Young TikTok Mom Earns Backlash for Dancing to Explain Her Sick Baby's Diagnosis

TikTok mom Whitney Leavitt utah Kendrick Lamar RSV Mayo Clinic respiratory syncytial virus viral illness lung infection Leavitt's video baby Liam's diagnosis

By Lilian Scott , Parent Herald Dec 22, 05:14 pm

Photo: (Photo : SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Young TikTok mom Whitney Leavitt, 28, wanted to stay positive as she dealt with her sick newborn son at the hospital but when she danced next to him and posted the video on the sharing site, she earned a lot of criticisms from the netizens.

Leavitt's video gained more than 500,000 views, where she could be seen dancing to Kendrick Lamar's "Love." The young TikTok mom captioned the video, which she has since deleted, with details of her baby Liam's diagnosis. Her baby could be seen with a breathing tube down on his tiny nostril.

Liam was born in early December but he had to be taken back to the hospital because of low oxygen, according to Leavitt. The doctors diagnosed him with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a concerning viral illness common in young children that could lead to lung inflammation and pneumonia.

In Poor Taste

Leavitt's TikTok dance soon became viral and attracted a lot of comments both commending and criticizing her. Some netizens said that her video was done in poor taste because her baby has a serious illness but his mother thought she could do a dance routine about it on TikTok.

"As a pediatrician nurse I see this behavior a lot. It is sad," one commentor wrote, adding that they have witnessed a lot of parents recording their baby's trauma on the phone to share on social media.

However, other netizens expressed that they didn't want to pass judgment on the young TikTok mom, who likely didn't have any sleep or shower because she has been staying at the hospital with her baby. One commenter said that Leavitt is likely stressed out and quite manic because of what's happening to her son.

After removing her controversial video on her TikTok account, Leavitt posted another clip to explain that she was trying to stay positive. The backlash, however, made her see how her actions could be misconstrued so she deleted the dancing video. She also thanked her defenders and the supporters who reached out to her.

@whitleavitt ♬ original sound - Whitney Leavitt

On her Instagram account, Leavitt also said that Liam's condition has been overwhelming and she has been feeling helpless and angry.

What is RSV?

Per the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of RSV include low-grade fever, congested or runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, dry cough and headaches. In severe cases, RSV can infect the lower respiratory tract so babies could have difficulty breathing, wheezing, and a bluish skin color due to the lack of oxygen.

While adults may also contract RSV, it's babies who are most vulnerable to this disease. Recovery for most patients take one to two weeks but infants are at risks of developing chronic lung or heart problems.

There is no vaccine for RSV but there is a protective medication to prevent the infection. Doctors may administer this for high-risk babies during RSV season, which coincides with flu season.