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By Janine

How to Protect Your Little One from RSV

Filed Under: BLOG, Health, Influence Central, Infographic, parenting, sponsored, Sponsored Posts Tagged With: Health, IC, My Daughter's Story, Prevention, RSV, Sponsored

*This post was sponsored as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I hear the familiar cough and I just know.

See this cough is so very distinctive. It is deep with a trace of wheezing to it.

And just like that my oldest daughter had pneumonia once again.

But it wasn’t always this way for my girl.

She was a relatively healthy baby. At 6 months old, she had her first and only ear infection ever.

Emma at 6 months

She also only had one head cold at around 4 months old.

But her first year of nursery school found her sicker than she’d ever been.

It actually started out as a very bad cold. Or so I was led to believe by her then doctor.

See it was a Wednesday night. She began to run a fever and was stuffy, too.

Thursday morning found us at the pediatrician. Again, the diagnosis was a bad head cold. We were sent home with instructions for over the counter medicine doses, to rest up and also to drink lots of fluids.

Emma at 2 or 3 sleeping on the couch

Friday was more of the same with her symptoms. By Saturday late afternoon, my poor girl was miserable. Still stuffy, plus she now needed to blow her nose, too. But she was only 2 1/2 years old. So, she didn’t quite know how to blow her tiny nose yet. And now, she was coughing heavily and also running a very high fever.

Her pediatrician didn’t have Saturday afternoon/evening hours. So off to urgent care we went.

What followed was downright scary and unforgettable.

It was here that we learned of her RSV diagnosis.

What is RSV?

It happens to be a common, highly contagious, seasonal virus that affects nearly 100% of infants by the age of two and occurs in epidemics from November through March. RSV can also lead to a mild respiratory infection.

Emma at around 2 years old

What are the symptoms of RSV?

The symptoms are similar to the common cold or flu. So my girl’s early bad cold diagnosis by her doctor wasn’t far off as RSV can indeed appear similar to that of a bad cold. But can be so much more serious. Why? Because, it can actually develop into a much more severe infection for some. This is true especially for babies born prematurely. My own daughter was born term, but still ended up having RSV.

Smiling Emma at 3

Her own oxygen levels were low causing her trouble breathing. Thankfully they weren’t low enough for her to need hospitalization. But still, we were told any lower and she would have needed to be hospitalized. She also had a fever of 104.3 degrees. Our poor baby was also coughing and wheezing, but it wouldn’t stop. All are symptoms of severe RSV.

See this was my baby. All my fears of seeing my child so sick were realized that evening.

Thankfully, she did recover. But it took weeks. She missed almost a month of her first year of nursery school, because of RSV.

Emma going to pre-school at 3 #4

See there is still no current treatment for it. She was prescribed a nebulizer to help with her breathing. But otherwise there wasn’t much that we could do. So, we pretty much had to wait it out.

And even after having suffered this aliment, she has had comprised lung issues.

Emma at Field Day

She is now 8 years old and had multiple bouts of pneumonia since. But finally last year, she was diagnosed with seasonal asthma. This was caused in part by her earlier RSV disorder suffering. Since being diagnosed, she has been under doctor’s treatment. I am happy to report that her condition has improved greatly. Plus, she hasn’t had another bout of pneumonia in over a year now.

But still, I readily admit that I didn’t know much about RSV before she was afflicted by it.

However afterwards, I became well versed on RSV.

As I stated about there isn’t much in the terms of treatment.

However, prevention for RSV is key.

So if you have a little one, you want to read on to find out how to prevent RSV for them…

How to Protect Your Little One From RSV

3 Easy Ways to Prevent RSV for Your Own Child

1. Learn the signs.

Knowing what RSV looks like is important. So even if someone appears to have a very bad cold, I caution having your little one come into contact with them for this reason. Therefore, keep your children away from people who may be sick. Because RSV can indeed be similar to a very bad cold, I say proceed with caution around those exhibiting cold-like symptoms.

2. Protect your child at all costs.

See all parents can do some simple things to help protect their child’s little lungs from severe RSV disease. This includes as follows: asking everyone to wash their hands after entering your home or interacting with your kid, wash toys and/or surfaces frequently to reduce the chance of exposure of RSV, and also stay away from large crowds when possible.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Learn the signs + 2 more tips on how to prevent your baby from getting #RSVAM #IC #ad” quote=”Learn the signs + 2 more tips on how to prevent your baby from getting #RSVAM #IC #ad” theme=”style1″]

3. Work with your pediatrician.

Sadly my daughter’s then pediatrician I felt dropped the ball on this big time. I don’t want to linger on this. See what is done can never be undone or changed. But I will say we have since changed pediatricians. Thankfully her current doctor is proactive with my girl. As earlier stated even has diagnosed her with asthma and even gotten her issues under control now. Therefore, you will want to have a frank conversation with your child’s own pediatrician. Also, you will want to ask if your child may be at high risk for severe RSV disease.

RSV Awareness Infographic

With cold, flu and more season approaching, my hope is that this article educated you about RSV and your little one. Because once again as someone who’s baby had RSV, I can’t caution enough how very serious this disease can be. So knowledge is most definitely power for RSV.

Have you heard of RSV?
Do you know someone who has had or has RSV?
Now, please let me know in the comments…

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About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MEREDITH SPIDEL says

    October 12, 2017 at 8:09 am

    Such important info! Thanks for spreading the message, Janine!

    • Janine says

      October 12, 2017 at 8:12 am

      Thanks Meredith and after all we went through with my oldest with this, RSV is something I feel passionate about sharing to help others with.

  2. Aunt Gloria says

    October 12, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    I remember when Emma was having problems with this, but I didn’t know much about RSV. Thanks for such a good article explaining what it is and how to get treatment for it. Most parents are not aware….so your information can help lots of parents and babies. I’m glad Emma got through it OK and is under the care of a good pediatrician now. She’s an amazing little girl! Hugs and love to all.

    • Janine says

      October 13, 2017 at 7:34 am

      Aw, thanks Aunt Gloria and truly this is a cause that I feel very passionate about after all Emma went through. So, happy I can try to put it out there and help others if need be. Hugs right back at you!! xoxo <3

  3. Jen says

    October 13, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Oh I am so sorry for your sweet girl, and your mama’s heart. These types of illnesses are hard for us mamas too! This information is so important to share! Thanks for doing such a great job.

    • Janine says

      October 13, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Aw, thanks Jen for saying such kind words and I truly am happy to be share this important info on RSV here with all.

  4. Tamara says

    October 13, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    Scarlet had it at six months. It was awful and so scary. I had no idea it was a thing. We were at a party and much older kids had colds and their parents failed to warn us. Scarlet got sick right after that party. She couldn’t stop coughing and I got it too and we both coughed so much!

    • Janine says

      October 13, 2017 at 2:29 pm

      The coughing is the worst! And so sorry to hear both you and Scarlet had it in the past, too.

  5. Christine Carter says

    October 15, 2017 at 8:25 am

    I’m so glad you shared this Janine. My girl had RSV twice, and with asthma, it can be fatal. We ended up in the hospital twice. Then of course when my baby boy was limp and had ‘that cough’- also with deep wheezing because he too was asthmatic- I went straight to Children’s and I knew it was RSV.

    It can be terrifying. Knowledge and awareness is SO important to parents so they aren’t so scared and know exactly what to do to help care for their little ones!

    • Janine says

      October 15, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Aw, Chris I am so sorry to hear both your kids had RSV in the past, but totally agree that education and prevention are truly key for this disease. Thanks for sharing with me and many hugs, my friend, too.

  6. AnnMarie John says

    October 15, 2017 at 11:12 pm

    My son Kyle ended up not leaving the hospital and staying in for over a week. Luckily his was caught early but it was a scary time for us. He ended up with asthma as a result and had a nebulizer for years until we moved to Colorado. Since then he’s been fine. RSV is no laughing matter and a mother we know when something is wrong with your child, but if you’re unsure, always speak to your pediatrician.

    • Janine says

      October 16, 2017 at 6:46 am

      I completely agree and so thankful that our now pediatrician is amazing and always receptive to discuss both my kids with me no matter. And also glad to hear that Kyle has been better since the move, but so sorry he, too suffered from RSV.

  7. Allison G smith says

    October 18, 2017 at 6:11 am

    Janine this is such an important post. My youngest had RSV when he was 6 months old and it was awful ☹️.

    • Janine says

      October 18, 2017 at 8:52 am

      Oh Allison so sorry to hear that your youngest suffered from RSV as a baby. Back my our daughter had it, I admit I truly didn’t realize just how prevalent it was, as well just how severe it can be. So for that reason and more, I am happy to be able to share and shed light on this for those who may also not know as much as they should.

  8. Jhanks says

    October 22, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    So hard when our kids get sick! Good information, Janine! We can never be too careful when it comes to their health!

    • Janine says

      October 23, 2017 at 6:50 am

      Thanks Jhanis and truly couldn’t agree more as it is so very hard when our little ones get sick.

  9. Katherines Corner says

    October 26, 2017 at 9:04 am

    so scary my darling friend. Good info to share. Our youngest granddaughter had whooping cough at 3 weeks old. She spent two months in the hospital. She now suffers with asthma and a myriad of other pulmonary issues. I’m so sorry your little cutie pie has had such a terrible time. Please give her a hug from me. xo

    • Janine says

      October 26, 2017 at 9:11 am

      Oh Katie, I am doubly also so sorry to hear about your youngest granddaughter’s pulmonary issues. Nothing is worse than seeing our little ones so very sick and then still suffering with complications for years to come. Thank you for your kind words and also sharing with me, too. Hugs to you and your sweet granddaughter to from me to the both of you. xoxo

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