Christine Hail was six-months pregnant when she caught the flu.
She gave birth in intensive care, but died 19 days later without having held her newborn daughter.
For her husband Andrew, it was hard to bear.
“I am still trying to bear it today,” he said.
Mr Hail is urging Australians to get the flu vaccine, amid rising concerns that this year's strain is expected to be particularly bad.
The latest vaccine covers more strains of flu, but with just six weeks to go before winter sets in, time is running short.
More than two million Australians are at risk of severe complications if they catch flu and could face fatal consequences, like those suffered by Kerry Anne Baxter’s daughter.
Ms Baxter almost lost her daughter Rosie two years ago.
“We had no idea that flu could get that bad,” she said.
“We had no idea that she could potentially not live, which is what we were told about two days later.
“That she might not survive because she was so seriously ill.”
'The choice made by families not to immunise their children is not supported by public policy'
Her call for Australians to get vaccinated for the flu coincides with the Abbott Government’s new “No jab, No pay” policy, whereby families who don't vaccinate their children against diseases such as measles, mumps and polio risk losing thousands in benefits.
In the wake of record number of people registering their children as conscientious objectors to vaccinations, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that parents who don’t vaccinate their children will be denied welfare payments.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Abbbott said that ‘conscientious objection’ would be removed as an exemption category for child care payments (Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate) and the Family Tax Benefit Part A end of year supplement from January 1, 2016.
“The new policy will tighten up the rules and reinforce the importance of immunisation and protecting public health, especially for children,” he said.
“The choice made by families not to immunise their children is not supported by public policy… nor should such action be supported by taxpayers in the form of child care payments.”
'It may drive them in the other direction and actually worsen the problem'
But not all health experts are convinced by the new policy.
Professor of Infectious Diseases Raina MacIntyre said there were concerns that bringing in such punitive measures could drive away those parents who are currently hesitant.
“It may drive them in the other direction and actually worsen the problem,” she said.
Vaccination advocate Dr John Cunningham said “herd immunity” was very important when it comes to protecting the very young - who are too young to be vaccinated - and the very sick, whose immune systems may not be functioning very well.
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