My unborn baby nearly died after her big sister caught a common bug at school – please keep your sick kids at home

A MUM whose unborn babe astir died aft she caught a communal bug from her girl has warned different parents astir its dangers.

Zoe Ellard, 34, was rushed to infirmary astatine conscionable 25 weeks into her 2nd pregnancy aft her eldest girl came location from schoolhouse with the illness.

The tot had caught slapped feature syndrome, a information commonly seen successful children that causes symptoms similar headaches, a precocious somesthesia and a telltale reddish rash connected 1 oregon some cheeks.

It's caused by a microorganism called parvovirus B19 that spreads done coughs and sneezes oregon touching contaminated objects.

Slapped feature syndrome spreads easy due to the fact that astir radical don't cognize they person it until they get the rash.

It's rarer for adults to drawback it, but it tin crook much serious.

Zoe picked up the bug from her tot, which pb to her unborn babe processing hydrops fetalis - terrible swelling caused by the slapped feature virus.

The devastated mum was told small Elsie would beryllium stillborn - but the babe miraculously survived aft her commencement astatine 27 weeks and is present 15 months old.

Zoe, from Peterborough, Cambs, has present shared her communicative to rise consciousness to astir however superior slapped feature syndrome tin beryllium for large mothers and their babies.

She's called for guidelines that let parents to nonstop their children to schoolhouse with the unwellness to beryllium changed.

The hairdresser said: "We astir mislaid Elise and it ripped our household apart.

"When she was born, cipher knew however to dainty her.

"We were told that she was the lone babe successful the UK that had it to the severity that she had and to survive. We were very, precise lucky.

"I conscionable privation radical to realise however unsafe slapped feature is."

Slapped feature tin beryllium peculiarly unsafe for pregnant women arsenic it tin infect their babies with different superior information called hydrops fetalis.

It causes ample amounts of fluid physique up successful a baby's tissues and organs, causing extended swelling.

Around fractional of babies who declaration hydrops bash not survive.

But the NHS notes that hazard of miscarriage and different complications to large women from slapped feature syndrome is precise small.

Zoe contacted Peterborough City Hospital astatine the opening of July 2023 to accidental that Maddison, past ten, had contracted slapped cheek.

She said: "I was alert that it was perchance unsafe to large women and I was told that the midwife wasn't definite if I needed to beryllium seen and that she would cheque with the consultant.

"I was past told that it was truthful uncommon that a pistillate my property would not beryllium immune to slapped feature that I would not request a humor trial but I could petition 1 from my GP to marque myself consciousness amended if I wanted.

"I said 'good luck with that arsenic I tin ne'er get done to them'."

'Touch and go'

Two weeks later, Zoe rang the hospital's NHS helpline for large women to accidental that she felt large and dense contempt being lone 25 weeks pregnant.

Zoe sent a signaling of her baby's heartbeat to a midwife astatine the infirmary and insisted she was seen earlier being admitted to hospital.

Tests led doctors to reason that her babe had hydrops and that Zoe had entered pre-term labour.

She was blue-lighted to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, wherever she was told that her babe had fluid connected her brain, her bosom and her stomach.

Zoe was told the devastating news that Elsie's organs were failing and she would not survive.

The mum-of-two added: "The main extremity was to get maine to Luton infirmary wherever the fetal medicine squad would measure the situation.

"When we got there, we were told we were being blue-lighted to King's College Hospital successful London the next time and it was interaction and spell whether my babe survived the night.

"We got the London to beryllium told that Elsie's humor number was 2 erstwhile the mean scope is 14 to 24.

"We were told that had I gone to infirmary a fewer hours later, she would person been a stillborn.

"While successful the womb, doctors carried retired 2 humor transfusions to the umbilical chord to effort and prevention Elise's beingness from implicit a play of 2 weeks.

"We were told the attraction was moving but not arsenic good arsenic they had hoped and I was preparing to springiness commencement to a stillborn."

Zoe began to endure from reflector syndrome, a uncommon but perchance life-threatening gestation complication which meant that she besides contracted a fig of Elsie's symptoms, including bosom nonaccomplishment and liver problems.

'On the rise'

Zoe discharged herself connected July 20 to walk clip astatine location with her elder girl arsenic it was apt her babe would beryllium stillborn - but she went into labour that day.

The squad managed to present Elsie and ventilated her upon transportation but Zoe was inactive told that it would beryllium a fewer hours hold to spot if she would survive.

The household spent 14 weeks successful infirmary - including six weeks astatine Leicester Royal Infirmary - wherever Elsie fought for her life.

Despite having been calved astatine 27 weeks owed to a placental abruption - erstwhile the placenta separates from the partition of the womb - Elsie is present 15 months aged and has begun to crawl.

Elsie inactive has parvovirus successful her humor but is asymptomatic and not contagious.

Doctors are inactive waiting connected the results of further tests if her immune strategy is compromised.

Zoe said: "Regulations request to changed and women request to beryllium offered these humor tests.

"Slapped feature is connected the emergence and cipher realises however unsafe it is to large women and their children.

"It's unbelievable that guidelines inactive beryllium that archer parents that they tin nonstop their children to schoolhouse with slapped cheek."