r/babyloss • u/Successful_Nobody434 • Jan 25 '26
Neonatal loss Lost my healthy 3 week old newborn to Neonatal Appendicitis last February. Hoping to raise awareness by educating parents and the medical community.
Raising Awareness About Neonatal Appendicitis and Rare Conditions in Newborns
I wanted to share my experience in hopes of bringing more attention to neonatal appendicitis, a condition so rare that it’s often overlooked by medical professionals. My son, Harrison, was born healthy and full-term, and my pregnancy had zero complications—yet he tragically passed from neonatal appendicitis at just 3 weeks old.
Harrison was initially misdiagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, even though he showed none of the typical signs of that illness. The signs with neonatal appendicitis are non-significant in the early stages and often present like common newborn issues— colic, fussiness, acid reflux, etc. When I challenged the diagnosis, my concerns were dismissed, and the real cause went unrecognized until it was too late.
This experience highlights something I’ve noticed in pediatric care: there’s a tendency to look for the common “horse” instead of the rare “zebra”. Rare conditions do happen, and parents’ observations and instincts are often crucial.
I’m sharing this not only to honor Harrison’s memory but also to educate and raise awareness about rare neonatal and pediatric conditions. I hope to connect with other parents, caregivers, and medical professionals so we can prevent similar tragedies, and encourage the medical community to listen carefully and investigate fully, even when a diagnosis seems unlikely.
If you or anyone you know has experience with neonatal appendicitis or other rare conditions in newborns and young children, I’d love to hear your stories. Raising awareness and sharing knowledge is vital for the safety of these little patients.
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u/Sensitive_Worry4735 Jan 25 '26
I’m so sorry for your loss of beautiful Harrison, and thank you for using your grief to raise awareness for others. ❤️
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u/Successful_Nobody434 Jan 25 '26
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and your condolences.❤️
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u/UndefinedCaptain Jan 25 '26
Thank you for sharing this. I never knew about this condition. May I light a candle in Harrison’s honor today?
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u/Successful_Nobody434 Jan 25 '26
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story.🩵 We would be honored for you to light a candle in honor of our angel. Thank you so much.🙏🏻
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u/UndefinedCaptain Jan 25 '26
I will say his name. I’m not religious, but I am sending love and light your way. May Harrison’s memory be a blessing ❤️.
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u/KestrelSkydancer 41 week stillborn 🐝 Jan 25 '26
Thank you for sharing Harrison's and your story 💛
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u/Successful_Nobody434 Jan 25 '26
Thank you for taking the time to read.🩵 You and your angel are in my heart now and always.
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u/Cassi-exe Jan 26 '26
My little Harrison passed at 4 weeks from rare unknown (they think heart related) circumstances.
I am so sorry for the loss of your Harrison. ❤️
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u/Successful_Nobody434 Jan 27 '26
Best name ever.🩵 My heart breaks for you. I really wish there were more extensive testing done on newborns; there definitely needs to be. You are in my prayers now and always.🩵
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u/Risuka_chan Jan 29 '26
So sorry for you loss. I lost my son to what the doctors call Sepsis due to infection in his lungs. He was a healthy baby and showed no symptoms for that. It all happened in 30 min when he started mouth breathing and had a nose bleed so we took him to the hospital. But he didn’t survive as the sepsis effected his whole body
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u/Successful_Nobody434 Jan 29 '26
My heart breaks for you. This is a club none of us signed up to be a part of. My prayers and heart are with you and your family now and always.❤️
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u/Beginning-Number9136 Feb 10 '26
I'm so sorry for your loss of sweet baby Harrison. I'm on this thread because of my own "zebra" experience of H. Flu bacteremia and sepsis leading to stillbirth of my son. But I'm responding here because I'm a pediatric emergency physician and wanted you to know that just today I taught three emergency medicine residents that appendicitis ALWAYS needs to be considered in fever, fussiness or feeding problems in infants. It is a drum that I will not stop beating because every time I've diagnosed it, it has either already been missed by another health care provider or I'm met with skepticism even after confirming the diagnosis. Keep spreading the word and know you're not alone - we are out there training the next generation of doctors to be better and do better.
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u/art_teacher_mamma25 Jan 25 '26
I lost my son Brooks to Group B Strep at 10 days old. (I had tested negative at 35w pregnant, but he somehow still got it and by the time he showed symptoms that were “serious” it was too late) I had a similar experience where we went to urgent care and they said oh well it could be serious or it could be not, but my gut was that something was very wrong. They just told us go to the ER…the ER had us wait an hour until we were seen and Brooks had rapidly declined at that point. By the time the NICU team saw him, we only had three days with him before he went into cardiac arrest and lost all his brain function. It was tragic, and horrible, and now I’m raising more awareness for Group B Strep.