Today, Kate did not seem to be her usual cheery self. She was a little more whiney and wanted to be carried. I felt her forehead and it was a bit warm. I checked all over her body and found little red spots on her legs, about 10 on each leg. I took her temperature, it was 39.0. This was the first time in her 9 months that she fell sick.
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| Little red spots on her legs |
My helper (who has only been with us for 6 months) was very worried and asked me to take her to see the doctor. I explained to her that I do not take my kids to the doctor unless absolutely necessary. Usually if it’s just a common cold, or a fever, I will keep them hydrated, make them as cool and comfortable as possible and ride it out. She refused water from her water bottle so I gave her sips of it from her milk bottle cap, which she accepted. I googled her symptoms and found out that it was most probably a virus and that treatment is symptom control and time. I continued to observe her and as she didn’t look too listless or lethargic and was still moving around, I decided that a visit to the doctor was not necessary.
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| Sick but still very alert |
I try not to give my children any medication because I believe that the body is then able to build up its own defences and its immunity will be strengthen. #3 has never taken any medication in her life and her immunity is the strongest. From what I can remember, hardly anyone of them has missed school in the past few years due to illness. Besides, there are so many viruses out there nowadays with H1N1, HFMD, etc, it’ll be worse if she caught something contagious at the clinic. I will then have a bigger problem on my hands!
The 5 of them were so sad to see her sick and took turns looking after her so that I could have a break. (you wouldn’t believe the coincidence but the contractor came today to fix some leaks and my helper was busy cleaning up the whole mess).
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| Getting worse… |
She had her nap and when she woke up she was feeling really unhappy 🙁
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| Poor baby |
We had a quick and quiet dinner, then the kids prepared for school tomorrow and settled themselves to bed. I finally have some quiet time. I’m really tired and ready to crash. Hope she’ll be better tomorrow!
Sane tip: Don’t panic, sometimes it looks worse than it really is. Stay calm and trust your instincts. After a few visits to the doctor, you will slowly be able to tell when it’s serious and when you just need to monitor and ride it out. Some parents feel that they would rather give medication to make it more comfortable for the baby. However, I would rather suffer for a few days (both the baby and myself) for a much stronger immunity in the long run. Some of my kids have not fallen sick at all in many years.
Save tip: Save consultation, save medication, save transportation.