DD was sick for a whole week. She began to feel warm last Thursday night. At that time I didn’t relate her symptom to sickness since she had been so healthy after birth.
The next Friday she was lethargic and quiet for a whole day and her forehead began to feel hot. On Saturday morning, we noticed there was some redness below her right ear. It also felt hard like a lump. We took her to see the pediatrician right away.
To our surprise, the doctor said the hard lump under her ear was caused by infection, and of course she caught a cold. I felt very bad for not taking actions earlier. Fortunately, she was still in the early stage of the infection and she didn’t get flu. The doctor prescribed an oral antibiotic for her and asked us to watch her closely.
DD was sick through the next whole week. She had running nose, sneezed a lot, coughed frequently, ran a fever of 100.5F or higher, and choked or vomited because of the excessive dry cough. She ate less, slept more, and was more irritable and fussy.
Here are the things what M and I did when she was sick:
1. Be extremely patient (and even spoil her a little bit): Few adults can remain poised when they are sick. Neither are babies. When they are sick, babies need maximum patience, extra care and comfort, and special attention from parents. That was what I gave to DD when she was sick.
I talked to her softly and remained a calm tone even she kept howling, weeping or whining. I followed her timeline to eat and sleep no matter daytime or nighttime. I catered to her needs to whatever making her feel comfortable. She preferred to lean her head on my shoulder and fell into sleep. A lot times I held her and sat with her this way for hours.
2. Keep feeding, but don’t force: She lost interest in solid foods during her sickness. So I cut them off and only fed her with breast milk, which provided her needed nutrition and energy to fight against infection. But I let her take whatever volume she wanted when she wanted it.
3. Increase intake of fluids: Besides breast milk, we gave her lukewarm or cold fluids (water, juice, soups, etc) when she wanted to keep her hydrated and cool.
4. Give medication correctly: We tried to serve her medication before feeding if it was possible. By this way, she was more likely to accept the medication when hungry, and less likely to vomit it right back up together with food. We also stored the medication in the refrigerator to make it chill, since it tasted less pronounced when it was cold.
5. Monitor her temperature closely: M and I took turns to check her temperature frequently. We paid extra attention whenever her temperature went up to 102F. When her temperature jumped up, we gave her a small doze of infant Tylenol designed for young children.
6. Humidify to reduce congestion: Warm steam is one of the oldest and most effective remedies to cure cough, clear blocked nose, and soothe the mucous membranes. A cost-effective way is to create a bathroom sauna by running a hot shower and then entering with the baby. That was what we did with DD.
We took her into the steamed-up bathroom and let her breathe in the warm steam for five minutes, and then we gave her a lukewarm bath to help her relax and go to sleep.
7. Keep her warm, but not hot: I dressed her with loose, light cotton clothing. When it was cold, I put a light blanket around her and held her for extra warmth and comfort. Also we gave her lukewarm bath to help lower her body temperature.
Under our care, DD was back to normal this week. Gradually she regained her energy and strength and returned to be an energizer bunny.
First Year, From Lina | Lina | 
March 19, 2009 11:37 am | 
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