Excitement is an understatement for how Jeff and Natasha felt when they found out they were expecting a baby girl.
The prospect of finally beginning their own family and creating gorgeous memories together was more than they could handle. When their child died unexpectedly three weeks after her birth, their lives and aspirations came crashing down. All of those expectations for a happy family full of love and laughter were dashed.
When the doctors explained why their daughter died, they were overcome with rage since this was something that they may have avoided.
After some time to overcome the sadness that their family is going through, Jeff is ready to speak his mind. This is why he went on Facebook and informed people about what had happened to Mallory, as well as why every parent should be aware of this. Jeff stated in his post that he had been silent throughout this whole ordeal.
He stated that it took him a month to write the post, but he would feel remorseful if her daughters’ passing stopped other individuals from understanding the pain they are feeling.
“If you have a new baby, or will be around a new baby, wash your hands. A lot.”
He cautions parents that if others want to hold their baby, they should always make sure they washed their hands first or better yet, have them do it again. This is because HSV-1 was determined to be the cause of Mallory’s death by her doctor.
HSV-1 is a viral infection that causes cold sores, also known as herpes simplex virus type 1. According to Jeff, this virus is EXTREMELY prevalent, with the World Health Organization predicting that 67 percent of the global population is infected.
To add to the problem, many individuals who are infected with this virus will never experience any symptoms and may or may not be aware that they have it.
The virus is highly dangerous to newborns. It’s probable that it will be deadly, like Mallory’s death.
Although many people believe that HSV-1 can be diagnosed straightforwardly, this is not the case. For Mallory, we may assume that she was kissed on the mouth by someone who had a cold sore. But this isn’t what happened at all. Mallory has never come into contact with anyone else who had an active cold sore. It’s Jeff’s calling card.
In reality, she was infected with HSV-1 within the first week of her life and no one has kissed her in the mouth. The HSV-1 virus was slowly killing her, and she had to suffer for two weeks until she passed away. Jeff remembered that Mallory was always putting her hands in her mouth and eyes, and sucking on pictures. It’s highly likely she got the virus from doing one of these things.
In the first week, Mallory didn’t have any additional symptoms other than a high fever. It was already too late by the time blisters showed up. Jeff is begging everyone who can read his statement to wash their hands properly, especially when caring for newborns.
