Sort of vaccine related

[aprilsfools]

I am not sure if this is where I should post, but someone on my graduate DDC website suggested I pick your ladies brains. Here is my OP from the DDC:

Lily has her first cold. She didn't have a fever this morning and her mucous is clear, but I decided to take her to the pedi anyway since she is so young. Well, at the pediatricians office her temp was 100.2 rectally. She said that if Lily's temp gets to 100.4, I am going to have to take her to the emergency room and since I am spreading out her vaccines (Dr. Sears schedule) they will have to do more tests than if I had done the normal schedule.

I am freaking out because I know that means if we have to go to the hospital, they are going to do a spinal on my LO since she is under 4 months. My Mom says that she has found that around 4 pm our temps would be the highest and I am terrified that Lily's will go up then and I will feel obligated to take her to the hospital.

Lily is in good spirits, nursing well, has plenty of wet diapers. I am using saline drops and have a vaporizer on near her.

So, is my pedi overreacting or am I underreacting?

TIA!

PS- I took Lily's temp at 4 pm with the digital rectal therm. that the doctor gave me and it was 98.4. This morning it was 98.6 (rectally) with my normal digital. I just don't know what to think. I don't think I am doing it wrong and really have to wonder about that temp at the doctors.

[MadameXCupcake]

Just want to say my daughter is almost seven months and we haven't had to deal with a fever,.. BUT

I dont understand why vaccines would make the testing different AT ALL.. At four months she wouldn't be fully vaccinated for any disease anyways so why would she be treated differently?
I think your ped is just trying to scare you. I would get another Ped immediately.

I looked up what Dr.Sears says on fevers since I find it to be helpful info..

Infants age 7 weeks to three months with a fever over 101 warrant an appointment with your doctor within the next several hours. You generally don’t need to page your doctor in the middle of the night in this situation if the office opens within the next few hours. Simply follow our recommendations on treating fever below and call your doctor in the morning. If it is the early evening you should probably page your doctor, since the office won’t be open until the following day. Be sure to confirm any fevers with a rectal thermometer (if available) before contacting your doctor.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t082100.asp

[Twinklefae]

Originally Posted by aprilsfools

I
I am freaking out because I know that means if we have to go to the hospital, they are going to do a spinal on my LO since she is under 4 months. My Mom says that she has found that around 4 pm our temps would be the highest and I am terrified that Lily's will go up then and I will feel obligated to take her to the hospital.

Lily is in good spirits, nursing well, has plenty of wet diapers. I am using saline drops and have a vaporizer on near her.

So, is my pedi overreacting or am I underreacting?

I would say that your doctor is over reacting. I agree with the pp that at 4 months a fully vax'd child isn't covered for anything any way.

The biggest clue is that your daughter is in good spirits. Watch the baby, not the thermometer. She'll let you know when she is sick. I don't take temps anymore... the height of the fever doesn't indicate the degree of sickness. The fever is likely helping to burn off the cold. Besides, thermometers can be very unreliable. (As you've discovered)

I wouldn't take my child to the hospital for a relatively low fever, and a runny nose. You are right that because you are vax'ing on a different schedule they will likely freak out. If your dd becomes lethargic or shows any other sign of being seriously ill (difficult to wake, stops nursing, no diapers....) take her in.

I remember debating a hospital trip for my LO's first major illness and it's really hard. I'm sure she'll be better soon!

HTH!

[Deborah]

My dear departed mom brought up 5 healthy kids without a thermometer at all. She just put a hand on our foreheads, or her lips. No fever reducing drugs, ever.

We really need to get a handle on how to care for sick children. The doctors certainly don't know!

[Katerz2u]

We dont even own a thermometer, got lost and never replaced.
I agree that your doctor is over reacting. I would nurse her, cuddle her and use a fever reducer ONLY when she seems uncomfortable.

[Deborah]

what has been lost, is the understanding that fever means the child's body is successfully fighting the illness. it is a sign that the immune system is up and running at top speed. yes, fever can make a child feel miserable. but reducing fever is equivalent to disarming the defending army. not the best way to win a battle.

[kangaroomum25]

Here's a great article http://www.vran.org/news-art/articles/fear-of-fever.htm

[ZoeyZoo]

There is a great book called how to raise a health child in spite of your doctor. It was written by a ped (who practiced for 30 years, was chairman of the state licensing board, taught med school, etc.) He has a whole chapter about fevers.

Actually someone just posted something with part of the chapter:
"Doctors do a great disservice to you and your child when they prescribe drugs to reduce fever" says Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, pediatrician and author of How To Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. "Fever phobia is a disease of pediatricians, not parents, and to the extent that parents are victimized by it, doctors are at fault." Parents are left to fear that their child's temperature will keep rising unless measures are taken to control it . "They don't tell you that reducing his temperature will do nothing to make the patient well or that our bodies have a built-in mechanism, not fully explained, that will prevent an infection-induced temperature from reaching 106 degrees F (41 degrees C) (3)"

Here's the thread:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=979764

[momofmine]

I would watch the baby and find a new doctor. I would still be in the wait and see mode.

[GutInstinct]

Watch the fever, find a new doctor. Avoid the ER at all costs, obviously going only in a severe emergency!

[jeliphish]

100.4 is nothing...i don't know why your pedi is concerned. DD has had a temp of 105 (she was 11 months) and she was fine. Our pedi stated that babies are built to be able to withstand high temps...adults are not. Just monitor her- cool baths, fluids fluids fluids, rest, sailene nose spray, suction, cool mist vaporizor.

[Sotevenn]

Originally Posted by aprilsfools

I am freaking out because I know that means if we have to go to the hospital, they are going to do a spinal on my LO since she is under 4 months. My Mom says that she has found that around 4 pm our temps would be the highest and I am terrified that Lily's will go up then and I will feel obligated to take her to the hospital.

Doing a spinal for a low fever seems crazy to me! It seems safer to keep her home & only bring her in if she gets sicker. I no longer treat low fevers & unless they seems really hot or miserable we just don't do the thermometer. I'd just keep a very sharp eye on her & check her often when she sleeps.

ETA I don't know how old your baby is, but if you hospital will seriously do a spinal tap for that I would not take her in unless it was an emergency!!

[CookAMH]

Originally Posted by Deborah

what has been lost, is the understanding that fever means the child's body is successfully fighting the illness. it is a sign that the immune system is up and running at top speed. yes, fever can make a child feel miserable. but reducing fever is equivalent to disarming the defending army. not the best way to win a battle.

Agreed. So glad I learned this before having kids!

[Gitti]

I would not give fever reducers. Any medicine will have to be filtered out by either the liver or the kidneys. The child is too young to deal with that.

Fever is not something you want to fight. It helps in healing. It is a natural defence.

Nursing is the very best you can do for your child. Your nipples sense what your child needs to be healed, YOU will create antibodies and feed it back to your child via bm.

I was going to send you a pm but your box is not open to receive any mail.

When you get a chance read the thread "Is fear of fever hurting our children?"

[Veronika01]

I would definitely NOT take my child to the hospital. She is so small and there are so many diseases floating around in the hospital that she is more likely to pick something up while she's there. On top of that they want to do an invasive, very painful procedure for a runny nose and a slightly elevated temp. NO way, ever. Keep her close and as the other posters said, you will see when she's sick. You might try a humidifier in her room to try and clear her nose and stick with the saline drops. Your ped is really overreacting on this and I might go as far as saying it seems that he/she is trying to prove something to you for not vaxing.

[3lilpunkins]

I have never tried this but, my herbal remedies book says that a CATNIP TEA ENEMA is very beneficial in lowering fevers.