Random Ri List: Fever fighting and other stories

Spock's famous words to mothers are ' You know more than you think you do'. Well, when left to our own instincts, we certainly do but sometimes we do otherwise.
Ri battled a week-long cold and cough. When I took her over to her paediatrician, Dr.S, she recommended some basic medicines to make her feel more comfortable, a course that ran till Saturday. Now, this course did not include an antibiotic since the doctor felt she was progressing well without it.

Ri was fine on Sunday and Monday and I was happy that she had recovered.
On Tuesday morning, she has a funny cough that I did not have a good feeling about. Following my instincts, I called Dr S and reported it. She told me to start her on an antibiotic and prescribed the same over the phone.

After that phone call, Ri lost the funny cough and I decided not to go ahead with the antibiotic.
Well,  the child seemed normal and I felt that I should not medicate her unnecessarily.



By Thursday afternoon, the 'funny cough' manifested into a full-blown fever. I wished desperately that I had followed my own instincts and the ped's recommendation!

The fever shot up to very high temperatures and as any mom confronted with a blazing hot forehead and an ominous thermometer reading, I was anxious and nervous. It is only natural to keep asking yourself the question "Am I doing enough to protect my child during this illness"?

Reading the chapter on 'Fever Management' in Dr Sears 'The Baby Book' was an eye-opener and helped me stay calm even during times the fever spiked to a 104 degrees.

Here are a couple of things I learnt over the course of Ri's illness.

1. Stay calm. Children need calm mothers who must control flustered fathers :)
2. Educate yourself about your child's fever. Fever is not an independent dangerous condition that your child has. It is a normal and healthy response of the body to an illness. The body's immune system releases chemicals that raise the body temperature. This is part of the normal infection-fighting process (Sears)
3. Look at the glass half-full. Temperature spikes indicate that your child's anti-bodies have begun the process of fighting the underlying infection. Looking at the glass half-full, it is a positive sign that the body's 'good' soldiers have begun the battle against the  'bad' viruses. That being said, you cannot wait and watch the ongoing battle as your child's body heats up! Manage the body temperature with the medication prescribed by your ped.
4. Do not try to treat the fever over the phone. Though colds, coughs and fevers are common in children, it is always better to take them to the paediatrician and receive a written prescription. The process where the paediatrician examines the chest with a stethoscope to detect congestion in the lungs is important and you cannot do it at home unless you are a medical practitioner.
5. Respect your doctor's prescription! Stick to what your paediatrician has told you. You cannot give your child the paediatrician's medicine in the morning, your mother's recommendation in the afternoon and your grand-mother's 'vaidhyam' in the night.
6. Antibiotics are not evil. If your doctor recommends an antibiotic, Give it! No one hands out prizes to mothers who allow their children to fight illnesses naturally. If a registered medical professional thinks your child needs an antibiotic, he/she probably does. 
7. Share the prescription. Educate your spouse and/or fellow care-giver on what course of treatment you are going to follow. Share your findings, thoughts and intuitions with the father.
8. Treat your paediatrician fairly. Before you call your ped at unearthly hours, take a deep breath and understand why you are making the call. Are you asking a question to which you know already know the answer? Does your query warrant a phone call or is it better to wait till the next day and take the child in person. Give the ped-recommended medicines at least 3 doses to work before you decide the person is incompetent and run to the next ped in the block.
9. Treat your child fairly. On the other hand, do not let misplaced nervousness about calling the ped, get in the way of your child's health. For instance, if your child's temperature has spiked to a 104 degrees and is not controlled by regular paracetamol, you need to call and find out what to do to keep the child safe through the night. If you are confused about dosages, there is no harm in clarifying the same. Be clear about your baby's name, age and weight on the phone. You cannot expect your paediatrician to know your baby's medical history by heart.
10. So what thermometer are you going to use? Sears recommends the good ol' glass thermometer, Spock swears by the digital. Dr S. recommends the digital one and asks me to add 1 degree to an under-the-arm reading. They all do not recommend the newer, fancier ear thermometer. Apparently, the readings are not reliable. Make sure you speak with your paediatrician about what to use and how to take a reading.
11. Sponge regularly. Children facing an illness are bound to be irritable and not open to sponging. Bite your teeth through the tears and give them a sponge-bath. This is effective in lowering the body temperature.
12. Do not obsess over the temperature. Well, easier said than done. I am inclined to believe that mothers share a unique and similar relationship with their child's thermometers and their weighing scales. You know you are not supposed to look at both too frequently and obsess over the results, but you go right ahead and still do. Dr.Sears explains that is important to note the child's overall behavior. Is he/she active? Interested in playing? Does the child look faint? All these factors are also important in determining the child's well-being. Do not focus only on the temperature, focus on the child.
13. Maintain a fever record. Jot down your baby's temperature in regular intervals (4-6 hours) and what medicine you have given when. This will give you a good idea on the pattern the fever is taking and the effect of the medicine on the same.
14. Accept changes in schedule. Sleeping and eating patterns will change and children tend to have very poor appetites during illnesses. It is completely ok if your child is not getting his/her fair share of vegetables or proteins. Make sure your child eats a bare minimum of something just so that the medicines are not given on an empty stomach. 
15. Make space for a small treat. If your cranky child wants a few sips of a fizzy drink or suck on a lolly pop, this is not the time to discipline them about aerated drinks or candy.  A small supervised treat will be a welcome change for the child.
16. Keep the child fresh and clean. Most peds do not recommend regular baths when the child has fever. Baby wipes, baby cologne and powder help in keeping baby feel fresh.
17. Read the medicine packaging. I recently discovered ( thanks to a good friend and a great mom) that Crocin Syrup comes in two variations, 'Regular' and 'DS(Double Strong)' with the latter mentioning DS in small print in the label. I might have ended up giving Ri a double-dose of the prescribed medicine if she had not told me to look out for the same. Re-check the medicine strength, read labels and cross-check with prescription before giving it to your child.
18. Suppositories are simpler than you think they are. When confronted for the first time with the small piece of wax and my daughter's bottom, I did feel all hand-trembly. I broke the first one but successfully administered the second. If Yan can cook, so can you!
19. Keep your child hydrated. Water, juice, breast-milk. Ensure your child stays hydrated.
20. Give TLC. Children with fevers need a lot of TLC. So do mothers who fight fevers right?

P.S: My daughter is a 20 month old toddler and the information above is related to her age-group and not for infants and smaller babies.