That’s what came out of my mouth once I realized that my little one was warm. (Warm meaning his whole body was getting unusually hotter). Even though he was still a smiling and engaging in play, he was a bit more fussy and he easily got upset. When the thermometer read 101 F, I started freaking out a little bit.
As mothers we have this instinct that guides and helps us differentiate what’s right and what’s wrong, somehow helps us predict how things are going to go. So late night, when I figured that my little one had a fever of a 101.2 I was able to keep calm. First thing I did was to Google fever readings in babies. Don’t we all love google ?!! it said it was mild fever and pretty much to observe him, comfort him, soothe him, take off any extra layer of clothing and make sure he is nursing so he’s not dehydrated. The next day I had work at eight so that means I need to be up at 6:45 AM. My husband and I took turns taking care of him because he was he was cranky and he wanted to be held the whole time so I took care of him until 3:30 am then my husband took over and he held him so I could get some sleep. I also recalled wetting a cloth with apple cider and placing it underneath the armpits as a fever reducer, so we did that too. Smell was not too obnoxious and hey it’s a natural remedy so can’t hurt.
Once it was morning, and a more reasonable time. I send a text message to my more experience friend ( we all have those friends already have kids and who are cool moms). She called me right away and she said her son had fevers multiple occasions and it was very common in kids. Fever is an indication that his body is fighting something so as long as it doesn’t jump too high or doesn’t last too long meaning more than 48 hours then just to observe it. She was consistent with what I read on Google but hearing it from a friend who already experienced a similar situation made me feel more confident. She also advised me to contact our pediatrician if his fever does not decrease by the next day. She said first time her son had a fever, she called her doctor right away and she was told to stay at home and watch the baby for the first 24 hours and soothe him. She said there was only one incident where his fever jumped up to 104 degrees and she had to go to the doctors office to get medication. All other times the symptoms resolved within 24 hours.
When I was at work, talked to my husband multiple times to ensure everything was under control, it seemed like our little one was still doing well with mild symptoms. Hubby continued with cold compress to his forehead and armpits. When I got home he was waking up from his two hours nap, he still had a fever but he was colder compared to the nighttime. Digital temperature readings from his ear was inconsistent: first reading said 100.1 followed by 101.3 and 100.8.
His symptoms resolved within 24 hours, luckily his fever did not spike up and he was back to his happy normal self before we knew it. Moral of the story? Don’t freak out, try to keep calm, trust in our body’s ability to heal and protect and for a piece of mind keep your pediatrician informed but don’t be too quick to medicate. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading 📖
Babyhood: A to Z 