Preemie and rsv

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

I have to go back to work sept 4 dh has 16 weeks of fmla he can take (his work extended it) but that only takes us to January. I'm worried about putting our son in daycare In the middle of rsv season. How effective is the vaccine? Our son had no lung issues if that helps. I don't know what to do. Idont know where else I can send him while I work.

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

Unfortunately everyone works so its not really an option. I already talked to the o'ed annoys the shot. They said they give it early if the season seems to start early too. I am still in Philly so that's good info to know.

kck329 · June 2012

PhillyGal34:
Unfortunately everyone works so its not really an option. I already talked to the o'ed annoys the shot. They said they give it early if the season seems to start early too. I am still in Philly so that's good info to know.

Another thought--based on age and lack of lung issues, your baby will be right on the cusp of qualifying for the shots so you may want to start getting approved early. There are a lot of hoops to jump through if your baby isn't instantly pre-approved because the shots are crazy expensive. If you aren't comfortable with a day care setting, is a nanny or even a nanny-share with just one other family an option?

JuliaJAG · June 2012

I apologize that I'm about to piggy-back on your thread -- but I guess I assumed insurance would pay for RSV every year?? I guess that's not the case, even for a preemie? Our LO is technically considered "disabled" because of his very low birth weight... would that make a difference?

/end hijack!

adrielegorburu · June 2012

The Syagis shots are really expensive and most insurances do everything they can NOT to pay for them - its kind of awful - I assumed DD would qualify for at least the first few years because she was classified as extremely low birth weight - 486g - and even with her being born at only 22 w 5 d she only qualified for the first year - she was also considered "disabled" in the sense that her ELBW qualified her for SSI Disability for a while - we also had to appeal to United healthcare for our initial approval because she didnt come home on a monitor - she only ended up getting 6 of the 8 shots because some publication came out saying that 5 shots were just as effective as 8 and all the babies in florida had theirs cut from 8 to 5 - Madi had her last shot in January of this year - she started daycare in Februrary and has been sick ever since -

Trishie143 · June 2012

Logan started at a home based day care at 3 months old which was in September. He had the Synagis shots October through March. They were covered right away by insurance ($50 deductible each month) because he was born before 32 weeks, was in a day care and had an older sibling in school. We never did any sort of lock down as it wasnt really an option financially. He did contract a VERY mild case. My husband had bronchitis and it was towards the end of the month and a few days before Logan's next shot. He had a bad cough when we went in for the next shot and he tested positive for RSV. Because of the cough he couldnt go to daycare because RSV is super contagious so he was home for 4 days. He just had a very low grade fever.

Overall I think the shot is very effective. Logan could have had a much worse case if he wasnt getting it. He did give it to my nephews because they visited around the time he got sick but we didnt know it was RSV. My nephews were 3 and almost 1 at that time. They didnt get a very bad case but were just coughing and had slight fevers for a couple days. Most kids get a form of it before the age of 2. Logan also had no lung issues at birth but we already think he will be asthmatic.

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

thank you all... I will definitely start calling insurance and seeing what I can do to make sure any issues are dealt with before the RSV season hits... I appreciate all the input! I am going to start asking around to see if anyone has any in home options (A neighbor I am close with just had a baby 6 months ago and is a stay at home mom... I'm wondering if I can pay her for the winter to watch my son... she has two kids but she is extremely clean and careful, I only worry because her older son will be going to pre-school this fall so I'm not sure if that defeats the purpose. He wouldn't be there during the day but still.

There are guys here installing a UV air system in our vents to help kill bacteria and viruses in our AC/heating system. I am hoping that helps a lot. I am going to also look into getting a nanny/ help here at the house so that he can basically be locked down for the RSV season. I know he'll have to leave for some things but the more he is here the safer he is IMO. I was never a germaphobe/ worrier but this has totally rocked me. I know I am going to get a lot of crap from family members for keeping him in a bubble but I am hopeful they will understand.

rednelson · June 2012

I would definitely recommend the shots (my DS got 5 this year). Unfortunately, like the PPs said, you may not qualify based on your LOs GA at birth and age at start of RSV season. I was told that born between 32-35 weeks they had to be 3 months or less at start of RSV season to qualify for shots or have lung issues or other qualifying conditions. Born before 32 weeks they *should* qualify if less than 6 months at start of RSV season. (These numbers may just be for my region though). You might want to start looking at other options for your LOs care so if you don't end up qualifying you won't be screwed. My LO was low birth weight born at 2 lbs 5.5 ounces at 29 weeks 6 days, diagnosed with BPD, and qualified as disabled (although we never pursued the SSI benefits since we were told by EI that most likely due to income and dual insurance we wouldnt qualify) and we were told by our pulmonologist that he would most likely not qualify for shots again this year unless he has some type of respiratory infection between now and then and ends up back on oxygen.

PhillyGal34 · June 2012

Thanks! He was born before 32 weeks and will only be 5 months at the start of rsv season but I'm going to start now to be sure. It makes me sick that they make something like this so hard. It's not like we are getting them for fun!!!

BabyG_ · June 2012

BostonKisses2:
Do you have family nearby that could help out? Synagis is a lot like the flu shots, except it has to be given monthly. It helps to lessen the severity of symptoms if your LO would contract the virus, but it does not 100% prevent infection with the virus. That being said, get the shots. We qualified for 2 seasons worth (the first year based off her prematurity, this year because of her cystic fibrosis) and the shots, combined with strict handwashing/sanitizing routines and complete hibernation the first year, helped us to avoid serious complications and infection with the virus. We also had my parents babysit for her if we needed child care based off our doctors' recommendations.
Are you still in Philly? Our season usually starts in November and lasts through April, so once your LO is discharged I would ask your pedi about the shots (or you can also talk to your neos/call your pedi sometime this summer and start working on a game plan for this fall/winter).

This. DD qualified for two seasons of synagis shots and we definitely took up the offer. It isn't easy seeing your baby get those shots so frequently, but its worth it. DD did have lung issues (was on oxygen for her first three months - one of those months at home. It really helped to make sure that she didn't get severely sick. I say get the shots!

Want a personalized experience?

Preemie and rsv

Re: Preemie and rsv

Choose Another Board

Search Boards