Our beautiful baby boy died in our arms on his first birthday – asking a simple question earlier could’ve saved him
Little Archie died in his parents’ arms in the early hours of his first birthday after a devastating battle with sepsis.
Although the little one showed signs of a fatal infection, doctors didn’t recognize him until it was too late.
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“If the question ‘Could it be sepsis?’ “Earlier people asked it could have saved his life,” former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz of Tiny Hearts Education wrote in a post about Archie.
She shared his story in hopes that more families might learn about the devastating condition.
Archie’s family took him to the emergency room after he had an intermittent fever for two days while he peed and drank less and less.
A fine rash also appeared on the little one’s back and stomach, the child wrote in a blog on the Tiny Hearts website.
They arrived at 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday, but Archie wasn’t put to bed until around 3 p.m.
From then on, doctors focused on getting Archie to pee, even though the boy was getting worse and becoming more lethargic.
His mother wrote: “I explained to the doctor that Archie had never behaved like this before when he was sick.
“He had Covid at four months old and had all the germs from daycare and I had never seen him like that before, but the focus was still on his urine output.”
A report on Archie’s care that his parents received five months later found that doctors should only spend four hours getting him to urinate, as standard protocol calls for – rather than ten.
There were also some early signs that he may have had sepsis, but a way to confirm or treat this was initiated too late, the report revealed.
By 8:30 p.m. the little boy was “going further downhill, he was completely limp and the rash was getting worse.”
But he wasn’t transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit until 2 a.m. the next day.
Early in the morning, little Archie “started to develop a severe bluish rash” and appeared more agitated.
Because doctors wanted to sedate Archie so his body could rest and intubate him, they urged the little one’s parents to get some sleep.
But when they were shaken awake by a doctor and nurse just 30 minutes later, Archie’s mother knew immediately that something was very wrong.
Her baby had suffered cardiac arrest – meaning his heart had stopped pumping blood throughout his body.
She recalled: “As we walked down the corridor to his room, I don’t think anyone could have prepared us for what awaited us: what felt like 20 doctors and nurses surrounding our poor little boy, trying to bring him back to life to awaken.” .
“I remember the nurse holding my body up and me screaming at Archie and telling him I was here.”
Although doctors managed to restart Archie’s heart, he suffered cardiac arrest two more times.
“At this point our little boy was almost unrecognizable. He was so swollen and blue,” his mother wrote.
Later that day, Archie’s parents were told their son had two cold viruses and a bacterial infection called group A streptococcus – known as Strep A – which had turned into sepsis.
When doctors said Archie would suffer severe brain damage if he survived – and that his limbs might have to be amputated due to lack of blood flow – his parents were forced to have “the worst conversation ever.” [their] Life”.
They made the agonizing decision to turn off the machines and let their beautiful little boy go.
“We asked the doctors to help us get him to his first birthday, which was the very next day,” Archie’s mother wrote.
“At midnight, as August 23rd began, balloons filled the room as we sang happy birthday to Archie for the first and only time, surrounded by our immediate family. My husband and I then snuggled up in Archie’s room to sleep together last time.”
She held little Archie the next morning as they turned off the machine and he took his last breaths.
“To all parents out there: please fight for proper care for your children,” wrote the little one’s parents.
“Our children are the most precious gift of all. Nobody knows our children better than we do, and they are worth fighting for.”
What are the signs of sepsis?
Sepsis is a life-threatening infectious reaction that occurs when your immune system overreacts and begins to damage your body’s tissues and organs.
According to the NHS, symptoms can sometimes be difficult to recognize.
However, you should call 999 or go to the emergency department immediately if your baby or toddler has:
- Blue, grey, pale or mottled skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms or soles of your feet
- a rash that won’t go away when you roll a glass over it
- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or breathing very quickly – you may notice grunting noises or sucking of the stomach under the chest
- a weak, high-pitched scream that doesn’t resemble her normal scream
- do not respond as they normally do or have no interest in eating or participating in normal activities
- being sleepier than normal or difficult to wake up
Keep in mind that your child may not have all of these symptoms.
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