This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MedImmune. All opinions are 100% mine.
Getting ready to take my youngest son home from the hospital.
Becoming a parent for should be a joyous and exciting time for all couples. There are so many new things to experience including seeing and holding your baby for the first time. I can still remember how I was overcome with emotions as I spent time with my new babies and planned their first trip home from the hospital.
The parents or premature babies or babies born with health conditions are not as lucky and often have to deal with complications that impede them from bringing their babies home right away. In the days leading up to November 17—World Prematurity Day—the focus will be to educate parents of premature babies so they will be prepared to protect their babies from potentially dangerous illnesses.
Every year, I consider it my personal responsibility to help raise awareness about World Prematurity Day. Not only do I have many friends whose children were born prematurely and had to struggle through their first days and weeks of life, but my older son also contracted RSV at six months old. RSV is a common seasonal virus that typically causes mild to moderate cold-like symptoms in healthy full-term babies but that can be potentially dangerous to preterm infants due to the fact that their lungs are underdeveloped.
All ready in his going home outfit!
Unfortunately, November through March is the time period when RSV epidemics tend to occur every year. It is the leading cause of hospitalization for babies during their first year of life in the United States accounting for around 125,000 hospitalizations and up to 400 infant deaths. The scary part is that one third of mothers have never even heard of the RSV virus. Many of the mothers whom I share my son’s RSV story with have no idea what RSV even is!
It is extremely important to educate new mothers about the dangers of this disease so they will know what to look for in their babies’ symptoms. Babies who are coughing or wheezing severely and appear to have bluish coloring around their mouths and fingernails might be exhibiting RSV symptoms. Additionally, high fevers in infants under 3 months of age might also be a sign of RSV.
RSV is very contagious but there are some precautions that you can take in order to decrease the risk of spreading the disease. Every single parent should definitely:
- Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands!
- Make sure that all toys and bedsheets that come in contact with your baby are clean.
- Keep your baby away from other infants and large crowds, especially during RSV season.
- Stay away from others who appear to be sick or are exhibiting cold symptoms.
In observance of World Prematurity Day on November 17th, make sure you meet with your pediatrician to determine if your baby is at risk of developing RSV disease. For more information about RSV and to learn about RSV prevention, please visit www.RSVprevention.com.
Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MedImmune. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
© 2013, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.
That’s really scary. Thank you so much for sharing this information.
I am so far out of the loop that I had no idea what RSV even was or that it was so dangerous to premature babies. This is good to know as we are having a lot of babies born into our family recently. Thanks for all your great tips… washing the hands should be something we do anyway before we hold any baby…. but some people have no clue!!
Awe, what a cutie pie! Love his going home outfit. Thanks for sharing about RSV. Some people don’t know about it, but it is really serious! A friend’s baby was in the hospital for a while for this.
I didnt even know what RSV was thank you! I think your sons are handsome little men!
I had no idea what RSV until just now! Thank you for sharing & you have such cute boys!
Thank you for sharing this important information on RSV. I was very concerned my daughters might get it when they were babies.
My oldest wasn’t even a preemie and he still ended up with RSV. It was so scary. Taking precautions like washing hands is a must when you have new babies – or kids of any age, really.
My nephew had RSV. I remember him being hospitalized for a while but I really never thought more about it. This is really something to think about. Thank you for sharing. BTW: your family is adorable!
I love that onsie! This is definitely scary though and I have never heard of it! Thank you for sharing! I will have to learn more about RSV
Aww so cute! It’s defiantly scary to have to deal with RSV, even the warning reading about it can worry someone
RSV is a very scary thing to deal with… especially if the baby involved isn’t fully developed. My daughter got RSV but as a new mother I took her to the doctor every time she coughed and we caught it way early. No hospitalization for us, thankfully. I can only hope other mothers have the same luck I did. –Ashley Gill
This is a good thing to make sure every Mom knows, thanks for sharing about RSV
RSV is very scary. My husband had it when he was little.
Great information to get out there to the public. Parents need to be informed and proactive with their health and health care. Great post!
What a beautiful family, thank you for sharing about RSV, that is something so few new parents are aware of.
My Scarlett was born a whole month early so we’re participating in World Prematurity Day too! I’ll be blogging about it to on my blog! Great for spread awareness! xxx
My 12yr old got it right before he left the hospital and had to stay in for almost a week after I was discharged. Was the worst time of my life. It is really dangerous for little ones.
That picture is too cute! Both my babies were preemies and both had two week hospital stays. I was a maniac about making people wash their hands and got some talk back but hey my babies didn’t get sick! That’s all I cared about!
Sweet baby. RSV was nothing I was told about when my youngest son was born. He was premature and had lung issues but thank God he is a fine healthy young man today serving in the Air Force.
Love that babies and let us all be mindful of germs and sickness around babies.
Cute baby! I had never heard of this before but this is something that all parents should know about.
Great info to know! No babies here, but my kids will have them and I will be Grandma on the spot!
My husband’s cousin suffered from RSV when he was just a little boy and had to stay in the hospital for a whole month. Because of that, we were very careful with our kids during the winter, and made sure to visit the doctor whenever we felt concerned about their health. We got lucky and neither kid got RSV.
Yes, 21 years ago my 2.5 lb 3 month preemie was hospitalized with RSV, just one of many respiratory infections over the years!
I have a preemie that was born at 30 weeks this past May and I’m terribly frightened of RSV and the season that is upon us. I’m definitely taking all the precautions I can. and also praying that this misses us the way it missed our daughter born at 27 weeks 9 years ago.
Love the infographic for learning about RSV facts, including the symptoms and prevention. Thank you for bringing awareness to this virus to pass along to others.