Mother's intuition...
- vanessa4920
- Nov 2
- 3 min read
Written by Amy Simm.
When you become a parent, you quickly learn that that role includes becoming a teacher, chef, manager, event planner and many more things.
The hardest role for me to adjust to was that of doctor. As someone who already suffered with anxiety, having a baby heightened it even more, I was constantly checking if they were ok.
Nothing can prepare you for the moments when your baby gets sick though. For us, that moment came recently when our five-month-old, Violet, was diagnosed with RSV — Respiratory Syncytial Virus — and ended up in the hospital. While the virus is incredibly common it can be serious for infants, especially those under six months.
It started out with Violet being a little out of sorts, signs of a little cold starting but nothing too concerning. Quickly her breathing got louder, and she seemed to be putting a lot of effort in to be able to breathe so we took a trip to MEDS to have her checked out. The doctor looked her over, reassured us and said to come back if we were concerned.
Within 24 hours things had got worse and we ended up taking a trip to A&E. The staff were all wonderful, checking over Violet and reassuring me too. They decided it was best to admit her to children’s ward so she could be monitored and it was there she tested positive for RSV.
While her breathing was still laboured, she seemed to have improved and the next day we headed home.
Sadly, the following morning we struggled to keep her awake or get her to feed and we found ourselves back on children’s ward now with low oxygen levels as well as the awful cough and breathing difficulties.
We spent a night with Violet needing extra monitoring of her oxygen levels hearing monitors and beeping tracking every breath she took.
They explained every step: how RSV causes inflammation and mucus buildup in small airways, why hydration is key, and what signs to watch for once we went home.
Watching your baby struggle to breathe is one of the most helpless feelings in the world but everyone we encountered at meds, A&E and children’s ward were incredible.
Ultimately, you know your baby best and if there are signs or changes you aren’t sure about, get it checked out it’s better to be safe than sorry. Our GP always tells us “babies can get very sick very quickly, but they normally bounce back quickly too”. We’re happy to say that Violet has recovered quickly and for us to be on the other side now but we’ll be so much more cautious now knowing how quickly things can change.
Symptoms of RSV - taken from the NHS
Symptoms of an RSV infection usually start within a few days of getting infected.
Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:
a runny or blocked nose
a cough
sneezing
tiredness
a high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)
Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.
If RSV leads to a more serious infection (such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis) it may also cause:
a cough that gets worse
shortness of breath
faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
noisy breathing (wheezing)
confusion (in older adults)
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