Baby boy almost died after tummy bug left him severely dehydrated and his body began shutting down

Terrified mum Samantha Marwood, 31, was nursing nine-month-old Vincent last Saturday when he began throwing up every 30 minutes.

He continued to vomit for more than ten hours after picking up a stomach bug.

Sales assistant Samantha, from Burton Pidsea, Hull, said: “Around midnight last Saturday, we heard Vincent choking in his crib.

“I picked him up and there was sick everywhere. The bug hit him hard – he was up all night and day.

“We tried to give him water and milk but he couldn’t hold it down and was still being sick with the teat in his mouth.

“By 3pm the next day, he was exhausted and was only waking up to throw up a bit of bile."

She checked Vincent's temperature and it seemed normal – so Samantha presumed that the bug had passed.

A few hours later, however, she realised that he still wasn't right.

“He had zero energy, to the point where he couldn’t even hold his head up.

“I checked his nappy and it was dry as a bone – with the last one we had changed five hours prior also dry.

“His torso was bright red like he had sunburn, yet his hands and feet were ice cold and beginning to look grey."

The baby was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after extreme dehydration brought his blood sugar crashing down, causing him to lose consciousness and for his body to shut down – leaving him at risk of seizures, organ failure, limb loss and death.

“Doctors told me his body was shutting down – his arms and legs were unresponsive and limp, this was his body trying to protect his brain and vital organs.”

Medics at Hull Royal Infirmary found that Vincent's blood sugar had dropped to a deadly 1.7; normal glucose levels for babies is around 5-7.

After being pumped with fluids, glucose and antibiotics, Vincent's condition began to improve.

Mum-of-two Samantha is now speaking out after docs told her that the whole ordeal could have been avoided had she given her baby a cheap rehydration sachet like Dioralyte.

Dioralyte works by replacing essential body water and salts in cases of severe sickness and diarrhoea, and it can work for infants as well as adults.

It costs just £4 for a box, or 63p per sachet.

She now wants all parents to be aware of the ease with which the cheap remedy can help prevent a fatal blood sugar drop in youngsters.

Samantha added: “When doctors informed me about Dioralyte and other rehydration sachets, I couldn’t believe it.

“It wouldn’t have helped the vomiting stop but could have potentially prevented the situation from escalating at such a pace and possibly avoided the hospital.

“If I hadn’t have trusted my gut feeling, we would be telling a completely different story.

“I can’t urge parents enough to stock up their cupboards with re-hydration sachets.

"There is no such thing as being extra cautious”.

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