During pregnancy, your unborn baby was protected by the mother's immune system. Once born, the baby continues to benefit from its mother's immunity until the baby begins to develop their own immunity to germs they are exposed to. Infants born prematurely are born too soon to benefit from the immune protection that usually passes from the mother. Your baby may have a fever, runny nose, noisy breathing or other cold-like symptoms. For most healthy infants, that may be all you will see.
Some babies get much sicker.
Preemies tend to have smaller airways and might not breathe normally. The baby may start coughing, have a hard time breathing, breath very fast or, make a funny sound when breathing. Babies at high risk for RSV can get sicker very fast. It's important to know if your baby is at risk. You should know what to look for and get your baby care quickly.