BRINGING a new baby home should be an exciting time, but it can also be daunting.
As a parent you want your best for them and that can mean setting boundaries when it comes to others.
Experts have urged parents to not let anyone kiss their babies – especially newbornsInstagram
InstagramThat’s because it can lead to illness, which babies are more susceptible to and their immune systems are not yet fully developed[/caption]
Now shocking images have revealed just how important it can be to lay rules down when it comes to your newborn.
Posting to the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page, first aider Nikki Jurcutz said putting these rules down could save your baby from distress.
Even though everyone will want to meet your baby and kiss them, Nikki said it’s better if you ask friends and family members to not do this.
She shared photos of little Sadie, who was left with sores all over her mouth after an adult kissed her.
The little girl had developed herpes simplex virus – HSV (the cold sore virus), which can be life threatening to babies.
That’s because newborns’ immune systems are not yet fully developed, Nikki explained in a blog post.
The expert said that everytime she sees sores on a mouth, she is reminded why it’s important to protect babies.
She added: “What seems like something so insignificant to an adult can be life-threatening to a little one.
“It’s because an adult who carries HSV can spread it, even without symptoms or an active cold sore.
“It’s because bubs are little and struggle to fight big germs. It’s because they’re too precious to risk it,” she said.
The expert explained that there are two types of the virus.
Type one will leave you with cold sores and blisters in the mouth, eyes, lips and on the skin.
This is highly contagious and is usually spread from mouth to mouth or from mouth to skin.
Adults can ‘shed’ the virus without knowing it, and once you’re infected with HSV you carry it for life.
The signs of HSV you must know
First aider Nikki said that symptoms can begin within 2-20 days after being exposed to the virus.
In little ones she said you will may notice:
itchy, painful, irritated, burning or tingling skin
blisters popping up around the mouth, on the skin or around/ in the eyes, which may develop into open sores
lethargy
poor feeding
fever
respiratory distress
breath-holding episodes
seizures
Type 2 of the virus is an STI and there is a chance this could be transmitted to baby if lesions are present during a vaginal birth without proper preparation, the expert said.
She added that both types of HSV can make little ones seriously sick and in severe cases cause death.
In severe cases, the illness can lead to inflammation of the brain and can infect multiple parts of the body at one time.
Nikki explained that this can cause symptoms involving the central nervous system, with older children likely to experience significant sickness and pain.
Data from the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) states that in England there were 20,530 first episodes of genital herpes infection diagnosed in 2020.
There was a reduction of 40 per cent in herpes infection diagnoses between 2019 and 2020.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that about half a billion people worldwide are living with genital herpes and several billion have an oral herpes infection.
However, Nikki said that it’s not just HSV to consider when it comes to letting people kiss your little one.
She said that other viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, adenovirus, whooping cough, hand, foot and mouth and chicken pox can all be spread by close contact.
If you are worried about any of the symptoms your child is presenting then you should see a GP.
In the event of an emergency, always call 999 or visit your nearest A&E department.