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Baby's First Fever - And I'm Losing My Mind.

What I wouldn't give to have the wisdom of an experienced mom on some disk somewhere, that could be downloaded directly into my brain.  It would have been so helpful, especially last night.  And this morning.  And this afternoon.  And right now.

My poor Victoria had her first fever last night -- topping at 101.4 somewhere around 3am.  Oh, and the crying, my poor dear.  Such awful, pitiful cries.  She wouldn't nurse because she couldn't breathe, so I suctioned her nose.  We got fitful sleep -- every couple of hours, she'd awaken, I'd take her temp and offer liquid.  She nursed a couple of times, thank goodness.  We limped through the night.  She slept with me -- usually against my chest while I sat up in bed.  That seemed to work the best.

At 10am, the drooling started and the fever broke.  Such drooling I've never seen in my life.  She still wouldn't nurse, and seemed to have pain swallowing and yawning.  (That always hurts me when I have sinus drainage, so I wondered if that could be it.)  Had a few alarms that made me think I might have to go to the ER, but then, suddenly, she started nursing, went to sleep for 30 mins or so, and woke up in a fairly good mood.  That lasted a couple of hours, and we repeated the process.  Luckily the fever hasn't returned.

As of 8pm, we've had over 40 minutes of near-constant crying -- that tired, whimpery cry that makes probably every mother's heart break.  Fever is gone.  Difficulty/pain (?) swallowing and yawning doesn't seem to be as bad.  Drooling is heavy.  She chokes on the saliva and is making unusual snarky noises, like she has a stuffy nose (although she doesn't).  She might have some congestion though, but if she does, I don't know what to do about it except Vicks or Eucalyptus oil of some kind.

She already has 8 teeth.  Could it be teething?  Molars?

I'm assuming (hate to do that, though) that if she really were sick with an illness, she would have fever or coughing or lethargy -- some other symptoms.  I hope that's the case.  I thought about going to the ER, but I sure would feel silly going to the ER when all she has is a bad case of teething.

Ugh.

I'm so tired.  Say a prayer for us if you would.  Thanks my friends!

5 comments:

Deanna said...

So very sorry that she's having a rough go of it.

Would she chew on a clean, cold, wet washcloth to ease the teething pain or take something like tylenol for babies?

God bless you,
d

Robin's Egg Bleu said...

If she's only 8 months old and already has 8 teeth, it might be molars. And those my dear, are a bear. My little Millie is a 'late bloomer' as they say on the teeth. She's just now cutting some molars and it seems every single time I turn around, she's sick. A new trip to bugger town. And next thing you know, there's a new toof.

Poor Victoria, it's got to be painful enough just to have a head cold AND a fever. And when they can't tell you what's hurting, I think it hurts mommy even more.
Hang in there, she'll be okay.

Mrs. G said...

That's rough Amy. I second the baby tylenol suggestion and an amber necklace. :-) Asa does that same gagging on his spit thing, I hate that!
Paris

Elisabeth Rose said...

HI,
I have 5 kids and nothing you have described is alarming. A fever of 101 is not terribly high in a baby. I would definitely do the Tylenol, but I would also take her by the pediatrician to check for an ear infection. My kids have only had a few, but it was never obvious. They never pulled their ear or even thought it hurt much. Personally, I don't see teething causing a fever of 101. To me, that sounds more like a cold or virus. Good luck and let us know how it's going. You will get through this (and much more!)!!

Mrs. G said...

Amy, I guess that I can't modify my earlier comment and I shouldn't write when I'm in a hurry because it leads to incomplete thoughts!
:-) Despite what the Docs say I *know* that teething does cause fevers etc which stands to reason because any pain can cause a fever. Her fever certainly could be from a secondary issue but a Doc visit would probably lead to prophylactic antibiotics and I think you'd rather avoid that.:-) My next bit of advice would be to throw away the thermometer, I've raised my kiddos pretty well without one but when I did have one I wanted to use it and all that ever did was make me worry. Her actual temperature is less important than how she's acting. Just my opinion, of course, and only offered because I want to help.
Take care,
Mrs. G