"I didn't think I was leaving with my baby."
A mum has shared a terrifying warning to other parents after her daughter's serious illness was mistaken for teething symptoms.
Australian mum Tiffany Henderson noticed that her normally bubbly seven-month-old daughter, Violet, wasn't eating properly and her lips were swollen.
She assumed that this was just the normal signs Violet's teeth were starting to come in - but, as it turns out, it was far more serious.
She told
Nine News that the young girl's lips soon turned dark purple in colour and became very cracked and dry, before she went limp.
As Tiffany and her partner Peter rushed Violet to the hospital, a strange rash began to appear all over her body.
Violet was soon diagnosed with the meningococcal virus, which often is used to describe meningitis and septicaemia - and often identified as a rash.
The rash is a sign of blood poisoning, which often means that the virus has reached a critical stage.
[caption id="attachment_315040" align="alignnone" width="615"]
Credit: Nine News[/caption]
Tiffany told
Nine News that they were thankful to have gotten their daughter to the hospital when they did.
She said:
"If I didn't have her there when I did, she could've been leaving with no legs or not leaving at all, so it was pretty serious.
"I didn't think I was leaving with my baby."
Violet made a full recovery, with her mum and dad able to take her back home after two weeks in hospital.
The parents are now urging parents to make sure their children get the meningococcal B vaccine so they can avoid a similar situation.
