New mum catches horror flesh-eating virus a week after complication-free birth
A new mum contracted a rare and deadly flesh-eating disease just a week after giving birth with no complications.
Charleigh Chatterton, 27, welcomed her daughter Alessia on April 22 with no initial complications.
But six days later she developed a huge rash across her abdomen which eventually turned into necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease with a mortality rate between 11 and 22 per cent.
Charleigh, from Harwich, Essex, said: "We left the rash for a day as it looked normal at first but it got a lot worse.
"My fiancé Liam called the midwives and they recommended I went in to be checked.
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Charleigh Chatterton's wound on her abdomen (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)
She developed into necrotising fasciitis (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)"With multiple tests carried out in Colchester Hospital, I was getting clear results but my health was rapidly declining and I was struggling to remain conscious.
"They sent me down for a CT scan and very quickly after this I was given the news of a possible flesh eating bacteria, necrotising fasciitis, and I needed surgery immediately."
Charleigh was rushed down on May 1 for an operation and she then had another surgery the next day.
She was kept sedated for another day when doctors were able to wake her up - but Charleigh still had two large open wounds on her abdomen.
As a result, a significant amount of dead tissue had to be removed to stop the continuously growing flesh-eating bacteria.
The wounds were left open until May 8 when she then had medical vacuum pumps fitted around her body.
A significant amount of dead tissue had to be removed (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)
The wounds were left open until May 8 (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)Once they were fitted, Charleigh had a further week of physiotherapy treatment before heading home.
Describing how she was feeling during this potentially fatal ordeal, she added: "I was so frightened, I didn't think I'd ever be able to see my daughter.
"Liam's biggest fear was losing me or my daughter and knowing that it was potentially going to be me made me feel quite guilty.
"I always told him that would never happen and receiving potentially fatal news made me feel guilty."
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The new mum in hospital (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)
Charleigh gave birth to her daughter Alessia on April 22 (Charleigh Chatterton / SWNS)Charleigh thanked doctors and nurses for being "fantastic" with their treatment of her and keeping her comfortable.
She added: "I'll definitely have scars but I don't care how many I live with, I'm just happy to be alive."
Necrotising fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating disease", is a rare bacterial infection that can happen if a wound gets infected. It spreads quickly in the body and can cause death, says the NHS.
Symptoms can develop quickly within hours or over a few days. Initially, you may have intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound, swelling of the skin around the affected area and flu-like symptoms.
However, these can then get worse causing you to be sick, confused or develop black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on your skin.
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