Group B Strep During Pregnancy and Beyond: How A Solicitor Can Help
2 Min Read
Imagine this: you’ve suffered from urinary tract infections and stomach pains throughout the course of your pregnancy and, despite numerous tests, Group B Streptococcus (GBS) was not detected.
A further test for infection (High Vaginal Swab) is done shortly before you go into labour but not passed to the laboratory. Your daughter is born, three days later, in good condition and at first there is no cause for alarm. Later that day it becomes apparent your baby is having difficulty breathing and she is transferred to Intensive Care.
It is at this point the results of the High Vaginal Swab (HVS) taken three days earlier are obtained and it is confirmed you tested positive for GBS. Sadly, by the time this has been discovered your baby has become so poorly that she passes away.
That’s the reality of group B Streptococcus, and the tragic true story of one of our clients.
Standard tests used by the NHS to investigate vaginal symptoms are not designed to specifically detect GBS and this can lead to falsely negative results. In this case, the high vaginal swabs (HVS) were not processed by the laboratory in the recommended timeframe.
How did having a solicitor help?
We can’t change the outcome, but Enable Law’s Claire Stoneman and Adele Wilde successfully argued that if the sample taken before the mum went into labour had been sent to the laboratory in a timely manner, it would have been realised sooner she was carrying GBS.
If this had happened, the mum would have been given antibiotics during delivery and it’s likely her baby would have survived. While no amount of money could ever compensate for the death of a baby, Claire and Adele negotiated a five-figure settlement which could be used to help her, her family and her baby’s siblings move forward.
Were you affected by Group B streptococcus while pregnant?
Seeking legal remedy at a time of bereavement might well be the furthest thing from your mind, but we have extensive experience of representing grieving families and will be there to guide and support you every step of the way.
The first step is a free, no obligation and entirely confidential discussion so you can talk about what happened. Contact us to speak to one of our expert streptococcus negligence solicitors and learn more about birth injury negligence.
