A MUM has issued a heartbreaking warning telling people NOT to kiss babies after her newborn son died from an infection.
Dakota Elizabeth Goss bravely shared her story on TikTok earlier this week in a video that's been seen by more than 1.4 million people.
The mental health advocate welcomed her son Emmitt on 26 February 2019.
But just six days after he was born, Dakota's son was hospitalised with herpes simplex virus and tragically passed away at just 11 days old.
She captioned the clip: "No matter hard I tried, I couldn’t protect him.
"But please wash your hands, don’t touch their mouths, or kiss them…. They can’t fight it."
In the video, the mum wrote: "Babies have no immune system and they can't fight your germs."
Responding to people in the comments, she added: "Emmitt wasn't kissed and he still got sick.
"He was just touched. It happens. It's real."
Shedding light on the issue, The Sun's Dr Carol Cooper said: "A baby's immune system is immature for the first few months.
"Although a newborn gets some antibodies from his mother before birth, and from breast milk, he won't yet have come across many germs.
Please wash your hands, don’t touch their mouths, or kiss them…. They can’t fight it
"Herpes simplex virus can easily spread from mouth to mouth even if the adult doesn't know they're carrying the cold sore virus. Babies can then get widespread herpes infection that can in some cases affect the brain.
"There are many other viruses and bacteria too, most of them potentially harmful.
"There's debate about whether a parent can safely kiss their baby. It's all right most of the time for most babies, but it's wiser not to kiss a newborn on the lips, or let anyone else do so.
"Wash your hands before touching a baby, especially if you've been in contact with an animal. Of course, you'll need to keep away from a newborn if you've got a cold or other symptoms."
"My heart goes out to you," one viewer replied. "Thank you for spreading awareness."
"I'm so conflicted," another mum wrote. "Everyone is going to want to see my newborn when he's born but how do I keep him safe? I'm so sorry for your loss."
Although the mum didn't reveal how Emmitt contracted the infection, she said it happened while he was in hospital and couldn't have been from their dog.
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"It's not from the damn dog," she wrote. "Did people not see that the dog never came into contact?"
In 2020, the couple welcomed their second son Everritt and Dakota revealed that they didn't feel comfortable kissing him until he was four months old.
For more information about the risks associated with Neonatal Herpes visit here.
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