This is part of a sponsored collaboration with AstraZeneca. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Baby number four is here and as seasoned as that may sound, motherhood is proving to bring new worries and challenges. My healthy 6 pound, 14-ounce little girl came into the world ready to show me a whole other side of parenting. We are over the moon to have her in our family and I only wish I could wrap her in bubble wrap. The month of October is RSV Awareness month and it’s more important than ever to take steps to protect my daughter’s tiny lungs. Today I’m sharing everything you need to know about the Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
Does my baby have RSV?
What is RSV
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common seasonal virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. The contagious disease affects nearly all children by the time they are two years old. Lungs are among the last organs to mature before birth making these newborn lungs highly susceptible to respiratory viruses. Premature babies born 35 weeks or less may be at higher risk because of their underdeveloped lungs. It’s the leading cause of hospitalization for babies in their first year.
Signs And Symptoms
- Coughing and wheezing
- Gasping/fast breathing
- Fever
- Caved chest and spread nostrils when breathing
- Blu-ish mouth and fingernails
RSV spreads rapidly among children, while most will recover in 1 to 2 weeks, they will continue to spread the virus for 1 to 3 weeks, after they have recovered.
How To Protect From RSV
Protect your baby from germs and illness. Anyone that is sneezing, coughing or presents illness needs to stay away from baby. Babies are fragile and the threat of RSV can easily be avoided.
- Always wash hands thoroughly before touching baby.
- Keep baby away from large crowds.
- Wash clothes, blankets and babies items often.
- Tobacco smoke irritates babies’ airways make sure no one smokes near baby or in the home.
Learn more about theRSV disease at http://bit.ly/RSVProtection and how to help keep your child healthy this RSV season!
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