Devastated Mother Begs Pregnant Women To Take Herpes Test After Losing Infant to Virus
A mother has a dire warning that all pregnant women need to hear.
Aldcroft, 22, gave birth to a son named Leo on Aug. 9, 2018. The little boy was born nine days premature and was the light of her life.
The Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England, mom had a normal pregnancy with no signs that anything was wrong.
But just eight days after Leo’s birth, tragedy struck.
Leo began bleeding from his mouth. Doctors believed it had been caused by sepsis.
The baby boy was placed in an induced coma, where doctors were finally able to identify the cause of his condition.
Aldcroft had passed the Herpes HSV2 virus to her son during birth.
“I was physically sick when the herpes test came back positive, as I had done everything humanly possible to give my son the best start in life,” the mom of one told Caters News.
“I could have contracted it before or during the pregnancy, as it can be dormant for months or years, so there’s no way of telling. I had no knowledge I had the virus, as there were no symptoms other than thrush, and if I had been offered a test during my pregnancy, all this heartache could have been avoided.”
Both strains of herpes are extremely harmful to babies, who can catch the virus during vaginal birth.
Doctors tried all they could to save Leo, but his organs began to fail. Aldcroft had to shut off his life support machines – a decision that literally broke her heart.
Leo died on Aug. 19 – only 10 days after he was born.
Despite the heartbreaking experience, Aldcroft is campaigning to warn other mothers about her loss before it affects them too.
“I hope sharing Leo’s story will save other lives,” she said.
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