Hot baby!

E had her first fever. She has been sick before but never spiked a fever.

All day long on the 9th E had a nasty runny nose, like the kind Hollywood makes fun of.    Boogers, everywhere. E, like all babies in my experience, hates having her nose wiped, and she has a strong aversion to anything aspirator related, be it manual or electric (and mommy has an aversion to actually sticking the snot out herself, so no, i have no desire to try a nosefrida.)

Early morning on the 10th I woke too E's cry, this is normal, she usually gets up around then to eat. So, I went to check on E. What I found was a living hot water bottle in a crib. Now, up until this point, I was admittedly a but neurotic about taking E's temperature.  If I thought she had a fever I would take it 5-10 times in a very short time span. Up until the 10th she'd never gone above 99.  My human hit water bottle register 101.7, the first time I took her temperature, and was miserable. And hot. Everywhere. Hot hands, hot feet, hot face, hot tummy, just plain hot baby.

 Cue mildly panicked call to the nurse helpline.   (My thoughts to the information i was given are in parenthesis) The very nice woman who helped me reassured me that fevers are a normal part of the immune defense (I knew that) and that 101.7 is only a very mild fever (what? Mild? My child is burning up!) That there was no reason for a doctor appointment. (No need? Didn't you hear me? She is burning up!) That fevers up to 102 don't require any treatment other than pushing chilly fluids, and up to 104 only require cool baths and Tylenol. (104!!!!!?!?! Are you $&$**$! Kidding me? If she's at 104 I am driving to the emergency room in a panic! And how on earth do you push fluids on a 7 month old who only drinks warm formula and warm breast milk?) And then asked me if I wanted to schedule a Dr apt anyway. (Of course I do! Neurotic mom on the line. I have taken her temperature 7 time in the course of this phone call!)

Dr appointment booked, cold breast milk given. Lots of hugs and snuggles, and temperature checks.  Doctor checked her over and declared she had... A cold and then told me exactly what the advice nurse told me. Never the less, it was totally reassuring hearing it from a professional who could see, hear, feel my living hot water bottle ( though her fever had come down a lot by the time the doctor checked her).

By bedtime she was normal temperature, and only a bit of a cough.  So we put her to sleep in her bouncy chair to keep her upright. This results in a lot less coughing, but a lot more lost Binky incidences. So mommy was on Binky retrieval duty.

Cue 3 am. Mommy thinks it's a Binky cry or a hunger cry. Nope. The human hot water bottle is back, and this time she clocks in at 103.3. Tylenol, cold formula to drink, strip her to her diaper. Lots of cuddles and temperature checks. Up all night again.

Once the medicine kicks in she's fine. Eventually she's a sweaty mess, so the fever is broken. Still has a cough though, so mommy and daddy still aren't sleeping much. But at least she is back to being normal temperature baby.  I know we haven't seen the last of hot baby, but hopefully we are better prepared for the next time she shows up... and will feel confident enough to treat her at home until the 104+.... maybe.