Whitney Leavitt is a mom of two and makes dance videos for TikTok. She danced her way through pregnancy and early labor, as well as hours after giving birth. Sometimes, her videos are created in response to questions and comments. She often incorporates her husband and children into her videos.
However, there were many opinions on the matter when Leavitt and her newborn were hospitalized with RSV (an upper respiratory virus). The now-deleted TikTok, Leavitt is responding to a comment that stated, “sending prayers… but what happened? I’m so confused.”
Leavitt kisses her son on the cheek, before breaking into a dance with captions. “Little Lee was taken in ’cause of low oxygen.” The captions continued, “he tested positive for RSV, waiting for him to breathe better on his own.”
The Response
Leavitt later deleted the video. However it has been reuploaded to Twitter and Reddit as well as other social media sites. The video received mixed reactions. Most people were upset at Leavitt dancing when her son was too sick to go to the hospital. One commenter pointed out that, “TikTok has normalized doing the most strange, unacceptable, diametrically opposed things and generating buzz.”
Many people commented on how uncomfortable the video made them feel. “The little kiss at the beginning made it bad but the captions and her smile while dancing made it so much worse. So yeah, it was horrible the whole time,” stated one Reddit user.
Some people gave her the benefit the doubt. One commenter stated, “Okay, I’m gonna be that person. I don’t understand the outrage. The baby is in the best possible place, receiving treatment by medical professionals. She stayed with the baby at the hospital and is dancing to a response on TikTok.”
The Apology
In a now deleted apology video, Leavitt stated she took down the original video and “could see where somebody could get the wrong idea, but that honestly was just me just trying to be positive in this situation.” She then thanked those who have reached out to her family, stating that she “really appreciates it.”
In more recent TikTok videos someone asked “How’s little Lee doing?” Leavitt responds (in dance!) that she can’t believe he’s almost a month old, he still has his morning and nights mixed up, and that he’s healthier than ever.
