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How to Prevent RSV in Babies This Winter

November 13, 2014Written by Christie | 20 Comments | Family & Health & Parenting

98 shares

Prevent RSV in Babies This Winter #RSVAwareness. I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for MedImmune. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

How to prevent RSV

How to Prevent RSV in Babies This Winter #RSVAwareness

The cooler weather hits Florida about October time and what is my immediate first thought? It’s RSV season.

I have seen hundreds of babies with RSV in my lifetime already, and it’s definitely a diagnosis that is scary for parents. Why? Because there’s no specific treatment, and babies can deteriorate rapidly. What should you know about RSV this winter? What are RSV signs & symptoms? What preventative steps can we take? We’re going to talk about them ALL today.

RSV signs symptoms

What is RSV?

Did you know that I was a pediatric nurse? 6 years on a pediatric hospital floor, RSV was not just a common diagnosis, it was one I had to keep an eye on. Babies all under 2 years old, some a tiny as days old would come in unable to breathe. The look of fear on parents’ faces, it was a scary situation.

RSV is short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, aka a fancy name for a severe seasonal virus that typically causes mild to moderate cold-like symptoms in young babies. But it’s also the leading cause of hospitalizations for babies under 1 year old. Nearly 125,000 babies will be diagnosed every year from November through March, and up to 200 deaths can occur.

But despite RSV being such a common diagnosis, especially around this time of year, nearly 1/3 of mothers have actually never heard of the virus. We need to change that.

RSV Signs & Symptoms

  • Persistent coughing and wheezing
  • Bluish color around the mouth and fingernails
  • Rapid, difficult or gasping breaths
  • Fever, especially over 100.4 degrees F {rectal} in babies under 3 months old

RSV is even more dangerous in preemies. Preterm babies are 50% more likely to be hospitalized than healthy full term babies. And treatment for RSV is palliative (for comfort) at best. Oxygen, suctioning, constant monitoring, I’ve watched babies quickly move to the ICU. RSV is definitely a diagnosis that ALL parents of young babies need to be aware of. If your baby experiences ANY of these symptoms, you need to contact your pediatrician immediately.

What Can We Do to Prevent RSV?

RSV is highly contagious. In fact, in the hospitals all nurses are donned with gloves and gowns when they would treat RSV babies because you can spread the virus through sneezing, coughing, and touching. EVEN adults. And the virus can live on surfaces for hours too. That’s why prevention is KEY during RSV season. Here’s what we can do to protect our precious babies this season:

  • Wash their hands and yours
  • Keep toys, blankets, sheets, clothes and other common household items clean
  • Avoid crowds and other babies that have RSV
  • Never let anyone smoke around your baby
  • Stay away from people that are sick or have been sick recently

You as parents are babies’ #1 protector again RSV this season. In fact, World Prematurity Day is coming on November 17th. There’s no better time to talk about RSV and what we can do. Let’s spread the word, get all parents educated on RSV, and keep our babies out of the hospital this season.

RSV

Here’s a wonderful infographic to share with your family and friends.

It’s RSV season. Let’s do more.

Want to learn more about keeping your baby safe this season? Check out the RSV Prevention website for more details: https://www.RSVprotection.com

Have you experienced RSV in your own family? I’d love to hear about it and answer any questions you may have!

Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more reviews, giveaways and more.

Looking for more child health tips?
Cold allergy treatment for kidsParent guide to treating fever in kidsParent guide to head liceAt home flu treatments for kids

about christie

About Christie

I’m Christie, Korean mom to 2 biracial “whasians.” A Florida gal who loves crafts, travel & any excuse to eat! Read more...

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98 shares

Comments

  1. Liz Mays says

    November 13, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    The fact it’s so highly contagious is super, super scary. I always appreciate when people spread awareness about it.

    Reply
  2. Masshole mommy says

    November 13, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    It is scary to think about a little baby being so sick like that. RSV is a terrible thing for them to have to fight off when there so little.

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    November 13, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    RSV is such a scary virus for infants. Luckily neither of my kids ever got it, but I was absurdly protective of them during the winter viral seasons.

    Reply
  4. kristin says

    November 13, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    RSV is no Joke. I’m so glad that our little one never got it.

    Reply
  5. chrysa says

    November 13, 2014 at 8:11 pm

    This is such a scary contagious virus. Thanks for sharing it so that others can be aware of it.

    Reply
  6. Chrissy says

    November 13, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    RSV can be really scary. I am so glad there are things that can be done to prevent it. Thank you for raising awareness!

    Reply
  7. Theresa says

    November 13, 2014 at 11:56 pm

    RSV is no joke! I had a friend whose baby was hospitalized due to RSV complications. It was a very scary time!

    Reply
  8. Beth@FrugalFroggie says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    My youngest had RSV when he was 2 months old. Glad he didn’t have to be hospitalized.

    Reply
  9. Beth@KCMompreneurs says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    I am glad that there is more awareness about RSV. It can be frightening when your child gets that sick. Especially if you don’t know the symptoms.

    Reply
  10. Rosey says

    November 14, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    What a perfect sweet baby picture!!

    That being said, RSV sounds like it’s the very real deal. I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping spread awareness.

    Reply
  11. Debbie Denny says

    November 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    It is such a scary thing. Great to be aware of this.

    Reply
  12. krystalskitsch says

    November 14, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing this info! I actually didn’t know about RSV until recently! Ack!

    Reply
  13. Debra says

    November 14, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Wow, this is so scary. I don’t know that I was that aware of it with my kids when they were babies, but I should have been. I was always cleaning their toys – doing a bleach bath once a week for anything that went in their mouths!

    Reply
  14. Tess says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    That is a scary sickness. I’ve seen a baby with it and it’s not sonething you want your kid to have.

    Reply
  15. Ann B says

    November 15, 2014 at 12:14 am

    So scary! Thanks for sharing with your readers as this is something that parents need to know about.

    Reply
  16. Kiwi says

    November 15, 2014 at 3:14 am

    I’ve never heard of RSV but it sounds so sad for a baby to get sick like that. Thanks for spreading the word and bringing awareness!

    Reply
  17. Jenn @TheRebelChick says

    November 15, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    I’m always so shocked when people have never heard of RSV! Thank you so much for helping to spread the word.

    Reply
  18. Donna says

    November 15, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    This is such an important topic and it is so good that you are helping to get the message out there.

    Reply
  19. Tracey says

    November 16, 2014 at 8:57 am

    That is such a scary thing. I had actually never heard about it before so thank you for sharing this.

    Reply
  20. Brandy says

    November 17, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    This is the first year I have heard so much about RSV and I have raised three babies, who are now 6, 8 and 12. Had little clue about RSV until they were older honestly. Kinda scary, it sounds like a parents nightmare. Glad to have some proactive cautionary steps to follow!

    Reply

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I’m Christie, Korean mom to 2 biracial “whasians.” Florida gal who loves movies, crafts, travel & any excuse to eat! Email me at raisingwhasians@gmail.com

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