‘Don’t Let Anyone Kiss Your Baby’ Says Mom of Newborn Who Died of Cold Sore Virus

A heartbroken mom of a newborn is advising parents to be careful about who touches their infants.

Nicole Sifrit gave birth to her baby girl, Mariana, on July 1. The week was promising to be a good one as she was also set to marry the girl’s father, Shane Sifrit, on July 7, Who TV reports.

But mere hours after Nicole and Shane’s wedding, the parents discovered that Mariana had stopped eating and would not wake up. They left their wedding to rush the girl to the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.

There the parents found out that their infant had the Meningitis HSV1 virus, a life threatening disease that can be passed on through contact with someone who has the cold sore virus.

“They touch her and then she touches her mouth with her hand,” Nicole told Who TV.

Both of the parents tested negative for the virus, meaning that someone else had to have passed it to the baby. 

“Keep your babies isolated. Don’t let just anyone come visit them,” Nicole said. “Make sure they are constantly washing their hands. Don’t let people kiss your baby and make sure they ask before they pick up your baby.”

“I always thought this stuff happens and it’s a shame and never thought it would happen to me,” Shane said. “I was not prepared at all.”

The baby was eventually airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospital and placed on life support.  

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Several teams of doctors were assigned to try and rescue the child. “She has a kidney team, a liver team, a blood team, a neurology team,” Nicole wrote at the time.

“She’s on medicine to control seizures, kidney dialysis and the vessels around her heart were leaking oxygen,” Nicole wrote in another post.

But despite the efforts of the doctors, Mariana continued to decline.

“It immediately went downhill from there,” Shane said. “Within two hours she had quit breathing and all of her organs just started to fail.”

On Monday, July 17, the mother posted a desperate message on Facebook.

“My heart is crushed, my baby is declining fast!” Nicole wrote. “She has no brain activity and her lungs and heart are failing along with her kidneys and liver. They are running out of options for her.”

On Tuesday morning, Nicole delivered the news that their baby passed away:

“Our princess Mariana Reese Sifrit gained her angel wings at 8:41 am this morning in her daddy’s arms and her mommy right beside her. She is now no longer suffering and is with the Lord.”

A Go Fund Me page was started to help the parents with expenses from the tragedy.

From NTD Television