I was left paralysed from the neck down after giving birth so I missed most precious time with my baby

CRADLING your newborn for the first time is a precious moment.

But Charlotte Pennells had to wait three months to hold her daughter Darcey.

Charlotte Pennells could not hold her daughter Darcey as a new-born

Sepsis left the 28-year-old so ill after the birth, she was in a coma three days later and paralysed from the neck down.

She says: “Those first few weeks with your little one are so precious but I missed them all, fighting for my life.

“I longed to cradle her in my arms but all I could do was cry. I’m glad it is over but I want other new mums to trust their instincts if they feel something is wrong.

“When I flagged to medical staff that I was in pain, I feel it went unnoticed.”

Charlotte contracted severe sepsis and Group A Streptococcus after giving birth to her fifth child

Charlotte gave birth naturally to Darcey, her second child with fiancé Phil Merrill, 33, at Peterborough City Hospital on January 27 last year. But she felt unwell immediately.

She says: “I was over the moon but had agonising stomach pain and was too weak to hold or feed her. I was told these were side effects of natural delivery and sent home the next day with advice to take painkillers.”

Charlotte, also mum to McKenzie, 11, Perry, five, Phoebe, nine, and two-year-old Honey, adds: “With the other children, every birth was plain-sailing, but with Darcey I lost a lot of blood.

“Painkillers did nothing. I had no appetite and couldn’t hold or feed her, so Phil bottle-fed her.”

Charlotte was paralysed from the neck down and couldn't even speak — Charlotte was paralysed from the neck down and couldn’t even speak

Charlotte was so weak on her third day at home that Phil called an ambulance. In hospital, doctors diagnosed an extreme infection in her abdomen and put her in an induced coma, as they battled to get it under control.

Charlotte says: “I barely recall anything after the ambulance. I was in a coma for a week and when I came round was told I’d had multiple organ failure and needed an emergency hysterectomy.

“I had a Group A Streptococcus infection and severe sepsis, which can send the body into shock. This is a rare complication of birth, when bacteria are present.

“I was attached to a machine that oxygenated my blood to rest my heart and lungs. I was delirious at first, but when I came to my senses was horrified I could not move from the neck down. I could only blink. I couldn’t even speak.

Charlotte was put in an induced coma to keep her severe infection under control

How illness could have killed her

SUN doc Carol Cooper says: “Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a type of bacteria. It can cause a wide range of conditions, some of which can be lethal.

“In some cases, GAS becomes very invasive and leads to severe infections almost anywhere in the body. It can release toxins that send the body into toxic shock, and can trigger sepsis, also known as blood poisoning.

“This is when the immune system’s response to infection overwhelms the organs. If it isn’t treated right away, sepsis results in organ failure and death. They can be prevented, which is why there’s a growing number of specially trained sepsis nurses in UK hospitals.

“The key thing is to recognise that someone is more unwell than they should be. Then get medical help to begin treatment and improve the outcome.”

“Phil reassured me I’d be OK but all I could think was, ‘How will I look after my children, my baby?’ I had to spend two weeks in isolation at Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambs, with only rare visits by relatives, who wore masks for fear of giving me another infection.

“I ached for my baby and missed my children so much it hurt. I had to spend an agonising three weeks in intensive care back at Peterborough City Hospital, and another four weeks on a renal ward as my kidneys were damaged. Darcey was over a month old before I saw her again.”

Charlotte was also suffering critical illness neuropathy, which causes weakness and paralysis.

After being moved to a third hospital, Lincoln County, for rehab, she slowly had enough strength to hold Darcey. She says: “I cried with joy. It was amazing.”

Charlotte gave birth naturally to Darcey, her second child with her fiance

She left hospital in a wheelchair at the end of May last year — with mum Angie, 54, helping at home with Phil, who had to give up his work as a block paver.

She says: “It’s been a huge battle. I’d gone from running around after four children, to not being able to do a thing. If it hadn’t been for Phil and my mum, I don’t know how I’d have coped.”

That July, Charlotte took her first steps, with a Zimmer frame.

She says: “Now, nine months after leaving hospital, I’m slowly rebuilding with regular gym. I’ve got a way to go, at times I totter like a toddler, but I’m so pleased.”

Charlotte, who will marry Phil in August after four years together, warns other mums: “You know your body, and it’s important to be heard or ask for more tests.”

Phil says: “Charlotte’s a fighter, she is improving bit by bit, and I’m in awe of her courage.”

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital and met Charlotte after an “extensive review”, said it is “focused on sepsis recognition, treatment and prevention” in the maternity unit.