Mum's terrifying ordeal after newborn twin daughter stops breathing ...

With a tiny body limp in her arms, Dione Nesbitt watched on helplessly as hospital staff scrambled to throw on protective gowns and masks.

It was late 2022 and Nesbitt was at her local hospital in Albany, Western Australia, with her partner and their newborn twin daughter, Macie, when Macie stopped breathing.

The trio arrived at the hospital to visit Macie's sister Chloe, who had contracted the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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Dione Nesbitt's twin girls were both struck down with RSV (Supplied)

The infection is a common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under one-year-old.

Chloe and her sister were born six weeks premature in October 2022. Chloe picked up the infection at just five weeks old. Two days later, Macie was struck down.

"Chloe was the first to get sick. She was floppy, lethargic and working hard to breathe – her skin was sucking in around the ribs and collarbone," Nesbitt told 9Honey Parenting. 

"We took her to hospital where they confirmed RSV."

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Dione's daughters Chloe and Macie were struck down with the virus at just five weeks old. (Supplied)

During the hospital visit, Nesbitt had noticed Macie become distressed and panicked. Suddenly, Macie stopped breaking in her mother's arms. 

"We were on our own. Time stood still."

"She didn't take a breath for at least a minute, but it felt like a lifetime," Nesbitt said.

"The medical team couldn't help straight away. Due to infectious disease protocols, they needed to gown up with PPE before rushing into the room.  

"We were on our own. Time stood still."

After Macie was resuscitated, Nesbitt insisted her daughters be airlifted the more than 400 kilometres to Perth.

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Macie and her sister Chloe were taken by an emergency team from Albany to Perth for treatment. (Supplied)

"As soon as the Newborn Emergency Transport Service team saw the twins, they put them on high-level oxygen support," she said.

"I honestly thought the twins were both going to die."

"The girls were kept in the neonatal intensive care unit at Perth Children's Hospital for two weeks, during which time Macie developed pneumonia."

Nesbitt said RSV was "beyond traumatising".

"I honestly thought the twinswere both going to die," she said.

"Seeing my babies so sick, being poked and prodded, I don't think it's something that will ever leave me. I don't think I'll ever un-see or un-feel that experience."

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Dione Nesbitt with her now healthy twin daughters. (Supplied)

Nesbitt's daughters are now out of hospital and recovering well.

The Immunisation Foundation Australia is hopeful that RSV will soon become a vaccine-preventable illness.

However, until that occurs, the foundation is urging all Australians responsible for the well-being of an infant to learn more about the virus.

"It's important that caregivers know the signs that may indicate severe disease, trust their gut, and seek medical attention when it's needed," Immunisation Foundation of Australia founder Catherine Hughes said in a statement.

Nesbitt is sharing her story as part of the new 'RSV and Me' campaign, as a new report reveals that RSV hospitalises more Australian children in their first year of life (approximately 12,000 per year on average) than any other respiratory virus, including influenza.

Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic have also opened up about their experience with RSV for the campaign, after their three-year-old daughter Harper was rushed to hospital last year and was "struggling to breathe."

In infants, the symptoms of RSV are similar to many other respiratory viruses and include a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, loss of appetite, lethargy and irritability.

Signs that a baby may have bronchiolitis or pneumonia include:

Rapid breathing (more than 40 breaths per minute)Laboured breathing, where the child's chest caves in between and under the ribsUp and down head movements and/or grunting while breathingFlared nostrilsWheezingBlue tint or changes to skin colour around the mouth and eyes

"The message is clear. RSV is too serious and unpredictable to delay medical care. Babies and young children can deteriorate very quickly.

If you suspect your child has severe RSV, don't delay – seek urgent medical attention," concluded Ms Hughes.

Australia's first-ever RSV Awareness Week runs from 4-10 June and to coincide with the onset of the usual RSV season.

Join the #RSVandMe conversation, or find out more about RSV at: www.ifa.org.au/RSVandMe

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