Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sick Baby

It had to happen at some point.  The Bean got sick.  I guess ten and a half months is a pretty good stretch to go without getting so much as a sniffle, but I still feel really bad for this little guy.  

We were visiting family for Thanksgiving and noticed on Saturday that he seemed to be a little warm and fussy and just not himself.  But it had been a busy weekend... and he was cutting some new teeth...  so we thought (hoped) it might just be that.  Nope.  It's definitely a full blown fever.  

We've been giving him medicine every four hours or so.  We've been trying to make sure that he's eating and (especially) drinking enough.  We called Telehealth Ontario for advice.  We called MedVisit to send a doctor over.  (What a great service!)  They pretty much confirmed that there's not much else we can do but wait for the fever to break.  It's been hovering around 103 all evening.

Our little guy is not at all himself.  He's so sleepy and sad.  All he wants is for us to hold him when he's awake and then, after a short time, to go back to his crib to sleep. 

 

I know we're extremely fortunate to have a baby who up until this point has been quite healthy, but it's still hard to see him like this.  I hope he's doing better tomorrow. 

Any tips on helping a baby get over a fever would be much appreciated.

7 comments:

  1. HI ladies,

    When my Godson had a high fever we gave him a luke warm/cool bath and Ibuprofen. His pediatrician said it's more effective for high fevers. Sending healing energy his way!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The first fever is hard. I was terrified when Erik had a fever for the first time and I still dislike fevers intensely. But just remember that fevers are actually good because it means his body is fighting the infection, whatever it is. Does he have any other symptoms? If not, and he develops a rash in a few days, it's probably roseola, which is really common and just has to run its course.

    We alternate Advil and Tylenol every four hours for the fever. Sounds like that's what you're doing too. Sounds like you're doing everything right. Hope it passes quickly. Fevers can be stubborn. The only other suggestion I have is to take him to the doctor/urgent care or get MedVisit if the fever is high and doesn't go down when you give him the medicine (or call TeleHealth first to see what they think.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. P.S. How amazing that he hasn't been sick until now! Hopefully it's a long time until he's sick again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No tips for him, but Greg Brown might help you two:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyxAfkjKOyM

    Healing thoughts to the Bean! R.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awww, poor kid.

    You just have to ride it out mostly. We found Advil/Motrin to work better than Tylonel. We would alternate between the two because they can even be given at the same time! I think for bad fevers we'd do 2 hours between each type. TeleHealth can confirm this but we got instructions from our doctor to do this.

    Just lots of cuddling and quiet time on the couch. It's easier when they're older and can watch movies.

    Popsicles/fluid. Baths.

    No heavy clothing or bedding because you don't want to make them too warm on top of the fever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. we've been through a lot of fevers. Just remember it's their body's way of fighting off the germs. Give cuddles, fluids, and ibuprofin since he's past 6 months. He'll come through this just fine, poor guy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh man. All of the above. Try your best to keep fluids in him and be kind to yourselves. The first fever is the hardest, for everyone.

    ReplyDelete