Jaxon's condition worsened. His organs failed, and he was placed on life support, Rodgers said.
But the new parents made the decision to take their child off life support.
"We were devastated," Rodgers said. "We never actually considered there would be a death."
As he mourns for his son, Rodgers hopes to use his family's story to help new parents.
One week before Jaxon was born, his mother was offered a vaccine for pertussis at the medical clinic she attended, Rodgers said.
According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, the best time to get this vaccine is earlier than Jaxon's mother received it: optimally, sometime during the 27th through 36th week of pregnancy.
"In our minds, we thought it was OK because it was first time the clinic was offering [her] it," he said. "We weren’t experts on vaccines at the time. We figured that was the method, considering it was a clinic that handles babies all the time."
Rodgers said he would like to explore further whether the time frame in which Jaxon’s mother received the vaccination may have contributed to the child’s death.