An influential mum is facing a backlash online after posting a video of herself dancing next to her sick baby – who is in hospital battling a lung infection and can’t breathe on his own .
Georgia’s Whitney Leavitt sparked a review storm after showing off her moves on TikTok as her ailing son Liam lay next to her.
Whitney and her husband, Connor, welcomed Liam (whom they often call Lee) on December 5, and just two weeks later – the newborn was rushed to hospital with a lack of oxygen.
He later tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia a day later.
But her mother, who often posts videos of herself dancing on TikTok and has gained more than 475,000 followers on the app, didn’t let the disturbing news stop her from moving.
Influential mum faces fierce backlash after posting video of herself dancing next to her sick baby – who is in hospital battling a lung infection and can’t breathe on his own
Georgia’s Whitney Leavitt sparked a review storm after showing off her moves on TikTok as her ailing son Liam lay next to her.
Whitney and her husband, Connor, welcomed Liam (whom they often call Lee) on December 5, and just two weeks later – the newborn was rushed to hospital with a lack of oxygen.
In a viral video – which has now been taken down – she explained her diagnosis while moving her body to Nessa Barrett’s song If You Love Me.
‘Li’l Lee was taken away due to lack of oxygen. He tested positive for RSV. Waiting for him to breathe better on his own,’ she wrote, shaking her hips excitedly and jumping to the beat.
Many people were quick to denounce the TikToker and said they found the video to be in poor taste, given the baby’s illness.
“When you hope your sick baby survives but then realize…that would be so cool like a great dance routine on TikTok,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another added: “A really sick person needs to resort to a TikTok dance at a time like this. This poor baby.
“As a pediatric nurse, I often see this behavior. It’s sad,” someone else replied.
“Many times as we start IVs, drawing labs, etc., parents are on their phones recording all of their little ones’ traumas for social media instead of comforting their adorable babies. So frustrating.’
He later tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia a day later.
But her mother didn’t let the disturbing news stop her from moving. In a viral video, she explained her diagnosis by moving her body to Nessa Barrett’s song If You Love Me
Many people were quick to hit up the TikToker and said they found the video in poor taste – given the baby’s illness
After the harsh rebuke, Whitney responded in another video, and she claimed she only did the dance to try to stay “positive.”
“I understand that people are upset with the video that I made. I just want to be clear and communicate that it was just me trying to be positive, ”she said, breaking down in tears.
“I think it’s important not to just assume what someone is going through. I removed it because I can see how someone could get the wrong idea.
“Honestly, it was just me trying to be positive in this situation. I want to thank the people who reached out to me and my family and I really appreciate it.
But some people weren’t there for his response, and the TikToker received more scathing comments.
“When my kid was sick in the hospital, the last thing on my mind was TikTok and dancing,” someone shot back.
“The problem is that not everything needs to be shared on social media. Are you shocked that people find this inappropriate? another user wrote.
A third added: ‘My daughter was so sick in the NICU for 5 weeks. I couldn’t imagine smiling and dancing next to my sick child.
On Instagram, the mother-of-two said she felt “so overwhelmed” and “helpless” by her son’s illness.
“It’s honestly so overwhelming. It’s hard not to feel helpless at times like this,” she wrote. supporting Conner and me.”
She added in another message: “I am so angry. …I hate having all those ropes around him, especially when feeding him.
“I’m crazy that I don’t know how long we have to stay in this 140 square foot room.
“With all these hateful feelings, I am still so grateful. I am grateful that we now know what is happening and that we have antibiotics to treat it. Keep staying strong, li’l Lee. We love you.’
On Instagram, the mother-of-two said she felt ‘so overwhelmed’, ‘helpless’ and ‘so angry’ about her son’s illness
After the harsh rebuke, Whitney responded in another video, and she claimed she only did the dance to try to stay “positive.”
But some people weren’t there for his response, and the TikToker received more scathing comments.
RSV is a very common contagious virus that causes respiratory tract infections.
According to MayoClinic, it’s actually so common that most children were infected with the virus when they were two years old.
Symptoms include stuffy or runny nose, dry cough, mild fever, sore throat, sneezing, headache, short, shallow and rapid breathing, unusual tiredness, irritability, difficulty breathing, etc
It can be more severe in young infants, and in some cases, like with Liam, it can cause pneumonia or bronchitis.
