Aaron spending time with Elora in the NICU

November 17th is Preemie Awareness Day- and you guys know I’ve had several preemies. Before I had an early baby, I very ignorant about the issues that preemies face.  I naively thought once they went home from the NICU, they were just like a full term healthy baby.  Sometimes you get lucky and that’s the case, but unfortunately for many more of these early birds have weaker immune systems and are more susceptible to respiratory issues do to underdeveloped lungs at birth.

I’d never heard of RSV until we had Amelia.  She was born five weeks early, and despite the fact that Lili was also born at the same gestation and was fine, Mia needed medical intervention at birth to breathe.  She spent almost 2 weeks in the NICU taking the steps necessary to wean down to room air before she came home.   Because of this, her fall birth, and the fact she had four older siblings who were cesspools of germs, she received monthly Synagis shots to help protect her from RSV.

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) symptoms present like the common cold in most full-term babies, and the majority contract it by the age of two with parents and caregivers not even realizing they have it.  But for preemies, their compromised immune and respiratory systems increase their risk for developing much more serious issues.

Looking back, my now 13 year old was hospitalized for several days when he was just a few months old with what the doctors called bronchiolitis, but I’ve since learned that is most commonly caused by RSV.  He was full term, and it was super scary.  I’m so glad that my preemies all received the shots to protect them!

According to the CDC, RSV season typically runs from November to March in most of the U.S., but can vary based on where you live, so check with your child’s pediatrician.  Half a million babies are born early in the US each year- so we really need to spread the word to protect these babies- and that’s why I’m posting about this today, November 17th, World Prematurity Day.

To learn more about RSV, go to RSVProtection.com where you can find great info on prevention, risk factors, and more.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.