This young mother experienced a traumatic tragedy: the loss of her infant a few days after birth. The events took place in 2018. On May 12, 2018, Abigail Friend gave birth to her first baby. A little girl named Aliza Rose, who will unfortunately only live 8 days. Abigail chose to tell her heartbreaking story to Cafemom in order to alert young parents to this little-known danger. This is the herpes virus, which can be very dangerous for children.
36 hours after the birth of Aliza Rose, her mother noticed that her baby is not doing well. The little one is not eating and has difficulty waking up. Initially, the doctors did not take the young mother seriously. But by insisting, they end up carrying out analyzes and discover that the infant is contaminated with HSV-1, namely the oral herpes virus. As a reminder, this virus (not to be confused with HSV-2 which is genital herpes) is extremely widespread among adults. According to the WHO, Most adults carry the virus but not all show symptoms. It is therefore possible to carry the virus without knowing it.
Her baby dies from a kiss
The WHO indicates that “Most HSV-1 infections are acquired during childhood.” But the virus is not dangerous for adults or children. On the other hand, it is for babies. And little Aliza Rose unfortunately died. Doctors believe she was infected on the first or second day of her life. “Aliza caught it from someone who didn’t wash their hands or someone who gave her a kiss and was a carrier”, explains her mother, who bitterly regrets not having been more vigilant at the time.
“Looking back, I really felt like I hadn’t emphasized as much as I could have to be strict about banning kisses, because I didn’t want to upset anyone. And I think a lot of new moms feel that way. But they shouldn’t, because the consequences could be fatal.” An unfortunate kiss that forever broke the life of this young mother. “It took the virus 6 and a half days to completely destroy his body. […] The disease ate her lungs and brain and she suffered from not being able to breathe.” says Abigail Friend. The message she wants to convey: “ALWAYS wash your hands before touching a newborn and NEVER kiss them,”