Mom Kelli Beachner has a message for people who want to kiss infants: just don't. After her son Colton contracted RSV — a dangerous viral infection that's often confused with the common cold — at just 6 days old, she feels very strongly about it. In a Facebook post Kelli shared on Nov. 21, she outlined exactly how traumatizing it was to rush her newborn to the hospital all thanks to a well-meaning smooch from a relative or family friend.
"Before Colton was born we had our minds set on absolutely no kisses," wrote Kelli. "But somehow it happened. When Colton was 6 days old, I walked up to him when he was napping and found his top lip was blue and that he wasn't responding. I picked him up so fast that it startled him and he thankfully started crying."
Don't put your want to see [or] kiss the baby before the well-being of that precious baby."
Scared for Colton's health, Kelli and her husband Dalton immediately took him to the doctor to see what was wrong. "After some testing was done, we were told Colton was positive for RSV, that in the morning he needed to go to the respiratory clinic," she said. "I didn't sleep for a minute that night. I don't even think I blinked as I stared at him all night praying that he had the strength, while we sat in the bathroom with steam from a hot shower to help him breathe."