How a simple kiss almost killed an eight-week-old baby
A baby girl nearly died after a serious infection developed from a simple kiss.
Eight-week-old Eliza Hobbs, from Billingham in northeast England, spent five days in a medically induced coma after a sniffle developed into a chest infection.
Her parents believe a “simple lovable kiss” could have killed their baby.
Her father Thomas, 27, woke to find her “pale and lifeless” in her cot on November 7.
Little Eliza turned blue and her parents called an ambulance and rushed her to hospital.
“It felt like we were in the centre of an earthquake – like we’d been pushed to the back of the room and all we could do was watch our daughter and we couldn’t do anything to help her,” Mr Hobbs said.
“At that point we thought we’d lost her. They were performing CPR on her.”
Eliza was transferred to another hospital and was placed into a medically induced coma.
“They were listening to her chest and could hear secretions,” Mr Hobbs said.
“They took swabs to try and find out if it was a viral or bacterial infection.
“They couldn’t identify what it was from the results so put it down to a chest infection but we think it was bronchitis.”
The father said it was the “worst scenario” the family could imagine.
“We thought we were going to watch her take her last breath,” he said.
“She was in a coma for five days and three or four times they had to perform CPR because she stopped breathing.
“It could have been a cold that would have just passed had it been an adult, but it developed into a massive chest infection which became life-threatening.”
The parents described how they breathed a huge sigh of relief when little Eliza came around and was able to breath on her own before she was sent home after spending seven days in the intensive care unit.
“Everyday she’s getting a bit better and less chesty,” Mr Hobbs said.
“She’s a little fighter. She fought when she was born and she’s had to do it again.
“Thankfully she’s going to make a full recovery and we’re able to enjoy her as new parents.”
Taking to social media, her mum Sophie said her baby had been left ‘lifeless by a common cold’.
“I want to make all parents aware; please, please keep warm in the cold weather and keep your babies warm too,” Mrs Hobbs said.
“I just want to warn all parents as it is heartbreaking for me and my husband to see our baby girl like this. Please do not let other people kiss your baby.”
