'I thought my baby just had a bug - but he was on the brink of death'

Baby Oscar was born a ‘perfectly healthy little boy’ and his family were living in a ‘happy little newborn bubble’.

But just weeks into his life, Oscar Pennington let out a screech his mum had never heard before. At first, concerned mum Vicky Pearson just thought his incoming symptoms could be the sign of a cold but within hours, Oscar was on the verge of death with meningitis.

As the waking nightmare continued, doctors rushed Oscar to treatment to save his life before the tiny baby’s parents were able to keep vigil at his bedside. “When we eventually got to see our tiny three-week-old baby, it was heart-breaking,” Vicky said.

“A machine was doing his breathing for him, his face was swollen because of all the fluids they were pumping into his body and our tiny baby boy was lying there fighting for his life.”

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Now living with a happy, nine-year-old Oscar, the Worsley mum is sharing how her instincts helped rescue her son back from the brink of disaster – and encouraging other parents to know the signs of meningitis before it's too late.

“Oscar was born a perfectly healthy little boy. He came on his due date and weighed 7lbs 8oz. For the first few weeks of his life we were in our happy little newborn bubble, helping his big sister adjust and trying to establish a routine with Oscar,” explains Vicky.

“He was a content and pretty easy baby. He fed and slept well. It was on November 14, 2013, when I left Oscar for the first time to go to the doctors. I was anxious to get back to my little boy and when I arrived he was asleep in his pram.

“It was on the drive home from his nanna’s when we got stuck in traffic that Oscar let out this screech. I had