A distraught mother has spoken of the traumatic moment her unvaccinated seven-month old baby girl was left fighting for her life after catching measles.
Stephanie Peeni said her daughter Manaia fell ill after her three-year-old twin siblings – sister Valentina and brother Carter – contracted the highly contagious disease earlier this month.
Little Manaia was rushed to hospital on August 20 after she became lethargic, her lips were blue and she developed a sky-high fever of more than 40°C.
The infant was yet to have her measles jab, as the first dose of the MMR isn’t given until babies turn 12 months old.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the mother-of-four, who is originally from Queensland but now lives in New Zealand, shared gut-wrenching pictures of her eight-day ordeal – as she begged other parents to be vigilant about measles.
Little Manaia, who’s seven months old, was left fighting for her life after catching measles
Mother Stephanie Peeni said her daughter Manaia was rushed to hospital after she became lethargic, her lips were blue and she developed a sky-high fever of more than 40°C
The mother – who documents her family life on Instagram under thepeenifolk – said she was distraught when her baby girl contracted measles shortly after her toddler twins were recovering from the same disease.
‘I was absolutely heartbroken watching her tiny little body fight so hard,’ Mrs Peeni told Daily Mail Australia.
Little Manaia was admitted to hospital after suffering cold-like symptoms – as red rashes broke out all over her face and body.
‘My heart stopped when she woke from her nap and her lips were blue. I called an ambulance straight away, she was so lethargic,’ the mother said.
‘Her symptoms were mostly a fever, cough and runny nose but lasted twice as long as her twins’ symptoms. She went into hospital with a respiratory infection as a side effect of the measles whereas Valentina’s developed after.’
She said her daughter’s heart rate was rapidly sitting at 190 and her lips were blue from the lack of oxygen around her body due to a respiratory infection caused by measles.
‘It left me feeling numb and lost for words… I was still healing from my ordeal with the twins when Manaia fell ill and it’s kind of just been a whirlwind since then. I am still trying to wrap my head around it,’ Mrs Peeni said.
Unable to swallow, her heartbroken mother fed her baby girl breast milk with a syringe ‘every hour of the day and night’.
‘She refused to breastfeed all week, so I was expressing and force feeding her my milk via a syringe… I tried everything I could to avoid a gastric nasal tube,’ she said.
‘Her fevers continued on until Sunday, making it eight days of fevers in total.’
The distraught mother was to share gut-wrenching pictures of her ordeal after her daughter Manaia contracted measles – as she begged other parents to vaccinate their children
Little Manaia was admitted to hospital on August 20 after suffering cold-like symptoms – as red rashes broke out all over her face and body
Against all odds, the baby girl pulled through after suffering a fever for eight days in total
And against all odds, the baby girl pulled through.
‘Manaia is on the road to recovery,’ the mother said.
‘She’s slowly regaining her appetite, she’ll have a couple of mouthfuls of food a day as opposed to three full meals but more importantly she’s breastfeeding again.
‘She tires easily but is able to sit and play with her siblings for a good 10 minutes at a time. She’s exhausted but she’s tough.
‘Her little body really copped it inside and out but she is just as resilient as her big brother and sister this pickle of mine.’
By sharing her story, the mother wanted to warn parents about measles so they can identify the common symptoms early and ensure their own children are vaccinated.
‘Just know the symptoms and act swiftly because a child with measles can deteriorate very quickly,’ she said.
‘Measles is not just a rash and a fever, it attacks your whole body, inside and out and can absolutely be life-threatening.
‘Measles is no joke. My babies are perfectly healthy and look at what it did to them. Three of my four children contracted measles – two were vaccinated and one was not. It can kill so don’t be ignorant, be educated, be vigilant.
‘Spreading awareness has helped me to heal from such a traumatic experience. It can happen to anybody. The young, the old, the weak, the strong. My children have perfect health and measles left them fighting for days.’
The infant was yet to have her measles jab, as the first dose of the MMR isn’t given until babies turn 12 months old
Little Manaia is now recovering and she’s slowly regaining her appetite after she fell ill
Manaia’s measles battle comes just weeks after her twin sister Valentina and brother Carter were struck down with the disease despite both of them being vaccinated.
By day five, the highly contagious disease had ravaged their tiny bodies after itchy, red rashes broke out all over their faces, necks, torsos, arms and legs.
The condition became so severe for little Valentina that her eyes were swollen shut as her twin brother vomited blood.
‘My heart sank. I know that vaccinations aren’t 100 per cent preventive but I still never thought that it would happen to my babies, I was absolutely terrified,’ Mrs Peeni told Daily Mail Australia last week.
‘I, like so many others, were so naive in thinking measles was just glorified chickenpox. Boy, I was wrong. Measles absolutely has the potential to be life-threatening. The twins had an unbelievably horrific measles experience.’
But against all odds, little Carter and Valentina miraculously fought against the disease – as they are now at home recovering.
Last week, Mrs Peeni shared confronting pictures of her twins (daughter Valentina pictured left and son Carter right) after they contracted measles earlier this month
Mother Stephanie Peeni (pictured with her twins) said little Valentina’s condition became so severe her eyes were swollen shut as her twin brother vomited blood
Dr Richard Kidd, who is the chair of the Australian Medical Association Council of General Practice, said newborn babies are not scheduled for measles vaccines because they are protected from the maternal antibodies.
‘During pregnancy, the mother’s antibodies are transferred through the placenta to the baby so they are protected against measles,’ Dr Kidd told Daily Mail Australia.
Measles vaccines are given to babies at 12 months old because the antibodies transferred from the mother to their infant can provide protection from the disease during the first year of life.
But once the baby reaches 12 months of age, the measles antibodies usually disappear so they require measles vaccines for protection.
The Brisbane-based GP said the only protection parents have for their unvaccinated babies or children is keeping them in isolation until they get their measles jab.
The mother-of-four wanted to share her terrifying ordeal to warn parents about measles
Mrs Peeni with her family – holding baby girl Manaia, alongside twins Carter and Valentina, eldest daughter Bun and husband Neiks
Dr Kidd said anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated can catch the highly infectious disease.
‘Measles are very contagious. You can catch it through the air. When someone who has measles talk or breathe, fine little droplets of measles virus can spread through the air,’ he said.
‘When you breathe the droplets in, you can catch measles yourself so it doesn’t need to be in direct contact or a cough, it can be spread through the air.’
Dr Kidd said vaccination is the most effective preventative measure against measles.
‘I’m a strong advocate for vaccination because prevention is better than cure. Measles can kill as many as one in 10 people, and leave many others severely disabled for the rest of their lives,’ Dr Kidd said.
‘Vaccines are safe and highly effective for the vast majority of the population. Vaccination is the cheapest, effective way of preventing the worst diseases you can imagine. The chances for a vaccinated person to get measles are very, very small.
‘For anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated, please get vaccinated to protect yourself. Getting measles at any stage is terrible and it’s a lethal disease.’
Stephanie Peeni has compiled a guide to help parents recognise the symptoms of measles, which can be found on her Instagram.