For parents of newborns, protecting their precious, vulnerable new babies is one of the hardest tasks. They want to do everything they can to keep their newborns from getting sick, but they also feel pressure to visit with family and friends and let everyone meet and hold the baby. And not everyone is understanding when a parent says no. When Kelli Beachner gave birth to her son, Colton, she was adamant that no one would be allowed to kiss him and expose him to germs. But somehow, it still happened, and now Beachner is sharing an important warning for parents after her baby wound up in the hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
When Colton was just 6 days old, Beachner says she checked on him during a nap and found that his top lip was blue and he was unresponsive.
"I picked him up so fast that it startled him and he thankfully started crying," she wrote in a post on Facebook. "Dalton [my husband] and I took him in, and after some testing was done we were told Colton was positive for RSV, that in the morning he needed to go to the Respiratory clinic. I didn't sleep for a minute that night. I don't even think I blinked as I stared at him all night praying that he had the strength, while we sat in the bathroom with steam from a hot shower to help him breathe."
When they got Colton to the respiratory clinic the next day, things took a scary turn for the worst.
The worried parents were told that not only would he need to be hospitalized but also that his oxygen saturation was so low that he would need to be transported by ambulance to another location. The baby was placed on oxygen for the transport and was immediately placed in an incubator. Beachner shared a heartbreaking video of her days-old baby wheezing as he struggled to breathe.
Colton was ultimately diagnosed with RSV and bronchitis.
He spent seven days on 100 percent oxygen and then had weeks of recovery. Luckily, Beachner's little boy made it through, but she cautions that many do not. "The thing that a lot of people don't know is that it's not over when they get the hospital release papers," Beachner wrote. "Colton now is more susceptible to respiratory illnesses and has recently been prescribed a nebulizer to help him breathe due to possible asthma. (He's still too young for a complete diagnosis.) He beat RSV, but it's still very much impacting his life from the strain it put on him so early in his life. Not to mention the side effects it has on parents and the paranoia it brings."
Cases of RSV are on the rise, and it's something that should concern anyone who spends time around babies.
The virus is actually a leading cause of death to infants worldwide and one of the main reasons that newborns are hospitalized. And the most troubling thing about RSV is that people can have it without even realizing it because the symptoms are very mild in adults and older children. It's only babies who face the most serious risks, because their lungs and immune systems are not developed enough to fight the infection.
RSV is characterized by coughing, fever, sore throat, and mild headaches. In infants, it's usually characterized by wheezing, rapid breathing, poor feeding, irritability, lethargy, and skin that looks slightly bluish. If you notice these symptoms in your baby, it's important to seek medical attention right away.
Beachner says she's speaking out because she wants other people to understand why they need to be cautious with newborns and respect parents' wishes.
"Don't be the reason a mom and dad have to prepare for the worst. Don't put your want to see/kiss the baby before the well being of that precious baby. And don't guilt trip new parents if they wish to protect their baby a little extra," she said. "Being able to visit a newborn is a privilege, not a right. Your love from a distance is still felt, I promise."
