Hello to you all I am delighted to be writing to you in the run up to Christmas with some really amazing news. Today a brand new information leaflet about group B Strep has been published by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Group B Strep Support (GBSS) http://gbss.org.uk/latest-news/new-joint-leaflet/. This is a massive step forward in our campaign and the fight against GBS infection in newborn babies, especially because for the first time EVER in the UK, it is recommended that this leaflet is provided to ALL pregnant women in the UK. I am confident this will save babies’ lives and help prevent parents’ heartache. As you will know from the stated aims of our petition and your own experiences, there has never before been a recommendation that pregnant women should even be told about group B Strep in any way. Finally, that recommendation is now in place, and RCOG & GBSS have developed this leaflet to ensure that all pregnant women are provided with the vital and potentially life-saving information on GBS. I do need to make something clear though – whilst the recommendation is to provide the information leaflet to all pregnant women, sadly there are no public funds being made available to produce and distribute the RCOG/GBSS leaflet. GBSS are therefore seeking funding to ensure hard-copies of the leaflet are provided to every pregnant woman in the UK in 2018 (roughly 750,000). If you can, please contribute at https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/gbss/raiseawareness . This represents another key turning point, as it is also the first time that the ‘gold standard’ ECM test for GBS carriage has been recommended for any use within the NHS. The new recommendation is that women who carried GBS in their last pregnancy and, if their baby was fine, should be offered the option of either: a) ECM testing with antibiotics then offered in labour if positive or b) antibiotics offered in labour without testing. This is in addition to the existing recommendation that if a previous baby suffered from GBS infection, Mum should be offered antibiotics in all her subsequent labours. The leaflet also includes something that many of us have commented should be happening: for the first time pregnant women will be told that ECM testing for GBS carriage is available outside the NHS. (The leaflet links back to GBSS’ website http://www.gbss.org.uk/TestingforGBS for those wanting more information about available tests.) It’s also the first time there’s been a collaboration like this between the RCOG and a charity, and is testament to the strength of feeling within the medical profession that awareness of group B Strep and prevention of these infections needs to improve. Asking for all pregnant women to be given information about GBS was one of the key asks of this petition, and I am so pleased and proud that this is now being achieved. You all played a vital part and share in this achievement, and I thank you for your support. We will continue to fight for the ECM test to be offered to every pregnant woman on the NHS, because we know that carrying GBS when giving birth is the key risk factor for babies developing these infections. Not automatically giving all pregnant women the opportunity to find out if they are unknowingly carrying group B Strep (the most common cause of bacterial infection in babies under 3 months) is simply not acceptable. However, for now, we can celebrate real progress! I truly believe that ensuring that all pregnant women have high-quality information on group B Strep and the availability of ECM testing outside the NHS, endorsed by the RCOG and GBSS, will bring about a sea-change in awareness, which in turn will help prevent the potentially devastating effects of group B Strep, and save babies like Edward. Again, huge thanks to all of you who have helped and supported on this journey. I’ll keep you posted as there is more progress. Merry Christmas! Best wishes, Fiona