It was during last week that Lin caught a cold and developed a fever. Because she was born at week 23, and is therefore considered an extremely premature child, she is extra sensitive to colds, infections – and viruses such as RS.
– She had to stay home from preschool. We checked her oxygenation and she was fine then. On Saturday we checked the oxygenation again and then it was very low, says Sofie Haglund.
Flew to Akademiska in Uppsala
After a call to 112, Lin was taken by ambulance to Falu hospital, where she ended up in the intensive care unit with oxygen, an EKG and a drip. A day later, she had been flown by helicopter to the University Hospital in Uppsala – where she is still being treated.
Mamma Sofie has met many parents whose children are treated for RS at Akademiska, and Lin has had to change rooms as the nursing staff has been forced to make room for even more patients. According to Sofie, it is about newborn babies up to children aged 5.
– There is a wide range of children who have RS here, she says.
In Uppsala, parents are asked to keep their babies at home due to the spread, and in the Västra Götaland region, families with children under six months are advised to also keep older siblings at home as the situation is described as “very strained”.
Scary to see your child in pain
Despite worry and stress, the Haglund family is used to staying in hospital environments. For example, they spent six months in various neonatal wards before they had to go home after Lin was born. Sofie Haglund believes that parents who do not have that experience may experience the situation differently.
– We are used to it, but for the parents who are not, it can probably be more strange and scary to see their child feel so bad, she says.
“Take it seriously”
Although Lin is now on the road to recovery, Sofie Haglund advises all parents to think twice before the upcoming Christmas holiday.
– Take it seriously. Seek care or call for help and ask. Also stay at home if your child gets sick and think an extra lap if you really have to go to that Christmas party. Even if you want to, it may not be possible so that the children are not affected.