Rsv - Newark,DE

Updated on February 07, 2009
A.R. asks from Newark, DE
16 answers

Hi moms,
I found out yesterday that my 3mth old has RSV. Please - anyone email if you are familiar with this. I went online and this seems very dangerous. He has the breathing machine, but he is not spitting up his milk. The Pediatrician said to have him drink Pedialite but I am so worried.

What can I do next?

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M.L.

answers from Erie on

My son had it too...I think he was about 6 months old too. He had the nebulizer and was on albuterol for about a month. We were hospitalized as well for 2 days. The only advice i can give is to keep on the breathing treatments and do them however ofted the ped said to do them. it's very important to help their lungs. he never spit up, just had a real hard time breathing. good luck!

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A.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi, i'm sorry to hear that your child has RSV. Just follow the peds instructions, i'm sure if they thought it were worse then she'd have them go into the hospital.

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S.R.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi AR,yes,RSV can be scary but follow your doc advice carefully.My oldest son was hospitalized when he was 8 months old and spent 4 days in the hospital in quarantine,it wasn't fun for any of us.Do the breathing treatments per the doc orders,for us it was every 4 hours and ventolin every 2 hours for the first 24hours or or,and gradually cutting back on the ventolin masks as his chest cleared.If you son isn't spitting up,that should be okay,perhaps he just doesn't need to.Be sure he drinks enough to stay hydrated.I have heard the milk can thicken the secretions (not sure how much truth there is to that),so that could be the reason for the pedialite.No harm in giving him a few ounces of pedialite every few hours for a day or two.This would be especially important if he is throwing up.

My youngest son also had it a few years later,but because we knew what to expect and what to do,it wasn't so scary.Our kids came to like the breathing treatments,they would actually fall asleep during it.Hang in there,he will get better,and will soon be a distant memory.

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S.W.

answers from State College on

My daughter had RSV when she was 10 months old. It is a very scary and dangerous thing. For about 10 days she had a nebulizer that I had to give her every 4 to 6 hours. We had check-ups with the doctor to check her progress. She did get worse before she got better. Thankfully she did get better though.

Follow what the doctor says. Keep a very close eye on your baby, and follow your instinct.

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E.J.

answers from York on

my son also had rsv when he was 6 months old. it sounds bad but is really like a severe cold. once you have caught it and can monitor your baby, you all should do well. my son actually caught it from a birthday party where 3 others got sick as well and everyone was just fine in about a week. good luck, hope your son gets better soon.

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C.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

My Daughter is now 15 and got RSV durning the ice storms of 1992 when she was 5 months old. Yes it can be dangerous. But she is fine now. Whenever she got a cold her air passages would close up and she needed to go on the breathing machine and this lasted until she was 5 almost 6 years old. She was fine with no problems then last year while playing soccer ( which she has played since she was 4) She developed asthma but don't panick. Just stay calm and focus on your child. Keep them in a smoke free house. And just watch the breathing patterns. If you do as the Doctor tells you to do and follow you mother instincts your child will be fine. MaryKate is the youngest of 5 She was the only one who got RSV. And I do believe in the power of Prayer. Pray for your child and for yourself your child will be fine. Iwill also be praying for you and your son.

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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

This is very hard to deal with as a Mom. You have to be tough and do exactly what your Doctor tells you. Your baby will get better, but not with out diligence on your part. The treatment is crucial! If he's crying, remember that's good! It means he's breathing enough for a deep breath.
They should have given you a little tube you can attach to the canister so that you can treat him even when he's asleep; wake yourself up if you have to, and don't forget to give him treatments during the night. The real hard part is, this may not be the end. My daughter had this at 3mos. and ended up as a reactive airway patient until she was 4. By then she had learned to use an inhaler, or her "puffs," and we had a pretty good system to control her.
I also became adept at seeing her warning signs, and was able to take care of her quickly. I must add she is now approaching 13 and we haven't needed an inhaler or a cough drop during about the last three years!
There is great hope, so stick with it, Mommy!!

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A.M.

answers from Scranton on

I am sorry you and your little one are dealing with this. It is scary stuff. I went through it with my firstborn. Stick to using the nebulizer as often as the doctor told you to-sometimes it may seem like it isn't doing much, but it IS working. Make sure that you gently pound his back after a breathing treatment to help break up the congestion in his chest. He will cough a lot after a breathing treatment-which is actually a good thing-it means he is working the stuff out of his chest. When my daughter had it (and we have had to use the neb for her and for our 9 month old), we do it about 1-2 hours before bedtime...the Albuterol makes a lot of kids hyper, and that gave them time to cough out what they needed to, and let them get all hyped up-and then they would be tired enough to go to sleep 1-2 hours later. I also use Baby Vicks on their chests and backs when laying them down for bed. There's not much more you can give to a baby that young-most meds for that age have been pulled off the market. Tylenol is an option just to keep him comfortable (and is a help if he has a fever). Some people suggest Vicks on their heels and then cover with socks...I have done this for my 4 year old and also for myself but haven't noticed any improvement when we're sick...
When Rachel had RSV, I let her sleep in her bouncy seat (laying down made it harder for her to breathe). Also a cool mist humidifier in whatever room the baby is in.

Good luck...it is so hard.

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S.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

my daughter has it now too. Its a viral infection, so it can not really be cured with any antibiotics, the breathing machine is the best thing they say and they gave her steroids. It can be bad they say, but not as long as you treat it.

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S.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Dont panic and yes it is very dangerous and the best thing you can do it keep with the treatments watch for signs of blue around the mouth and lift up their shirt to see if there are signs of pulling in around the lungs. If there is coughing associated with the treatments thats good the mucus is moving and breaking up. Use the blue thing with the knob on it to gently tap on their back to help break up the mucus and keep with liquids and just watch them closely and if anything doesnt look right go to an emergency room
right away. My daughter was hopitalized twice with an acute respitory infection and afterwards we had an at home nurse come to the house once to twice a week to guide me. You can have them come at no charge have the hospital set it up through the social worker. I am praying for you and your little one. Its scarey I was a wreck but we made it through and so will you!
S.

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M.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi there- My son had rsv when he was 3 months old, too (he is now 4 months old) I know exactly how you feel! It is sooo scary! They hospitalized him for the night and we did the neb treatments. just hang in there it will get better, i pray....if not take him right into the dr/er.... with babies so young they like to keep an eye on this. keep the bedroom cool with a humidifier going. if he looks like his chest is caving in a lot to breathe...call the dr. they may need to check his oxygen levels to make sure he's breathing in enough oxygen. this is very common this time of year. 2 of my friend's kids just had it. but it's still worrisome, i know. just trust your gut and if you're really worried...go to the er. good luck!

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N.P.

answers from Allentown on

My son had RSV at 3 weeks. He was hospitalized twice for a week each time. Because he was diagnosed early the dr's said he would get worse before he got better. The most important thing is to watch his breathing & eating. The 2nd time my son dehydrated because he wasn't nursing well.
I tell you this no to scare you but to tell you it is a serious illness in young children. Don't hesitate to take him to the dr or ER if you feel he's getting worse.

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M.N.

answers from Philadelphia on

First of all RSV is very common and most kids get it every year. That being said, it can also be very dangerous especially in young kids.

My son had RSV last year at 6 weeks and was in the NICU for a week. His oxygen levels got too low and he was working really hard to breathe.

The most important thing is to watch his breathing and make sure he stays hydrated. If he seems to be gasping for air, pulling in underneath his rib cage or at his neck too much or has rapid breathing, don't hesitate to bring him back to the doctor or ER. (More than 60 breathes a minute is too much). The doctors can measure his oxygen level and send you in if it gets too low.

The biggest thing is to trust your instinct as a mom. If you don't feel good about how he is doing, do what you need to get the care you feel he needs.

My son has had chronic breathing problems so unfortunately we have been through this routine multiple times in the past year. It can be scary, but don't feel silly or apologize when you have to call the docs. That is what you pay them for and it is their job to consult you on situations like this. We have had times where we have literally had to bring my son in every day in a week to measure his oxygen levels in an effort to keep him out of the hospital.

RSV generally peaks at 5-7 days from the onset of symptoms and then gets better. Since it is a virus, there is not much they can do for them at the hospital except give the oxygen and check their vitals, which is important if they are doing really badly, but really frustrating to get stuck there if they are doing alright.

Best of luck! Feel free to email with any questions and I would be happy to share more of our experience.

M.

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M.G.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am sorry to hear about you son and I wish him a quick recovery.

I want to let you know that Pedialyte has Sucralose aka Splenda in it and I would not give that chemical to my baby. I'm not sure if you knew that or not...

http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/SpecificDiseases/s...

http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/resources/faqs.html

We use the Performance from Shaklee.

http://www.shaklee.net/berkheiser/prodNutResearch_Perform...

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S.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I don't have any experience with RSV, but I did want to warn you to be very cautious with the pedialyte. Infants under the age of 6 months should not have any liquids other than breastmilk or formula. They can easily suffer water intoxification with the additional liquids as both breastmilk and formula contain all the water that they need.

Hope he's feeling better soon.

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L.G.

answers from State College on

RSV is very dangerous and I did not have to deal with it myself. I had premature twins two months early so I had Synagis, as they did not want to expose us to RSV. Learn all you can and go with your pediatrician's advice if they are a good pedi. It's scary but you have to work through it.

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