A mum from Aylesham whose baby was born blue in colour is calling for the NHS to back a "simple" test which could save lives.

Doctors denied Krystal Aveling's plea to carry out a pulse oximetry test on her daughter Poppy despite her worrying skin shade.

Born in the QEQM Hospital car park, frail Poppy was deemed healthy by midwives who put her irregular colour down to being born outside in the cold.

Krystal, 35, said: “When Poppy was born, her father Kelvin and I were concerned because she was a blue shade in colour but the midwives assured us that this was because she was born outside and was probably cold.

“She wasn’t given a routine pulse oximetry test and a junior doctor said she was fine.

“For 36 hours, Kelvin and I expressed concerns about her colour and were told we were anxious parents and that she was cold because we hadn’t done 'skin-to-skin' contact with her.

“Finally, a senior doctor took us seriously and a pulse oximetry test was taken, it showed that her oxygen levels were only 38% and her heart was racing.

"Shortly after, Poppy stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated."

Despite the pulse oximetry proving to be a life-saver for Poppy a recent review by the NHS has recommended to the UK National Screening Committee against the use of the tests on newborns.

The committee is now holding a public consultation about whether the evidence supports the decision.

Krystal added: “We received the worrying news that Poppy had TGA (Transposition of the Great Arteries), a serious but treatable heart condition.

"At one-week-old Poppy received her life-saving surgery.

“She is now enjoying school and is a Brownie, she likes to tell the other children about her heart condition and explain why she has a scar.

“If a pulse oximetry test had been taken, I feel she could have been treated earlier rather than getting to the stage of needing resuscitation.”

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