5 things to remember when you bring home your Preemie

ByMarina Posted on Updated on

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On November 17th, families around the globe celebrate World Prematurity Day. Thankfully we will live in an age where a preemie’s birth is no longer a cause for concern. That being said, no parent should be slack in their care-giving duties. You must do what you can to protect your preemie from RSV.

5 things to remember when you bring home your preemie: Protect your preemie from RSV

5 things to remember when you bring home your Preemie {#PreemieProtection}

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for MedImmune. I will receive a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”#RSVAwareness #PreemieProtection #MC

1. Ensure you sanitize and clean your home completely before bring your precious angel home. Make it a rule that everyone who handles the little one needs to wash their hands thoroughly, with warm water and soap.

2. It may seem unsocial but limit exposing your preemie to crowded public events and too many visitors. Thank God for technology. Everyone can see pictures of your sweet child via emailed photographs or what you post on your private social channels on the web.

3. If you have school going kids and resident members of the family who work outside the house, ensure they step in for a good bath, as soon as they get home, before interacting with the baby. This also means changing out of clothes worn outside.

4. If any resident member of the house has a cold or any cold symptoms, limit interaction with the baby, just to be cautious.

5. Try, as far as possible, to breastfeed your preemie. The nutrients in breastmilk can never be compared to any other milk substitute. This will help build up your child’s immunity. This does also mean that Mama gets as much rest as she can and eats healthy too.

All these preventive measures are necessary because preemie babies are more susceptible to catching viral strains and illnesses like RSV.( Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

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My firstborn was born a week early. A few months after her first birthday she contracted RSV. Seeing her breathless and helpless was one of the worst experiences we’ve had to go through as parents. I thank God that my husband was insistent we take her back to the pediatrician even though our visit to her clinic the previous day showed nothing. We caught it in the early stages and with strong, medicated, breathing treatments using a nebulizer  we were able to arrest it.

Though our daughter wasn’t old enough to speak, she was able to communicate what she felt. I shudder to think of how scary it would be to have her get this just a few months prior.

It’s better to be over cautious than regretful later. Visit the RSV Protection site for more information on RSV and share what you learn with new moms you know, especially moms of preemies.

 

Is RSV new to you? Do you know someone who has had RSV?

 

Marina is a grateful, South Texas-based mom of two daughters and a son (an 18-year-old, 13-year-old and 10-year-old). Her husband, of 22 years, is her best friend and biggest cheerleader. The family loves soccer, basketball, their sweet rescue pup Jingle, good food and traveling!

What tides her through each day? A hot cup of cardamom chai, God's Faithfulness and Philippians 4:13!

22 Comments

  2. Thank you for educating us on this serious condition. My kids are older but it is always good to know.

  3. As a pediatric intensive care nurse I see RSV more often than I care to admit. Thanksgiving usually starts our “RSV season” (as we call it) because families usually get together and spread germs. They forget that the little ones are at risk. Thank you for your tips and reminders, not just for preemies but for all babies!

    1. That’s so sad. I actually just recvd a prayer request from a friend for a 6 week old baby who has RSV. Poor baby isn’t opening his eyes. My heart hurts. We’re praying.

  4. Unfortunately, I know RSV well. My daughter was not a preemie and was diagnosed right after she turned 15 months with RSV. It is such a scary illness.

  5. My son was born on time and had RSV at 10 days old. He used a nebulizer until he was 4 years old. No fun.

  6. It’s definitely important to make sure everyone has washed their hands before seeing your kids. RSV is so scary!

  7. RSV is so important to know about. Thank you for sharing these tips to educate everyone!

  8. Oh my goodness, what a sweet little baby! RSV is so scary…and so is bringing home a newborn! Going to be doing a lot of hand washing when we have our baby!

  9. My girls weren’t preemies but they were very tiny. We had limit exposing them to others too.

  10. Great tips! So important and I don’t think a lot of people even realize! Those little precious preemies are so delicate too!

  11. These are great tips. Preemies are so fragile, and something like RSV could really wreck them. It’s a really scary thing.

  12. Thank you for the thoughtful post. Our son was born premature and these really hit home. Thank you for sharing.

  14. IT is scary enough having a newborn I could not imagine the extra stress and precautions with a preemie.

  15. This is a great post to highlight about RSV. Love that your promoting awareness about it and to help others in learning all about it.

  17. This is really great information. My daughter did not have RSV, but I know several families whose babies have dealt with it.

  18. Those are important tips for anyone with a new baby, but premies need a little extra caution. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about RSV with my babies.

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