A mother from Durham has shared a warning after her newborn son's suspected heat rash turned out to be meningitis, leading to an emergency hospital stay of nearly a week.
Gabrielle Ingham, 32, had welcomed son Hayden Hopkinson eight weeks earlier, with the baby appearing perfectly healthy. On September 13, she spotted a light rash around his ears and cheek, with light dotting on his chest. Gabrielle, who is also mum to 21-month-old Hallie, initially put it down to a simple heat rash.
Rapid deterioration and emergency treatment
But when Hayden's temperature had spiked by the following morning, she knew something more serious was going on. He was rushed to A&E, where doctors delivered the news that he had meningitis.
“I felt absolutely heartbroken – I was so worried about Hayden, but also blamed myself and questioned whether I should have realised something was wrong sooner,” said Gabrielle, a retail manager from Durham.
“At first, I thought it was just a heat rash, so I didn't think too much of it. I think there's an idea that meningitis always looks a certain way, but that wasn't our experience at all.”
Before his temperature spiked, Hayden was generally fit and well, with “no indication that anything serious was wrong”. It was only in the night following the appearance of the rash that Gabrielle and dad Chris became concerned.
Hospital care and recovery
They rang 111, who advised them to take him straight to A&E, where it became clear that the situation was far more serious than they'd anticipated. Gabrielle said: “Treatment was started straight away as soon as we arrived at hospital.”
“Because Hayden was so young and had such a high temperature, the doctors took it extremely seriously, as a high temperature in a baby of his age can be very dangerous.”
Hayden was given two types of antibiotics and had to have two lumbar punctures as doctors fought the infection. The tot remained in hospital for six days and was discharged on September 20.
Thankfully, he has made a full recovery and doesn't need any further check-ups. Gabrielle added: “He's back to being his happy self, which we are incredibly grateful for.”
Raising awareness of meningitis signs
Now, the mum is sharing their ordeal in a bid to raise awareness of the early signs of meningitis – including the small rash it had initially presented as for Hayden. She said: “I wanted other people to see just how quickly babies can deteriorate.
“I would say a typical meningitis rash tends to be more purple with dark spots that can resemble tiny bruises. The rash he had wasn't what people would necessarily consider a 'typical' meningitis rash. I hope by sharing Hayden's story, other parents might recognise that something isn't right and trust their instincts.
“Babies can become seriously unwell so quickly, and I think it's really important for people to know that meningitis doesn't always present in the way you expect. We will always be incredibly thankful to Durham Hospital for acting so quickly and taking such wonderful care of us both.
“During such a frightening and uncertain time, their kindness, care and reassurance meant the world to us. We are truly grateful for everything they did for us.”
