When my babies were little I wore them in a wrap. I didn’t let anyone touch them and I made sure if anyone held them they weren’t sick and had washed their hands. I know, it sounds overprotective, but they never got sick and stayed healthy. When I saw this post on Facebook, I felt good about my choice. Now, I’m sharing with you so you can be on the safe side and protect those babies.
The herpes simplex virus (HSV) impacts about 70% of US adults. The most common virus is HSV-1 or cold sores. Most adults and some children get these on or in their mouths. They are painful, annoying, and highly contagious.
Mom, Claire Henderson, wants parents to know how horrible Herpes can be for a baby. She posted frightening pictures of her daughter on Facebook in order to warn parents. Here is what she said:
“Please share this with every new mum and pregnant woman you know… COLD SORES CAN BE FATAL FOR A BABY. Before 3 months old a baby cannot fight the herpes virus. If a baby contracts this it can cause liver and brain damage and lead to death. I know this sounds like I am scaremongering but if my friend had not told me about this my baby girl could have been very seriously ill. I noticed the signs early and got her to A&E, we have now been in hospital on a drip for 3 days and have got another 2 to go. She was VERY lucky, all her tests came back clear. The moral of the story is DO NOT let anyone kiss your newborns mouth, even if they don’t look like they have a cold sore- 85% of the population carry the virus. And if someone had a cold sore ask them to stay away until it has gone. Everyone who I have spoken to had not heard of this before and so I felt it was important to share Brooke’s story and raise awareness to stop anyone else going through what we have this week.”
Parents, DO NOT let anyone, even family members kiss your babies on the face. This is a life threatening virus for infants. It is probably a good idea not to let anyone with herpes kiss your children either. In fact, no kissing when cold sores are a potential.
