GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A local mom hopes people heed doctors' warnings about a “tridemic” after her newborn daughter was hospitalized.
This past Sunday, Sierra Bayer, brought home her five-week old daughter, Alayh Acklin, who spent nearly a week at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital with RSV. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia too.
“It's scary because once they tell you like, ‘Okay, she has RSV or now she has pneumonia,’” said Bayer. “It’s just hard to watch them fight and there's nothing you can do. So, hearing, ‘You can go home,’ after six days of not knowing what could happen, it’s kind of a big relief.”
Bayer says Alayh’s case started with a small cough that worsened over three days into a loss of appetite and shallow, rapid breathing.
While in the ICU at DeVos, she received oxygen and specialized breathing treatments.
It’s an experience that changed Bayer’s perspective.
“My kids go to school, so I'm just scared that a sniffle to them could be something worse to her or going out in public,” said Bayer. “I’m a single mom, I have five kids, I have no choice. You know what I mean? I can't stay in the house.”
Bayer asks people to think of others if they feel sick, especially during the holidays. She recommends parents trust their intuition too.
“If you are doubting it, go get checked out,” said Bayer. “It wouldn't hurt.”
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