Dad's praise after baby's life saved

Ethan Griggs

A GRATEFUL father has described how medical staff twice brought his baby back from the brink of death after a mercy dash to West Suffolk Hospital.

Five-week-old Ethan Griggs, of Great Cornard, is due to undergo an operation today to remove the enlarged muscle from his stomach which nearly claimed his life at the weekend.

His father Mark, 40, said Ethan had been taken to the village doctor's surgery on September 24 because he was unable to keep his food down.

Mr Griggs' wife Kerry, 25, was told Ethan was probably having trouble making the transition from breast milk to formula. The couple were advised to put a little Gaviscon in Ethan's food.

Mark and Kerry Griggs with Sons Tyler, left, and Ethan

The problem with feeding continued and last Friday afternoon he was taken back to the surgery to be assessed again.

However, six hours after returning home Ethan's health took a turn for the worse when he began vomiting forcefully.

Mr Griggs, of Raydon Way, said: “About 9.30pm the colour just drained from Ethan. We went straight to the accident and emergency department at Bury St Edmunds.”

The Griggs' had only been at the hospital for around an hour when Ethan's breathing collapsed and he had to be resuscitated twice.

Mr Griggs said: “He got put on the children's ward, but stopped breathing. We were very frightened. Ethan stopped breathing the first time for about 30 seconds before they got him back. He was only back for about two minutes and the second time it took longer to get him back. It was nearly a minute.

“We thought we had lost him. When Ethan stopped breathing our world turned upside down.

“I really want to thank the medical staff for saving Ethan's life. We really appreciate their quick work. They were there in front of us trying to bring him back.

“The nurses said if we had not taken him to the hospital there was a 99% chance we would have found him dead in the morning.”

Ethan was eventually diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. He has now been transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where he is due to have an operation today to correct the problem.

Mr Griggs, who has another son Tyler, two, added: “Ethan had a lump the size of a golf ball at the bottom of his stomach. His tissues had swollen and food was going down to the top of the stomach but it was not entering his stomach.

“We would like to make other people aware that if they have any doubts go to accident and emergency. The doctors and nurses were really good.

“The staff were so lovely to me and Kerry. They couldn't do enough for us.”



Pyloric stenosis is a condition that can affect the gastrointestinal tract during infancy. It can cause a baby to vomit forcefully and often and may cause other problems such as dehydration and salt and fluid imbalances. Immediate treatment for pyloric stenosis is very important.

The condition is a narrowing of the pylorus, the lower part of the stomach through which food and other stomach contents pass to enter the small intestine.

When an infant has pyloric stenosis, the muscles in the pylorus have become enlarged to the point where food is prevented from emptying out of the stomach.