This post was sponsored by AstraZeneca as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
As I sit here listening to the breathing sounds coming from my sleeping baby I am worried. She is congested and I know that RSV season is coming. At 15 months, she recently started attending day care which means she is around more germs than previously. RSV is the abbreviation for Respiratory Syncytial Virus and it is most prevalent October thru March. It is also the primary reason infants are hospitalized in their first year of life. October is RSV Awareness Month.
It is not really a question of IF my child contracts RSV but WHEN. Most children will contract RSV before they turn 2 years old however the severity can vary. It is not considered an illness to worry about however it can be concerning if not diagnosed and treated early. The symptoms can be similar to other typical childhood illnesses. RSV effects a child’s lungs causing breathing difficulty (some children start turning slightly blue around the mouth and/or fingernails) as well as congestion, persistent coughing, wheezing and high fever.
Children who are born at (or before) 35 weeks gestation are at high risk for lung and respiratory infections, including RSV disease. Our daughter was born at 35 weeks and luckily made it through her first year without contracting RSV but I am watching her closely again this year. RSV is easily spread by sneezing, coughing, and touching. Our first RSV season I cringed every time we were at the grocery and a sweet senior citizen or toddler came up to touch my baby. I was always polite but tried to position her out of the way of being touched easily.
You can help prevent RSV disease by:
Washing your hands thoroughly before touching your baby, and asking others to do so as well.
Keep your baby away from crowds and young children, as well as people with colds.
Wash your baby’s toys, clothes and bedding often.
Tobacco smoke irritates baby’s airways so don’t let anyone smoke in your home or near your baby
Our daughter is the third child in our family so it is not practical to think we can keep children away from her but we do ask that our boys not play with her toys or share food and drinks with her when they have colds. They wash their hands often on a daily basis.
You can find more information and resources on RSV here . Take the time to share this information and the infographic below with family and friends, especially if they have a young baby or toddler at home.
Contact Robyn at Robyn@theneighborhoodmoms.com
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