But soon things took a turn for the worse.
Heres her story, as told to Kathleen Felton.
I first heard about RSV at some point when my son, Jack, was a baby.
Illustration: Giacomo Gambineri
She went home and everything was fine, but that did put me on alert.
I remember thinking, Oh, RSV can actually be dangerous.
Still, Jack was a healthy baby.
Photo courtesy of Lauren
He wasnt born prematurely, didnt have any conditions, and was up-to-date on all of hisvaccinations.
So I was mostly fine with him being held and snuggled by other people.
Im part of a big Portuguese family, and were super physically affectionatethats just the cultural norm.
Wed been invited to a baptism, a birthday party, and dinner at my in-laws.
I didnt want to offend anyone.
A few days later, his symptoms started.
At first, Jack had acoughand was very congested, but he was fever-free and still had an appetite.
Even though it seemed like a regular cold, we brought him to the pediatricians office to be safe.
They tested him and confirmed he had RSV.
Our doctor didnt seem super concerned, though, so we didnt worry either.
After all,RSV symptomsare usually mild.
We were told to keep an eye out in case Jack developed a fever or stopped eating.
Day three was when things started to take a turn for the worse.
Jack was still mostly acting like himself, but he spiked a fever and was a little lethargic.
By then, it was almost midnight.
I was surprised; hed still been taking bottles up until recently.
Before long he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
Jack was in the hospital for six days.
And they were rightJack got worse before he got better.
But then he stopped eating completely and his oxygen levels dropped.
They switched to high-flow oxygen, but that didnt help, so he was given a face mask.
He had to wear the mask for two days.
Both of these complications can occur in severe RSV cases.
And he was still so dehydrated.
The nurses kept struggling to get an IV in.
I remember not really thinking too muchI was just focused on Jack.
It hit me how much worse things could have been.
Jack is now six and thriving.
But he did have some ongoing health issues for the first few years after his hospitalization.
We ended up taking him to a pulmonologist, who prescribed him an inhaler for a few months.
Doctors told us that there was a good chance hed eventually haveasthma.
Now, when I tell people this story, I always say to trust your instincts.
If something doesnt feel right, theres a good chance it isnt.
Related:
Get more of SELF’s great journalism delivered right to your inboxfor free.
