Bedford parent of sepsis survivor baby speaks out about PTSD battle

A father whose son Oliver contracted sepsis at just five weeks old – and survived – is sharing his story in the hope it will help others.

The trauma of the experience affected dad Cy Gregory’s mental health so much, he was diagnosed with PTSD.

And now the dad, from Marston Moretaine, is sharing his story on an upcoming podcast with charity Sepsis Research FEAT.

Cy takes up the story as Oliver reached five weeks:

"He wasn’t very well at all. He was quiet, very congested and very lethargic. My wife, Christina, took him to the doctors who told us he might have a slight infection, so we took him to the walk-in centre.

"We were seen by a doctor who examined him and concluded he was congested and prescribed us some nasal spray. We took Oliver home and used the nasal spray every four hours as instructed.

“In the early hours of the following morning, Oliver was very noisy in his cot, almost moaning. I gave him some more nasal spray but he was very clingy to me and his arms were flopped at his sides. I woke Christina at around 7am and told her something was wrong. She took one look at the way he was breathing and phoned 111 immediately.

“Two paramedics came to our house in an ambulance and checked Oliver over. They said his heart rate was slightly elevated which could indicate a minor infection. They suggested they could take him to the hospital to have him checked or we could wait to see our GP later that day.”

Christina took Oliver to the hospital while Cy took their daughter, Summer, to school.

But by the time he got home, he received a frantic call from his wife to come to the hospital.

“I saw my little baby on a hospital bed with tubes going into his wrist and stickers on his chest to monitor him. I held his hand trying not to sob.”

The family were then moved to a main ward and stayed overnight to keep an eye on Oliver.

The next day was when Cy and Christina were given the news Oliver had contracted sepsis through meningococcal disease.

Cy said: “Guilt and shame completely washed over me. How didn’t I spot it when Christina did? How come I hadn’t realised something was really wrong? If I’d acted sooner he would be OK. I felt completely responsible and helpless.

“Oliver was observed every few hours. I was constantly Googling the signs of sepsis and wondering how I had missed it, wishing I had known the signs sooner.”

The anxious parents lived in the hospital room all week, taking it in turns to stay with Oliver.

And when Christina had just gone home for a break, a nurse told Cy they were going to do a lumbar puncture.

"I chose not to message Christina and tell her; I knew she would panic and rush back.”

Cy refused to leave during the procedure and even helped by holding his screaming child as spinal fluid was taken from his back.

“He screamed until his face was bright red. I kept kissing his cheek and telling him everything was OK.

“When it was over. The emotions came rushing back at once and I started crying.”

Thankfully, Oliver didn’t have meningitis and he was discharged – where he made a full recovery.

But Cy’s confidence was shot – he wrongly blamed himself as he believed he hadn’t acted quickly enough.

“I didn’t do any night feeds again, I had a fear that, if anything was wrong, I would miss it. This went on for about 16 months. I found myself not being able to sleep, constantly listening to the baby monitor.

“Christina wanted more children and I didn’t because I was afraid of what might happen to them.

"I reluctantly agreed to go through therapy. I was diagnosed with PTSD relating to the lumbar puncture and started having Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It’s been tough. It’s been emotional. But it’s been so rewarding.

“My therapist reminded me of all the things I missed from my memory. The fact that Oliver was seen by two doctors and two paramedics, none of whom thought he had sepsis, so how was I to know?”

Cy has now connected with charity Sepsis Research FEAT to raise more awareness of the dangers of sepsis.

The five key symptoms of sepsis are:

Confusion

Not passing as much urine as normal

Very high or low temperature

Uncontrolled shivering

Cold or blotchy arms and legs

Words of Sepsis podcast episodes will be available next month via Apple podcasts, Google and Spotify, and also on the Sepsis Research FEAT website