At first, mom Jenna Kuntz was convinced that her now 7-week-old baby, Alicea, just had a cold. After all, her symptoms pointed to that being the answer, which is why she didn't see the immediate need to rush her to the ER.
But when she caught her baby's nostrils flaring, she realized she needed to be more thorough. She lifted up her daughter's dress to check her breathing and instantly became alarmed: the baby's ribs appeared to be caving in.
The ER doctors had Alicea airlifted to a children's hospital, where specialists were able to determine the cause of her symptoms. This was no ordinary cold: it was the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which causes infections in the lungs and respiratory tract. RSV can be dangerous if gone untreated.
Thankfully, Alicea is now cured because of her mother's intuitive thinking. Jenna knows that the situation could have been much worse and wants to warn other parents of the signs and symptoms their child might display.
She says that for children younger than 2 years old, the virus's symptoms may appear to be cold or flu-like, making it hard to detect.
She posted a video of Alicea's flared nostrils and caved-in ribs to show exactly what the virus can do. So far, her video has gotten over 60,000 views!
Please SHARE if you're a concerned parent and want all other moms and dads to know about this contagious virus!
