Summer has a Fever
Wasn't sure if I should make a pithy title, like, "Summer's Finally Sick" or something like that...because, well, she is, and it's the first time ever. We're sharing night-time duties again and not trying to freak out. Getting sick/having a fever is not a big deal...as long as everything stays under "control".
Wednesday night Summer woke up 4 times (11, 1, 3 and 5...basically ever 2 hours like clockwork), which was bad (for all of us), but it just seemed a hunger thing. She ate three full bottles during the night and seemed fine.
Yesterday (Thursday night), right when I got her home, I fed her immediately. She ate 2 full jars of food and a touch of a bottle. I put her down for a nap, hoping she'd sleep an hour, then Jess could wake her, feed her some more and then she could sleep through the night, maybe. Well, after Jess put her down, Summer woke up even earlier than Wednesday night. She woke up at 10, and she was HOT to the touch. Not just warm from screaming when she woke up, or from being under a blanket, like other times she's felt warm. She isn't even screaming, just kinda mewling, or something.
Uh, oh, we say...pull out the thermometers. She's never had a fever before...(I think, hopefully and out loud to Jess, "maybe she's just warm...") So, we test, under the arm, 100.0°F. Not a good sign. Try a mouth/pacifier thermometer. They are much slower, and got up to 102.4°F before Summer got bored and spit it out angrily. The temperature change was slowing down, so I figured it would have stopped under 103, which is like the "magic number" for going to the doctor. So, we tried the last thermometer, the ear one. Fast, and should be pretty accurate. The nurses always use that at her appointments. Usually a little cooler, so normally, the reading will be about 96.7 to nearly 98. But tonight we see 101.8°. Kind of confirms the mouth reading and the under the arm, which is usually low, as well.
So, we gave her some tylenol cough and cold. Which, yeah, she has a wet sounding cough. The poor little thing. She's due for another dose around 2AM...I'm sure she'll wake up again in 30 minutes for it. If, not, whenever she next wakes up, we'll give her more. I was just walking her for 10 or 15 minutes with a moist rag on her head, until she fell asleep in my arms. I checked her temp and got a reading of 100.8. So, the acetaminophen seems to be helping.
Multiple online resources suggest exactly what we are doing. Give it 24 hours with the acetaminiphen and cool rags, not COLD, or a luke-warm bath. Nothing can be seen by a doctor, so it's a waiting game...unless she breaks that "magic number" of 103°F.
We're trying to not make a big deal of it to her. We are just talking to her fairly normally. We say, "Shhhh...it's OK, Honey...we know you don't feel well, but everything is ok. You'll be fine." And just talking about normal things and trying to make sure she drinks a little bit from a bottle to keep her hydrated.
So, I'll try to keep this updated, throughout the night, or tomorrow. Wish her well, and we'll keep ya'll updated. Right now, I gotta get back to my next half-hour nap before she wakes up...this post has taken 20+ minutes to write out...g'night! Aha, there she is a little cry....1:50AM right now...started writing at 1:23...See ya.
It'll be OK Summer. Mommy and Daddy will take care of you!
Wednesday night Summer woke up 4 times (11, 1, 3 and 5...basically ever 2 hours like clockwork), which was bad (for all of us), but it just seemed a hunger thing. She ate three full bottles during the night and seemed fine.
Yesterday (Thursday night), right when I got her home, I fed her immediately. She ate 2 full jars of food and a touch of a bottle. I put her down for a nap, hoping she'd sleep an hour, then Jess could wake her, feed her some more and then she could sleep through the night, maybe. Well, after Jess put her down, Summer woke up even earlier than Wednesday night. She woke up at 10, and she was HOT to the touch. Not just warm from screaming when she woke up, or from being under a blanket, like other times she's felt warm. She isn't even screaming, just kinda mewling, or something.
Uh, oh, we say...pull out the thermometers. She's never had a fever before...(I think, hopefully and out loud to Jess, "maybe she's just warm...") So, we test, under the arm, 100.0°F. Not a good sign. Try a mouth/pacifier thermometer. They are much slower, and got up to 102.4°F before Summer got bored and spit it out angrily. The temperature change was slowing down, so I figured it would have stopped under 103, which is like the "magic number" for going to the doctor. So, we tried the last thermometer, the ear one. Fast, and should be pretty accurate. The nurses always use that at her appointments. Usually a little cooler, so normally, the reading will be about 96.7 to nearly 98. But tonight we see 101.8°. Kind of confirms the mouth reading and the under the arm, which is usually low, as well.
So, we gave her some tylenol cough and cold. Which, yeah, she has a wet sounding cough. The poor little thing. She's due for another dose around 2AM...I'm sure she'll wake up again in 30 minutes for it. If, not, whenever she next wakes up, we'll give her more. I was just walking her for 10 or 15 minutes with a moist rag on her head, until she fell asleep in my arms. I checked her temp and got a reading of 100.8. So, the acetaminophen seems to be helping.
Multiple online resources suggest exactly what we are doing. Give it 24 hours with the acetaminiphen and cool rags, not COLD, or a luke-warm bath. Nothing can be seen by a doctor, so it's a waiting game...unless she breaks that "magic number" of 103°F.
We're trying to not make a big deal of it to her. We are just talking to her fairly normally. We say, "Shhhh...it's OK, Honey...we know you don't feel well, but everything is ok. You'll be fine." And just talking about normal things and trying to make sure she drinks a little bit from a bottle to keep her hydrated.
So, I'll try to keep this updated, throughout the night, or tomorrow. Wish her well, and we'll keep ya'll updated. Right now, I gotta get back to my next half-hour nap before she wakes up...this post has taken 20+ minutes to write out...g'night! Aha, there she is a little cry....1:50AM right now...started writing at 1:23...See ya.
It'll be OK Summer. Mommy and Daddy will take care of you!
posted by Erick and Jess @ 2:23 AM
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