RSV And How to Keep Your Baby Safe

Just a little more FYI. My 6 year old had RSV when he was an infant, and many kids (including mine) have residual effects from it. We have a home nebulizer and we use it off and on throughout the year. His pediatrician says most kids outgrow it before puberty. Good luck.

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My twins take a monthly injection called Synagis which helps prevent RSV. Luckily we've missed it this year, but have gotten everything else it seems (and they are home with me). Yes... avoid daycare for this and many other reasons.

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M.,

My daughter had RSV at two weeks old. She is now 18 years old. She has had problems with pneumonia for her younger years. Now she is just fine. Best of luck.

J.

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Hello M. how are you? well i just wanted to comment on what you wrote. my son now 4 yrs when he was born at the end of november, about 2 weeks old he was put the the hospital him and i both were in there for about 2 weeks, we were bothe put into a tent we were allowed NO visitors untill about 3 days before we were sent home. they could not find a vein in his arm for an IV so they put it into the scalp going through all of this was so very hard on me also having a 1 yr old at home that i had to spend those days away from. i was a very lucky mom and i'm greatful for all the doctors and nurses who worked round the clock for me and my son. now i'm expecting my 4th baby, she is due in about 5 weeks and i'm so excited. these days i'm careful about letting my now 5 yr, 4 yr, and 2 yr, play outside because i'm afraid of them getting sick even thouhg they are past the age of RSV. call me over protective but i almost lost a baby to being sick and i dont want it to come even close again. well anyway just wanted to put in my lil story. good luck with your baby

A. W.

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My son, Caleb, also had RSV when he was 4 months old. He had to be airlifted to Cardinal Glennon because he was so dehydrated and wasn't breathing well on his own. It was the scariest thing I ever had to go through. He is 18 months old now and he has been on breathing treatments since then. The albuterol works well for him, but he seems to need it all of the time. His pediatrician says he will probably end up having breathing problems for the rest of his life, i.e. asthma or some other breathing issues. I had no idea what RSV was before Caleb got it. It's good to be educated about these things.

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hi, our child had RSV at six months old and before the VSD in her heart was repaired so she got to the top of the line at CM Urgent Care very fast. however we were told RSV is so contagious that virtually all children get it by age two with rare exceptions. while all your notes above are good for reducing our situations with sickness in general...not sure it can protect our wee ones from RSV from what I hear. it's hard with these illnesses.

I also have been told (though not sure feel it's confirmed medically) that air travel in general is a great way to get sick. sigh.

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Thanks for sharing...rsv is a tough one for little babies...you have been blessed to still have your precious son...my prayers go out to you...there is actually a shot they give to preemies in the winter months to prevent rsv since they r so fragile...my daughter got it for her first winter...the cost is determined by their weight so it gets pretty expensive when they start growing...by the time she was six months old it was more than 1000 dollars per shot.

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Thought I would add my response about my experience with RSV. My daughter is now 2 years-old and when she was 3 months old she got RSV. When I took her to the dr they immediately checked her O2 stats and it was 68%! She was taken by ambulance to Children's Mercy Hospital where we spent 7 weeks....6 of those weeks were spent in the PICU. I only left for 2 hours every Saturday, otherwise every waking moment was spent in that hospital with her. They found she had 2 lung conditions which was not discovered until 3 or 4 weeks after being in the hospital. They also corrected her PDA (heart defect) which seemed to help her get off the intubator. She went home on oxygen (for 5 months) and a feeding tube (for 8 months). My daughter received the synagis shots the rest of that winter in '06 and last year. We also have a nebulizer that she gets treatments with once a day during the winter. Being a first time mom, I didn't see any problem going out during the winter with a baby....now we know and will try to make our next child be a summer baby! :) I was also recommended to avoid daycare. She caught RSV after 4 days in daycare (I had just gotten off of maternity leave). Needless to say I lost my job, but my husband and I have managed for me to be a SAHM now. I've heard that kiddos who have RSV as babies are more susceptible to having asthma as they grow up. Good luck to you and your little one!

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My nine year old daughter was hospitalized with RSV when she was 6 weeks old. She was a December 16 baby and I was worried about having a baby during the winter season. After her birth, the pediatrician recommending not taking her to church for several weeks/month, but we brought her to Christmas Mass. In late Jan., I had no idea she was as sick as she was until we got to the doctor's office-she had a temp. so I bought her in on the way to my 3 year old's preschool. I was then told she was gong to be transported by ambulance to Children's Mercy. She did respond to the breathing treatments so I was able to take her there myself. I agree that keeping newborns away from crowds is the best precatuion and handwashing is a must. My eight month old was diagnoased with RSV after Christmas of this past year, but he did not require any hospitalization. RSV is most dangerous for the younger babies. That is why I have waited longer to bring my other newborn babies out in public.

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