taking photos of his skin - as evidence. We made an appointment with a dermatologist. He took no time at all to diagnose "Mastocytosis". This condition means that his body potentially has multiple allergens, all which can cause serious internal pain and lesions on the skin. The worst possible reaction could be anaphylaxis. The lesions were being caused primarily by the Nurofen, as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - which is on the list of possible triggers. He gave us a treatment plan of Valergan twice daily and Cortisone cream on the lesions. We didn't follow this plan, as I was fearful of the long term effects of this on his development and health.
Knowing what we were faced with, we joined an international support group (due to the rareness of the condition - there are very few patients) and began educating ourselves. We found numerous triggers (allergens), and set about eliminating them from his life. But it was complex and never-ending. For example - the poor little thing would immediately blister if he touched grass!
Here is a link to the list of potential triggers for children with this condition:
So, now we have his condition under control (most of the time), and yes, we have relented to medicating him at times - to relieve his pain. As four year old, he can communicate his pain to us. But, you might ask how is this related to Strep B - well, during my 2nd pregnancy, I was told by my doctor that I had a positive swab, and would need to have an antibiotic drip if I had a VBAC - but that didn't eventuate due to transverse lie. Due to 2 c/s, I opted for my 3rd baby to also be delivered by c/s. The OB didn't bother checking my Strep B status, and bub was delivered.
Due to complications during delivery (me, not the baby), I didn't see him for very long before being whipped off to the nursery. I cannot be sure,
but I am fairly certain that there was nothing unusual about him, and infact the paediatrician mentioned nothing. My mother, who was at the nursery,
told me that when he arrived, he had a Staph pustule on his head. Over the course of a couple of days, he developed 3 more. The Paediatrician visited
and advised me of the highly infectious nature of these pustules, and administered an antibiotic cream to deal with the problem. After a week in hospital, and the pustules being clear, we were discharged. Within 24 hours of being home, Archer had approximately 50 on his head. We immediately returned to the Paed, who had no option but to prescribe a very heavy, long course of antibiotics. When the pustules cleared, that was when our real problems started.
Now, due to the condition of Mastocytosis being so rare, no cause is known. I cannot help but think that maybe the staph infection is linked to Archer's
condition, and may have been caused by Strep B, despite my c/s delivery. There are many other slight possibilities, but it has made me much more
cautious of Strep B. I have since read of other mums having issues with Strep B, also with c/s delivery (not resulting in Mastocytosis, but other
complications). So, it is, in my opinion, something to take very seriously - I will be asking for screening in this pregnancy, and happily accepting
treatment to protect my baby.
Strep B - Archer's Story
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