'Perfectly healthy' newborn baby dies from cold sore virus as mum issues heartbreaking warning

'Perfectly healthy' newborn baby dies from cold sore virus as mum issues heartbreaking warning Magnolia's symptoms were put down to feeding problems and jaundice, her mum said - by the time she had reached intensive care and was diagnosed, the infection had spread through her body A heartbroken mother whose newborn daughter died after contracting the herpes simplex virus (HSV) urged other parents to learn about the dangers cold sores could pose to babies. Meg Edmonds’ daughter Magnolia, known as Maggie, died at just 10 days old in February from disseminated neonatal herpes, which caused multiple organs to fail. The mum developed ulcers on her lips and mouth on the day she gave birth. She sought advice and questioned whether she had a cold sore, but said midwives and pharmacists reassured her it was not. Maggie was born “perfectly healthy” and fed well for the first few days. But by Day 3, she had become sleepy. Over the following week, she developed breathing difficulties, a weak, high-pitched cry, a rash across her chest and a sore eye. The newborn later became grey and cold to the touch. Meg said her symptoms were put down to breastfeeding complications, jaundice and weight loss. Maggie was taken to the paediatric intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. But by then, the virus had spread through her body, causing multiple organs to fail. She went into cardiac arrest the night before she died on February 11. Blood tests confirmed HSV-1. The day after Maggie died, Cordelia was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with a primary HSV infection. Meg said it was only on the day Maggie died that she was told her own sores had probably been a primary HSV infection - the first time she had caught the virus. She has never been formally diagnosed. Meg believed her own infection may have been passed to her daughter. She said: “It was caused by HSV-1 that had come from a cold sore. The virus came from me which is so devastatingly hard to now live with the fact.” She said: “I don’t even know how I contracted the virus as no one around me had cold sores at the time, but that’s what’s so dangerous about it, it can be anywhere. “It seems that my infection was likely the source of the infection in Maggie as I was breastfeeding. Tragically, we only became aware of this after she died so I continued to breastfeed her until it because excruciatingly painful and then I still gave her the expressed milk from my breast as I was advised it would help her be less lethargic.” Meg said: “The guilt is obviously unbearable, it’s horrific, but I just try and remind myself that I didn’t know and I did what I could have done with the knowledge that I did have.” She added: “I didn’t know a cold sore could kill my baby. Had I at least been made aware of the dangers of a cold sore and the symptoms to look out for, my daughter would still be here today living the whole life she had ahead of her.” Since losing Maggie, another cold sore outbreak had brought back painful memories, the sores had become a visible reminder of the daughter she lost. She said: “I’m now going to get them for the rest of my life, however regular that might be. It’s horrible. I was really dreading it because I’m constantly reminded anyway that my daughter isn’t here any more and why that is, but to actually have a physical reminder on my face is horrible.” Meg and her partner Ben were already parents to Cordelia when they welcomed Maggie. They had wanted their children to be close in age and were excited about their future together. Meg said: “We’d already envisioned our future as a family. Maggie looked a lot like her sister and her dad. It was so special when Cordie met her for the first time, she fell in love with her instantly. “It’s hard to think of all the blissful memories when so much sadness and grief engulfs any joy we did have, but one of our fondest memories is finding out how much she weighed.” The couple shared their daughter’s story with The Lullaby Trust for Infection Prevention Week to raise awareness of the danger cold sores could pose to babies. Meg added: “All I can do now is make sure other families aren’t in the same position I am, in Maggie’s memory. Our family are heartbroken but we are doing what we can to raise awareness. Everyone’s heard of herpes, but there’s such a stigma attached to it. "Most people have only heard of it as the STD. Unless you’re specifically told that a cold sore is the herpes virus, it’s not very intuitive.”