RSV in babies: Deanne was told she could take her daughter home from hospital, when things took a turn for the worse | Dr Nick Coatsworth explains RSV and common symptoms

It’s winter, and with the season comes a myriad of childhood illness. While most recover quickly, babies are particularly vulnerable and require an extra layer of caution and care.

This is particularly the case when it comes to RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), which can strike babies in the first weeks of their lives.

Infectious disease and respiratory expert Dr Nick Coatsworth explains to 9honey why RSV can be so dangerous and the symptoms to look out for.

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“RSV is a respiratory virus that usually causes a cold in adults, but in kids under two and especially infants under six months of age can give a serious illness called bronchiolitis or even cause pneumonia,” Dr Coatsworth says.

“RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation for infants under six months of age and can be very scary for parents, with babies having periods where their breathing stops (these are called apnoeas) and a distressing cough.”

Pregnant women 29 and 36 weeks in Australia are now able to access free vaccinations against RSV, an initiative which aims to prevent newborns requiring hospitalisation and save families hundreds of dollars.

Dr Coatsworth adds that one to two out of every 100 babies with RSV will need to go to the hospital, and of those, one in four will end up in intensive care.

“Fortunately, most of those in need of hospital care will recover,” he says.

Three Aussie mums have shared their stories of caring for newborns with RSV and the signs their babies were seriously unwell.

Deanne, mum of Winter who fell ill at six weeks

Winter developed a “runny nose” and “slight cough” ahead of being diagnosed with RSV, and then she began feeding less.

“So I took her to the GP. By the time we got there she hadn’t had a bottle the whole morning,” Deanne, 27, tells 9honey.

The GP told her to take Winter to hospital as she also had less wet nappies – a sign of dehydration.

“She was struggling to breathe. She was using a lot of her muscles trying to breathe. She was drowsy,” the mum recalls.

Hospital staff quickly realised Winter needed urgent intervention, placing her on high-flow oxygen and inserting a feeding tube.

”It was a weird feeling,” she recalls. “I was scared for what was actually happening and what was going to happen. But at the same time, I knew that she was in the right place.”

The pair were sent home later that day, before Winter took a turn for the worse once more.

Her next stay in hospital lasted a week.

“She got progressively better,” Deanne recalls, describing seeing her daughter get “her energy back” by day four, although she remained on oxygen.

Deanne had only heard of RSV in “past conversations” and “wasn’t really worried about it until she got it and that’s when I actually found out what it was”.

Winter is now 14 months and has made a full recovery.

Danielle, mum of Hazel who became sick at three weeks old

Hazel was only three week’s old when she was diagnosed with RSV.

”She obviously was really congested, we weren’t super worried about, but she couldn’t keep her milk down,” Danielle tells 9honey.

Next she noticed Hazel’s breathing “wasn’t normal”.

”When I rang the nurse hotline, they told me to count [Hazel’s breaths]. It was to see how many she’s doing like in a minute”.

Whatever the count was, it was too many.

Danielle was told to take her baby to hospital where she was monitored closely for the next “few hours” while followed instructions to drip feed her baby to help her keep it down.

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“She kept it down, which was the most important part,” Danielle says, speculating that the reason she was throwing up her feeds was because she was drinking quickly as she struggled to breathe.

Hazel made a full recovery and is now five and thriving.

Marlena, mum of Eva who became sick at three weeks old

Eva was also three weeks of age when she fell ill with RSV.

Marlena was aware of RSV via her work in child care, and acted quickly when she saw her daughter struggling to breathe.

”Her breathing was a bit labored and she was sniffly,” Marlena tells 9honey.

She took her daughter to the GP, who performed a nose swap test and confirmed RSV.

Marlena was told to keep an eye on her daughter and knew to look out for signs of laboured breathing such as “pulling at the throat, chest” which is exactly what Eva began to do later that day.

Eva was placed on an oxygen tube and staff began giving her fluids. Marlena continued to breastfeed her daughter, which proved difficult with “tubes coming out of her”.

They remained in hospital for three nights.

Eva made a full recovery, and is now six – but Marlena says her daughter still “catches any little cold that comes around”.

“She had a bit of asthma before, but as soon as any change of weather, anything like that – she’s coughing, coughing, coughing all night long,” she adds.

Dr Coastworth says it can be “very difficult to tell the difference between RSV and other respiratory viruses”.

“Not all infants with mild respiratory symptoms need a doctor,” he says.

“As a general rule, if the baby has viral symptoms (like a cough, runny nose, poor feeding) and then symptoms progress to breathing rapidly or the baby becomes lethargic, urgent medical care is required,” Dr Coatsworth explains.

He said parents can “sit tight if the baby just seems to have a cough or a cold, but if those warning signs of rapid breathing, lethargy (sometimes called a ‘floppy baby’) continuous cough or a prolonged inability to feed, seek medical attention urgently”.

This week is RSV Awareness Week (June 1-7). Parents who are concerned about possible symptoms of RSV in their children are urged to seek medical advice.

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