The Dreaded RSV

Last year, we avoided RSV like it was our jobs. I made this post on the blog about RSV. We washed our hands when we got home from work, changed clothes, etc. before we touched the kids. I stopped shaking clients' hands. I washed my hands every hour at work. If anyone looked remotely sick, I ran from them. And we did NOT take the babies out of the house for anything but a pediatrician appointment until RSV season was over. We were terrified that the kids would get RSV and it would land them in the hospital, and cause long-term respiratory problems at the least.

This year we knew that it would not be as serious if the kids got RSV. So, we let loose a little. We have gone to some Christmas parties and birthday parties, and a few parks. The other morning, the kids all woke up with minor colds. A couple of nights later Rosemary was fussy at night, so we assumed that she had an ear infection (that child always gets an ear infection after congestion). So, the next morning Gary took her to the pediatrician. He said that as they were waiting on the doctor, that Rosemary started having breathing problems. Gary told me that had they not been at the doctor's office that he would have gone straight to the ER. Luckily, her oxygen saturation rates were great and she was breathing much better after the pediatrician gave her a breathing treatment.

I was shocked when Gary called me to tell me that Rosemary had RSV. I guess I had thought that we had made it this far, so we wouldn't get it. We knew the other kids had it, too, and the question was whether their breathing would become so labored that they needed breathing treatments. The pediatrician sent Gary home with our very own nebulizer so that we can give home breathing treatments, and enough of a prescription to cover everyone if everyone ended up on treatments. Luckily, Piper and Henry did not need the treatments. And, Rosemary hasn't had a breathing treatment in over 48 hours, so we think she is well on the mend.

Here are a few pictures of Rosemary getting her breathing treatments at home:




Piper and Henry were jealous that they didn't get their own breathing treatments!




I am thankful that Rosemary never really seemed to be suffering that much after that first morning. Just so that you don't think she was too sick, here are some pictures of her playing on her wheely bug during the worst of the RSV. She loves it when Nana pushes her fast!!