Most mothers that have given birth during the winter months have heard of this nasty little virus called RSV. In adults, it manifests itself similarly to the common cold, but in infants it can be more serious. Well, tis the season and we've been hit!
The day before we brought Charlotte home from the hospital, both and Hazel and I started coughing and we both got sick. We took Hazel to the pediatrician immediately just to know what we were dealing with and she says, "Sorry, it's RSV." Needless to say, we've kept Charlotte as far away from everyone as possible. I think Hazel believes her baby sister has transformed into a little crying voice on a monitor. Since the virus is SO contagious, David has stayed home from work longer than anticipated to take care of Hazel as much as possible so that I could be with Charlotte. I wash my hands about every five minutes, disinfect, wear a mask at all times, and change my clothes every time I enter our room to feed Charlotte. We are EXHAUSTED!
But, on the brighter side, Charlotte is still doing well (we're praying she stays that way) and Hazel hasn't gotten worse, although she's still in the thick of it. David is back at work today and I actually got some sleep last night and feel a little better today. Sorry if it seems we've slipped off the planet, but we'll be staying inside for quite a while. We love you all and can't wait to have our friends over to see the baby---just know that it will be a few weeks before we can safely let you in our doors!
Here's a link about RSV for those of you who are unaware. Keep your little ones inside and wash wash wash. Remember that these germs can stay on clothes and hard surfaces for a few hours.
http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html
Love you guys.
Janelle
P.S. thank you so much for all of your responses to our Charlotte post. We love hearing from you. I have more pictures of her coming soon. I love her dark hair, it's my favorite. And did we ever tell you? Her full name is Charlotte Patricia Phipps. I actually let David name this one since I named Hazel (although we both loved the two names we were choosing between--so I was safe either way). Charlotte is after my great-grandmother "Lottie" and Patricia is after David's favorite grandmother. She's got a lot to live up to.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
RSV
Posted by The Phipps: at 12:15 PM
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3 comments:
Oh my goodness, Janelle! RSV is so scary and I'm so sorry all of you have it and have to be even more afraid than all the rest of the mothers-of-fall/winter babies already are just having the RISK of it. I wish I was there to help! We'll be praying it passes quickly so little Charlotte stays safe (and so you're hands can heal from washing them so much and your mind can be at ease a little more). I've heard some awful stories of friends' babies who got RSV and had to be hospitalized and still have lasting effects like asthma or other respiratory problems years later, so this is serious stuff and you guys are SO good to be so careful with her. You're such a good mom. When I got the impression people thought I was too strict with the hand-washing or sanitizer when they came over, I didn't care because I figured I would be the one dealing with the sick baby, not them. So they could deal with it. :) Anyway, I'll end this novel of a comment. LOVE YOU!
I'm so sorry you're all sick! That is NO fun! We'll keep you all in our prayers. You guys are troopers. Love you guys so much and can't wait for more pictures of that thick dark hair, that's definitely my favorite too! You are an AMAZING MOM JANELLE!
I thought I was David's favorite Gramma!
- The other Grandma
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