Western Isles mum shares her baby’s experience of RSV and why she’s urging expectant mothers to take the vaccine

A Western Isles mum is urging anyone who is pregnant to seriously consider taking the RSV vaccine, after it saved her son from serious illness when he was only a few weeks old.

Bethany Webster is sharing her son’s experience of falling ill with Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to encourage expectant mothers to take the vaccine when it is offered.

RSV is a common and highly infectious respiratory virus that affects the breathing system. It generally causes mild illness with cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, cough, fever, or a decrease in appetite.

Most people recover from an RSV infection after two to three weeks, but for some, it can cause severe illness including pneumonia and bronchiolitis, which could lead to complications and hospitalisation.

Bethany explained: “When I was 32 weeks pregnant, I asked to be given the RSV vaccine. It took me some time to fully consider taking it as it was quite new at the time. However, I had heard about some children and babies having to be flown off island and requiring ventilation after contracting RSV, so I knew that I didn’t want to take the risk of my baby becoming unwell.

“The vaccination was no problem. My midwife, Catherine, gave it to me, and we joked and chatted throughout. I felt a slight tingle at first, but it wore off quickly. I had a slightly tender arm the following day.”

Bethany continued: “Fast forward to the end of February. Ronan was four weeks old and my husband and my older child had a slight cold. Our extended family had colds too, so we asked them not to visit us until they felt better. I had a minor headache but was generally well. We didn’t think anything of it as everyone was still well apart from a little cough, so we continued as normal with a bit of extra handwashing.

“On the Sunday, Ronan started coughing, he was still happy and feeding well so we didn’t worry too much. By the Monday he was sleepy, so we spent the day on the couch, he was still coughing but feeding and nappies were both fine. Through the night he started to feel hot, and his cough was getting worse, he was very unhappy, and I knew something wasn’t right, so we called NHS24 and made our way to the hospital.”

Bethany recalled that the staff at the hospital were ‘amazing’ and saw Ronan straight away.  The four-week-old was checked over and some throat swabs were taken. He was then given paracetamol and the staff observed him for a few hours.

Once the staff were happy with Ronan’s breathing and feeding, they sent him home with instructions to return if he became any more unwell.

“Later that day we received a call from the paediatrician confirming that he had RSV and that he might get worse before he got better,” said Bethany. “He advised that since I had taken the RSV vaccine in pregnancy, there was a good chance he wouldn’t get as sick as he would have if I hadn’t have taken it.

“The Tuesday night was the worst night, Ronan’s cough was worse, and we hardly slept. He was warm and working harder to breathe after coughing, he wasn’t feeding as well and his nappies were dryer, so we took him back to the Emergency Department. The staff checked him over again and reassured us. By that evening, we had turned a corner, he was feeding better and not struggling as much with his breathing, so we went back home.

“Within a week he was back to his normal self, and we started getting some early smile attempts. He still had a cough for roughly four weeks after his hospital visits.”

Bethany states that she is ‘so glad’ to have taken the RSV vaccine, acknowledging: “Without it, my son could have had a significant stay in hospital due to how young he was. We were lucky that we only had to visit the Emergency Department for a few hours rather than be admitted and flown to Glasgow, which would have meant splitting up the family for potentially weeks as he recovered in hospital.”

She added: “It was just a slight cold for the rest of us, not something that would have kept us in bed all day, so we thought nothing of it. RSV might not be significant for most people, and many people might not even know they have it, but for young babies it is a significant illness and can be very serious. I have seen older children be completely floored by RSV.

“I urge anyone who is pregnant to seriously consider taking the RSV vaccine because it definitely made a big difference for Ronan’s recovery.”

The best way to protect your baby from serious disease is getting the recommended vaccines at the right time. If you're pregnant, you'll be offered the RSV vaccine from 28 weeks. Speak to your midwife about getting the vaccine.

Visit www.nhsinform.scot/rsv-baby for more information.