An influencer mother is facing fierce backlash online after she posted a video of herself dancing next to her sick baby – who is in the hospital battling a lung infection and can’t breathe on his own.
Whitney Leavitt, from Georgia, sparked a firestorm of scrutiny after she showed off her moves on TikTok, as her ailing son, Liam, laid next to her.
Whitney and her husband, Connor, welcomed Liam (who they often call Lee) on December 5, and only two weeks later – the newborn was rushed to the hospital because he had low oxygen.
He then tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia one day later.
But his mom, who often posts videos of herself dancing to TikTok and has gained more than 475,000 followers on the app, didn’t let the worrisome news stop her from moving.
An influencer mother is facing fierce backlash after she posted a video of herself dancing next to her sick baby – who is in the hospital battling a lung infection and can’t breathe on his own
Whitney Leavitt, from Georgia, sparked a firestorm of scrutiny after she showed off her moves on TikTok, as her ailing son, Liam, laid next to her
Whitney and her husband, Connor, welcomed Liam (who they often call Lee) on December 5, and only two weeks later – the newborn was rushed to the hospital because he had low oxygen
In a viral video – which has now been taken down – she explained his diagnosis while moving her body to the song If You Love Me by Nessa Barrett.
‘Li’l Lee was taken in ’cause of low oxygen. He tested positive for RSV. Waiting for him to breathe better on his own,’ she wrote, while excitedly shaking her hips to the tune and jumping around to the beat.
Many people were quick to hit out on the TikToker, and said they found the video to be in poor taste – considering the baby’s illness.
‘When you hope your sick baby will survive, but then you realize… this would be so cool as a great dance routine on TikTok,’ one person wrote on Twitter.
Another added: ‘It takes a truly sick person to resort to a TikTok dance in a moment like this. That poor baby.’
‘As a pediatrician nurse I see this behavior a lot. It is sad,’ someone else responded.
‘Many times while we are starting IV’s, drawing labs, and such, parents are on their phones recording all the trauma to their little ones for social media instead of comforting their sweet babes. So frustrating.’
He then tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia one day later
But his mom didn’t let the worrisome news stop her from moving. In a viral video, she explained his diagnosis while moving her body to the song If You Love Me by Nessa Barrett
Many people were quick to hit out on the TikToker, and said they found the video to be in poor taste – considering the baby’s illness
After the severe rebuke, Whitney responded in another video, and she claimed she only did the dance in an attempt to stay ‘positive.’
‘I understand that people are upset with the video that I made. I just want to be clear and communicate that that was just me trying to be positive,’ she said as she broke down in tears.
‘I think it’s important to not just assume what someone’s going through. I took it down because I can see how someone might get the wrong idea.
‘That was honestly just me trying to be positive in this situation. I do want to say thank you to the people who have reached out to me and my family, and I really appreciate it.’
But some people were not here for her response, and the TikToker received more scathing comments.
‘When my child was sick in the hospital the last thing on my mind was TikTok and dancing,’ someone fired back.
‘The issue is, not every single thing needs to be shared on social media. You’re shocked that people would find that that inappropriate?’ another user wrote.
A third added: ‘Girl 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 mom-of-two said she felt ‘so overwhelmed’ and ‘helpless’ by her son’s sickness.
‘It’s honestly so overwhelming. It’s hard to not feel helpless in times like this,’ she wrote. ‘But I’m grateful for you guys, friends and family for supporting Conner and I.’
She added in another post: ‘I’m just so angry. … I hate having all of these cords around him, especially while feeding him.
‘I’m mad that I don’t know how much longer we have to be in this 140-square-foot room.
‘With all of these hateful feelings I’m still so grateful. I’m grateful we know now what’s going on and have antibiotics to treat him. Keep staying strong li’l Lee. We love you.’
On Instagram, the mom-of-two said she felt ‘so overwhelmed,’ ‘helpless,’ and ‘so angry’ about her son’s sickness
After the severe rebuke, Whitney responded in another video, and she claimed she only did the dance in an attempt to stay ‘positive’
But some people were not here for her response, and the TikToker received more scathing comments
RSV is a very common, contagious virus that causes infections of the respiratory tract.
According to MayoClinic, it’s actually so common that most children have been infected with the virus by age two.
Symptoms include congested or runny nose, dry cough, low-grade fever, sore throat, sneezing, headaches, short, shallow and rapid breathing, unusual tiredness, irritability, trouble breathing, and more.
In can be more severe in young infants, and in some cases, as with Liam, it can cause pneumonia or bronchitis.