Meg Edmonds and Ben Brookes want to raise awareness about HSV and the danger it can pose to new babies
A grieving mother whose newborn daughter died after contracting the herpes simplex virus (HSV) is urging other parents to educate themselves about the little-known dangers cold sores can pose to babies.
For most adults, cold sores are usually a painful but common infection. But in newborns, whose immune systems are not yet fully developed, HSV can cause a life-threatening illness.
Meg Edmonds’ daughter Magnolia died at just 10 days old in February and it is suspected the virus may have been passed on by her mother.
“The guilt is obviously unbearable, it’s horrible, but I just try to remind myself that I didn’t know and I did what I could have done with the knowledge I had,” she said.
Warning: this story contains disturbing details
She decided to speak out publicly as part of an infection prevention campaign run by the Lullaby Trust, a charity that promotes infant health.
The 22-year-old, from Rugeley in Staffordshire, said Magnolia was born healthy after what she described as a simple birth.
“I had a wonderful birth with her, a water birth. She was almost two weeks late like her big sister but everything was fine and she was born perfectly healthy,” she said.
Meg said she later realized a visible sore on her lip could have been her first cold sore (Family)
Only later did she realize that she appeared to have a sore on her lip around the time Magnolia was born.
“Looking at the photos now, I can see that I had a lesion or sore on my lip during delivery, which I didn’t think about at the time,” Meg said.
“I’ve never had a cold sore or anything before.
“I had asked medical professionals if they thought it was a cold sore, but I was reassured that it was not, there was nothing to worry about.
“They just thought I might need to drink more or maybe it was hormones from having given birth the day before, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
But Magnolia’s condition deteriorated and she later died from HSV.
Magnolia was born healthy but died at 10 days old after contracting the herpes simplex virus (Family)
This experience left Meg living with what she describes as a constant reminder of her loss.
It was the first cold sore she’d had, but another outbreak since Magnolia’s death brought back painful memories.
“I’m now going to have it for the rest of my life, as regular as it can be,” she said.
“It’s horrible. I was really dreading it because I’m constantly reminded anyway that my daughter is no longer here and why, but to have a physical reminder in my face is horrible.”
She said one of the hardest things to accept was that she never realized a cold sore could pose a danger to a newborn.
“I had heard of herpes before, but I had only heard of it as a sexually transmitted infection,” Meg said.
“I had never heard that a cold sore could be the herpes virus and that the herpes virus could be so dangerous to a newborn.”
The family had already taken precautions to protect Magnolia from infection.
“We chose not to take in any family who were doing poorly at the time because I knew it wasn’t safe,” Meg said.
“But I had never seen anything about cold sores, HSV, neonatal herpes, nothing, and it’s only since I found out so much that I just wish I’d known about it before.”
Meg said she never kissed her daughter and was careful about hygiene because Magnolia was born during the winter.
“I was constantly washing my hands because I was generally afraid of infections.
“But I never knew that if it was passed on to her, it could kill her.”
A study by the Lullaby Trust has highlighted the pressure some parents feel when asking people not to kiss or touch their baby.
“We know that parents may feel embarrassed, embarrassed or even guilty about asking someone not to kiss their baby, wash their hands or keep their distance when they are unwell,” said chief executive Jenny Ward.
“But protecting your baby from infection is never something you have to justify.”
She said the association’s THANK YOU advice – think hands and no kissing – was designed to help families reduce the risk of infection.
“Wash your hands before touching your baby and don’t kiss them if you don’t feel well,” she said.
“Viruses are very common, especially at this time of year, and while we can’t prevent them all, there are things we can do to reduce the risk of your baby feeling unwell.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues described in this story, help and support is available at BBC Action Line.
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