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Lily Bowman was born on the 6th May 2013, my fourth child. Lily was perfectly healthy at birth and born at full term weighing 6lb 1oz

We brought Lily home where her Big sister Katie doted on her and little brother Harry couldn't quite make her out  :) but everything was perfect. 

Less than 24 hours later Lily became rapidly ill she was taken into Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where it was discovered she had developed  meningitis and septecemia  as a result of Group B Strep. It took hours to control her fits and all we could do was sit there helplessly watching her suffer. 

Our world fell apart. 

The next few days were a blur, sitting by her incubator, watching the machines do her breathing for her and willing her to get better, I became a master at interpreting the machines, sleep wasn't an option. Our wonderful friends and family took over with our other children as we sat with Lily and waited.

On the 8th May we were told there was very little hope, the lab results had come back and confirmed Lily's condition was Group B Strep, there was very little hope and we were told to prepare ourselves for the worst. 

Lily was baptised in hospital surrounded by our family and friends. 

On the 9th May we were again called from Lily's side to be told there was nothing more that could be done. She had no brain function and we had to let her go. 

Lily passed away peacefully in her dad's arms that afternoon. 

Of course this is tragic, I would think so as it is my baby and my life. But what is even more tragic is that this is entirely preventable. Group B Strep is the most common cause of severe bacterial infection in newborn babies, usually presenting itself within 24-48 hours of birth. 

Research shows that testing of low risk woman late in pregnancy and offering antibiotics in labour to high risk women would prevent 8 out of every 10 potential cases. This is the approach used by many western countries.

Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Oman, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland and the USA ALL test their pregnant women for GBS, yet us, the great United Kingdom do not! .....Why? Our NHS say it is too expensive. The tests would cost the NHS £11 a test. Lily's time in intensive care would have cost over £70,000

A simple test to save a babies life. That's all we need. If the woman tests positive then antibiotics during labour are given... This drastically reduces the risk of GBS infection in newborns babies. After the introduction of a test the USA saw a reduction of over 80% of cases... 80%!!

That's it, that's all it takes! 

'But I have had children before, they were ok so I won't need to be tested' I hear so many people say. Rewind back to the beginning of my story. Lily was my fourth child, all my others were healthy and no indication of GBS, that's because it can come and go. You need a test at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy. 

You can pay for a private test and full details are available on the GBSS website www.gbss.org.uk 

The GBSS charity are fighting tirelessly to not only introduce routine testing in the UK but to educate midwives and clinical staff in recognising GBS symptoms and raise awareness . 

The charity do not receive any government funding and urgently need funds to continue what they do. Please donate, even a £1 and let's stop this happening. 

My story doesn't have to be your story.......

Thank you xx