As you know I got a really bad flu a few days back and now my little 11 month old baby has it too. He woke up at 4am this morning with a fever of 38.4 and really burning up. We gave him a Panadol suppo (which I had given before he went to bed as well) and then a big drink of water. He looked really flushed and eyes were bright. I tried a little cool compress on his forehead and other parts of body.
Then we called up the 24h medical hotline (09-10023) and was told that we needn't bring him to the doctor just yet but to monitor his situation closely. Was also told to get Burana suppo instead of Panadol suppo as the time interval to administer Burana is every 4 hours but Panadol is 8 hours and in that time the fever can sometimes soar. So, hubby has gone to get the Burana. The little one was fussing a bit and feeling tired but was also quite cheerful.
He went back to bed around 5.30am and has had a fitful sleep. Finally woke up around 8am and just had his breakfast. His temperature now reads between 37.7 to 38 degrees. He still feels warm and his nose is running.
Some questions:
What do you do in a situation like this?
Do you have an emergency plan for situations like this?
What else can/should I do?
Thank you.
When baby has fever
Shazzer, make sure he has lots to drink. Are you still b/feeding? If so try and nurse him more but you can still give him some water. Also make sure his room is not too hot.
They won't take you into the hospital unless he has a fever for more than 3 days. Or unless his condition deteriorates.
P.S. Oh and be careful about how you mention your having being overseas recently. They may tend to start thinking the worst....
N had a really high fever the other week and it wouldn't go down and when hubby took her to the doc and mentioned we'd been in Kenya we ended up in a restricted room (we couldn't leave and they had all sorts f protective clothing- thinking we had Ebola or something
)for a couple of days at the hospital and her blood drawn every 8 hours... after which they found nothing! Except a tiny incisor had come in It's good that they check but still...
Anyhow, just monitor him, make him drink lots of fluid and keep him cool. Hope you all feel better soon. Hugs!
They won't take you into the hospital unless he has a fever for more than 3 days. Or unless his condition deteriorates.
P.S. Oh and be careful about how you mention your having being overseas recently. They may tend to start thinking the worst....
N had a really high fever the other week and it wouldn't go down and when hubby took her to the doc and mentioned we'd been in Kenya we ended up in a restricted room (we couldn't leave and they had all sorts f protective clothing- thinking we had Ebola or something
)for a couple of days at the hospital and her blood drawn every 8 hours... after which they found nothing! Except a tiny incisor had come in It's good that they check but still...Anyhow, just monitor him, make him drink lots of fluid and keep him cool. Hope you all feel better soon. Hugs!
saving chimpanzees is a big hairy deal
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scoobymcdoo
- Posts: 675
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Just keep him hydrated and cool.
When Sophie got the rota virus we (and the hospital) gave her Osmasol. If he cant keep liquids down then try this. Is he being sick etc? If he isn't being sick/diarrhea he could be teething.
We could have joined you last night- Sophie was having screaming nightmares where she screamed hérself sick
. She wanted to be held most of the night, but every few hours the nightmares would return. She seems ok today which is great as we are away all weekend.
Hope D is ok,
Hannah
When Sophie got the rota virus we (and the hospital) gave her Osmasol. If he cant keep liquids down then try this. Is he being sick etc? If he isn't being sick/diarrhea he could be teething.
We could have joined you last night- Sophie was having screaming nightmares where she screamed hérself sick
. She wanted to be held most of the night, but every few hours the nightmares would return. She seems ok today which is great as we are away all weekend.Hope D is ok,
Hannah
A bath is a good idea, just a few degrees cooler than his body temperature (ie NOT cold), but not too long because bathing causes dehydration.
Water or diluted fruit juice to drink is OK whatever he likes best.
Fevers can be quite impressive, especially before a throat infection. But the Burana should do the trick (and is much safer than paracetamol), suppos are definitely the most effective way of giving fever medication.
Just be vigilant, keep taking his temperature (I used to kiss mine on the forehead.... I got quite accurate at taking their temperature that way!!!). With my second babe I used to write everything down because he was on so much medication for different things I was scared I would forget or give too much... he had his own health diary for about two years. It was really useful when we had to see the doctor.
Water or diluted fruit juice to drink is OK whatever he likes best.
Fevers can be quite impressive, especially before a throat infection. But the Burana should do the trick (and is much safer than paracetamol), suppos are definitely the most effective way of giving fever medication.
Just be vigilant, keep taking his temperature (I used to kiss mine on the forehead.... I got quite accurate at taking their temperature that way!!!). With my second babe I used to write everything down because he was on so much medication for different things I was scared I would forget or give too much... he had his own health diary for about two years. It was really useful when we had to see the doctor.
Some ideas
Hi,
Sorry to hear about the little ones being sick. It is just awful. Isabella got sick when she was only one week old and we ended up in Lastenklinikka so I can only remember this too well.
I just wanted to say that sometimes if the baby is very sick and if your instinct tells you that this is more that just a flu then it is best to just go to the hospital and check what is going on. We have used the Dextra 24hr service one time just to check that all was well rather than worrying at home and not knowing what to do. There you are not hanging on the line but actually can speak to a doctor and the doctors we have met there have all been good. There is also a 24hr doctor service that you can call and you get to speak to a doctor straight. I have used them as well and it was a good service. Unfortunately I cannot remember the number but the number enquiries or phone directory should have it.
Otherwise I remeber that if the fever does not continue for too long (was it 2-3 days or so (in the case of an under 2-year old one day and fever over 39 or so) and the baby gets fluids and the fever does not get over 40.5 ... then one can try home cures: just helping with cooling towels, keeping the baby hydrated, giving panadol or burana. I also heard just yesterday from a friend of mine of a condition called "vauvarokko" which comes with high fever. It lasts for about 3 days (max 5) and the baby gets some rash around the neck and flu-like symptoms. It is not something to worry about as it is a viral disease that many babies just go through.
If the condition turns out to be a cold then you might want to try the following: give him a nice bath in the evenings and then put a little bit of Vicks vapour rub on his back and massage along the spine towards the heart. This really calms the baby down and gives a good night's rest and helps with breathing. Tried with Isabella and it really made her more peaceful. And to boost the immunity I think breastfeeding and throwing some meat with bones (pref organic) and dark green vegetables and onions in the slowcooker and drinking the soup as well as adding it to his foods is a very good way to help combat any disease and help in the recovery.
Hope this is of some help.
M
Sorry to hear about the little ones being sick. It is just awful. Isabella got sick when she was only one week old and we ended up in Lastenklinikka so I can only remember this too well.
I just wanted to say that sometimes if the baby is very sick and if your instinct tells you that this is more that just a flu then it is best to just go to the hospital and check what is going on. We have used the Dextra 24hr service one time just to check that all was well rather than worrying at home and not knowing what to do. There you are not hanging on the line but actually can speak to a doctor and the doctors we have met there have all been good. There is also a 24hr doctor service that you can call and you get to speak to a doctor straight. I have used them as well and it was a good service. Unfortunately I cannot remember the number but the number enquiries or phone directory should have it.
Otherwise I remeber that if the fever does not continue for too long (was it 2-3 days or so (in the case of an under 2-year old one day and fever over 39 or so) and the baby gets fluids and the fever does not get over 40.5 ... then one can try home cures: just helping with cooling towels, keeping the baby hydrated, giving panadol or burana. I also heard just yesterday from a friend of mine of a condition called "vauvarokko" which comes with high fever. It lasts for about 3 days (max 5) and the baby gets some rash around the neck and flu-like symptoms. It is not something to worry about as it is a viral disease that many babies just go through.
If the condition turns out to be a cold then you might want to try the following: give him a nice bath in the evenings and then put a little bit of Vicks vapour rub on his back and massage along the spine towards the heart. This really calms the baby down and gives a good night's rest and helps with breathing. Tried with Isabella and it really made her more peaceful. And to boost the immunity I think breastfeeding and throwing some meat with bones (pref organic) and dark green vegetables and onions in the slowcooker and drinking the soup as well as adding it to his foods is a very good way to help combat any disease and help in the recovery.
Hope this is of some help.
M
Last edited by Wheely on Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
One more thing
Oh,
and I better add this fact here as well:
in vauvarokko the rash comes when the fever goes down and when you press the area the rash disappears. So the opposite reaction to that of meningitis! I only say this so that nobody ever ignores a very high fever and a rash with a baby (and a very agitated and distressed baby - sometimes not even reacting) as this could be meningitis. This was what they thought Isabella had when we went to the hospital but luckily she did not have a meningitis infection.
M
and I better add this fact here as well:
in vauvarokko the rash comes when the fever goes down and when you press the area the rash disappears. So the opposite reaction to that of meningitis! I only say this so that nobody ever ignores a very high fever and a rash with a baby (and a very agitated and distressed baby - sometimes not even reacting) as this could be meningitis. This was what they thought Isabella had when we went to the hospital but luckily she did not have a meningitis infection.
M
In these cases I myself have used http://www.doctagon.fi. If it´s an emergency, just call them and they show up at your house. The doctors have always been very good.
Hello everyone and thank you all so much for your feedback! It has been most useful! I've also taken note of Dextra and Doctagan - good to know of such services available here.
Our baby's fever has broken *big sigh of relief*... and his temperature is almost back to normal (36.9 -37). He's still having a runny nose and cough and phlegm but he's back to his usual bouncy, happy self
(it was a bit heart wrenching to see him listless, miserable and tired at the peak of his illness)
We got the Influenza Type A which it seems is going around. I'm really going to get all of us the flu vaccine next winter!! In the US, it is recommended to get all babies under 23 months vaccinated against the flu. Has anyone done so here? I suppose it's only available at private clinics?
I would also appreciate it so much if anyone can advise on aftercare of a flu. I think the recovery period is crucial as it can also sometimes lead to complications. I was reading up on pneumonia and was a bit alarmed as our baby had the same symptoms but was assured pneumonia develops a week or so after a flu. Anyone with any experience in this?
I also realised that because the healthcare system is slightly different from what I'm used to and of course being a new mother and all, what action plan have most of you drawn up in case of an emergency or middle of the night illness? I know this is so broad a question and each case warrants a different response depending on the severity.
But there have been many times when I've been at a loss when to wait till morning to call my Neuvola (which is a slightly more tedious process as the drop-in time is only between 12-1pm and telephone service is also at the same time) or when to rush baby to the hospital.
Thank you all again! Keep healthy!
Our baby's fever has broken *big sigh of relief*... and his temperature is almost back to normal (36.9 -37). He's still having a runny nose and cough and phlegm but he's back to his usual bouncy, happy self
(it was a bit heart wrenching to see him listless, miserable and tired at the peak of his illness)We got the Influenza Type A which it seems is going around. I'm really going to get all of us the flu vaccine next winter!! In the US, it is recommended to get all babies under 23 months vaccinated against the flu. Has anyone done so here? I suppose it's only available at private clinics?
I would also appreciate it so much if anyone can advise on aftercare of a flu. I think the recovery period is crucial as it can also sometimes lead to complications. I was reading up on pneumonia and was a bit alarmed as our baby had the same symptoms but was assured pneumonia develops a week or so after a flu. Anyone with any experience in this?
I also realised that because the healthcare system is slightly different from what I'm used to and of course being a new mother and all, what action plan have most of you drawn up in case of an emergency or middle of the night illness? I know this is so broad a question and each case warrants a different response depending on the severity.
But there have been many times when I've been at a loss when to wait till morning to call my Neuvola (which is a slightly more tedious process as the drop-in time is only between 12-1pm and telephone service is also at the same time) or when to rush baby to the hospital.
Thank you all again! Keep healthy!
I think those would be very rare. The only ones I remember were vomiting/diarrhea, and what can you do with those – just clean up the mess and make the baby drink a lot. And if it goes on for more than two days go to a doctor. And another one was ear infections which were common with my older one. But even those can wait till morning. But if something severe really occured you should just take the baby to nearest hospital. They have 24 h emergency service.what action plan have most of you drawn up in case of an emergency or middle of the night illness?
And just in case if you don´t know: Little children develope higher fever than adults. For the same disease that raises an adult´s temperature to 38°, a child´s can easily climb way over 39°. So a high fever does not usually mean anything very serious.
Nothing really. Of course adults should take it easy for a few days, but there is no way one can make a child do that if he feels that he is back to normal.aftercare of a flu
Shazzer,
I really recommend making the chicken soup as this is one of the best cures for recovery of an illness or after an operation. It is a real immune booster (and this is not one of those "soft alternative but not very useful treatments" but a real, time-tested remedy). To help the healing process add vitamin-A rich foods in his diet - these help with protecting his gut lining (most immune cells live in this region). I would use something like sweet potato (steamed), mango etc. (There are a lot of scientific studies where it has been shown that in poorer areas of the world the recovery from an illness is much faster and the actual amount of cases much lower during the mango season when vitamin A rich foods are available. Hence there are now various studies and campaigns carried out in Africa and India where they are trying vitamin-A supplementation to help children boost their immunity). Further, add some Rela-drops in his diet (get from pharmacist) as these again help balancing the gut bacteria and in this way help with the healing and help fight infection. The reason why these drops and other bifilus, acidophilus etc bacteria are so popular now, and also needed, is because we eat such processed foods that we do not get enough of the bacteria we need in our gut to fight the "bad guys". These they actually even recommend in the Finnish neuvolas now!
Another thing is the simple but efficient humidifier, or even just a bucket of water by the bed. This helps healing the nasal passages without the need for stronger medication. If you can do this when he sleeps then great. I would also do some nasal draining with saline solution. This is much better than any medicated nasal drops (which do of course have their use when all else fails) as it actually heals but does not influence the nasal cilia from working. Steam inhaling during the day is good and you can add some chamomille to the water ... but check with a little bit first that he is not allergic to it. I know in Italy they use chamomille a lot and I was told by a traditional doctor here in Finland to use it myself but I am not sure whether this is okey for a baby. Maybe someone would know better.
What I did once after Isabella had a cold was to call the neuvola and ask for a quick check up with the doctor so that they just listened to her chest to see that all was okey. This gave me a peace of mind. You can yourself also check whether he has got symptoms of an ear infection by just pressing lightly on the ears and seeing whether he shows signs of any discomfort.
As for an action plan we have in an emergency called Lastenklinikka and they will tell you whether to rush there or not according to their guidelines. If they say no but you are worried that there is something seriously wrong then just simply go there (the worst they can do is to turn you back home). If you think it is a bad condition but does not require immediate hospital stay or stronger measures then use Dextra or this phone service mentioned which might be easiest considering that they come home. Sometimes with a sick baby it is even better to avoid crowded health centres or clinics anyway.
M
I really recommend making the chicken soup as this is one of the best cures for recovery of an illness or after an operation. It is a real immune booster (and this is not one of those "soft alternative but not very useful treatments" but a real, time-tested remedy). To help the healing process add vitamin-A rich foods in his diet - these help with protecting his gut lining (most immune cells live in this region). I would use something like sweet potato (steamed), mango etc. (There are a lot of scientific studies where it has been shown that in poorer areas of the world the recovery from an illness is much faster and the actual amount of cases much lower during the mango season when vitamin A rich foods are available. Hence there are now various studies and campaigns carried out in Africa and India where they are trying vitamin-A supplementation to help children boost their immunity). Further, add some Rela-drops in his diet (get from pharmacist) as these again help balancing the gut bacteria and in this way help with the healing and help fight infection. The reason why these drops and other bifilus, acidophilus etc bacteria are so popular now, and also needed, is because we eat such processed foods that we do not get enough of the bacteria we need in our gut to fight the "bad guys". These they actually even recommend in the Finnish neuvolas now!
Another thing is the simple but efficient humidifier, or even just a bucket of water by the bed. This helps healing the nasal passages without the need for stronger medication. If you can do this when he sleeps then great. I would also do some nasal draining with saline solution. This is much better than any medicated nasal drops (which do of course have their use when all else fails) as it actually heals but does not influence the nasal cilia from working. Steam inhaling during the day is good and you can add some chamomille to the water ... but check with a little bit first that he is not allergic to it. I know in Italy they use chamomille a lot and I was told by a traditional doctor here in Finland to use it myself but I am not sure whether this is okey for a baby. Maybe someone would know better.
What I did once after Isabella had a cold was to call the neuvola and ask for a quick check up with the doctor so that they just listened to her chest to see that all was okey. This gave me a peace of mind. You can yourself also check whether he has got symptoms of an ear infection by just pressing lightly on the ears and seeing whether he shows signs of any discomfort.
As for an action plan we have in an emergency called Lastenklinikka and they will tell you whether to rush there or not according to their guidelines. If they say no but you are worried that there is something seriously wrong then just simply go there (the worst they can do is to turn you back home). If you think it is a bad condition but does not require immediate hospital stay or stronger measures then use Dextra or this phone service mentioned which might be easiest considering that they come home. Sometimes with a sick baby it is even better to avoid crowded health centres or clinics anyway.
M
Last edited by Wheely on Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:24 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Hank W.
- The Motorhead
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I butt in as I know a lot of people read this. There is a "child insurance" one can by... one when the baby is not born yet (recomendable) but afterwards also. It costs some.
And as a Finn, and from a working-class family, I have been to 'Mehiläinen' on a Sunday age 5 spewing blood in the 1970's. (atleast we were allowed private doctors)... "just because". You do not expect Ruusulankatu in 3 days if you want the health today. Just like I go to a private dentist instead of waiting 6 months in public queue. Skip the politics and get a bout of realism.
And as a Finn, and from a working-class family, I have been to 'Mehiläinen' on a Sunday age 5 spewing blood in the 1970's. (atleast we were allowed private doctors)... "just because". You do not expect Ruusulankatu in 3 days if you want the health today. Just like I go to a private dentist instead of waiting 6 months in public queue. Skip the politics and get a bout of realism.
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks EP and Marianne for mentioning ear infection because today we brought our baby to the doctor for an ear examination which showed that our little one has ear infection in both ears. Doc prescribed antibiotics to be taken for the next 7 days and then to bring him back after one month for followup exam. His chest is clear despite the cough.
So, we got the antibiotics from the pharmacy and then a close family friend called and I mentioned this to her and she's had lots of experience with ear infections with her two kids - one even had to go for an operation. Anyhow, she said that from her experience she wouldn't go down the road of antibiotics and there are two schools of thought among doctors here in Finland about administering antibiotics to small babies with ear infections.
She said it actually lowers the baby's immune system and make him more prone to future infections. Her father is a doctor and the doctor who treats her kids also does not prescribe antibiotics for ear infections but allow it to clear up naturally.
I would like to hear what those of you who've had to deal with ear infections have to say about this. Thank you again!
P.S: Marianne, thanks a million for the chicken soup recipe which I've been making for ourselves and also for baby. Will write more soon.
About the Rela drops, I've used it before when baby had diarhoea some months back. Thanks for reminding me!
Thanks EP and Marianne for mentioning ear infection because today we brought our baby to the doctor for an ear examination which showed that our little one has ear infection in both ears. Doc prescribed antibiotics to be taken for the next 7 days and then to bring him back after one month for followup exam. His chest is clear despite the cough.
So, we got the antibiotics from the pharmacy and then a close family friend called and I mentioned this to her and she's had lots of experience with ear infections with her two kids - one even had to go for an operation. Anyhow, she said that from her experience she wouldn't go down the road of antibiotics and there are two schools of thought among doctors here in Finland about administering antibiotics to small babies with ear infections.
She said it actually lowers the baby's immune system and make him more prone to future infections. Her father is a doctor and the doctor who treats her kids also does not prescribe antibiotics for ear infections but allow it to clear up naturally.
I would like to hear what those of you who've had to deal with ear infections have to say about this. Thank you again!
P.S: Marianne, thanks a million for the chicken soup recipe which I've been making for ourselves and also for baby. Will write more soon.
About the Rela drops, I've used it before when baby had diarhoea some months back. Thanks for reminding me!
As Hank master says, Any time we think its an emergency, we dont wait for the local state people to tell us to wait for 3 days etc etc...
We got insurance and so we go to Diacor or Alfamed..
When High fever hits, liquids, no clothes, and panadol/burana.
if it is for a day, then ok, we go to Neuvola, if fever is bad..then go to private care..
So Health insurance has saved us a lot of trouble, headaches worry etc..
We got insurance and so we go to Diacor or Alfamed..
When High fever hits, liquids, no clothes, and panadol/burana.
if it is for a day, then ok, we go to Neuvola, if fever is bad..then go to private care..
So Health insurance has saved us a lot of trouble, headaches worry etc..
If antibiotics are not given, how long does it take for infection to heal naturally? Because I cannot imagine listening to that desperate crying for days (and nights) in a row.
yes, some children are more prone to ear infections than others. Like I said, my older one had them frequently. Until he went through an operation (no big deal, everyday rountine) at the age of three and had those tubes put into his ears.
yes, some children are more prone to ear infections than others. Like I said, my older one had them frequently. Until he went through an operation (no big deal, everyday rountine) at the age of three and had those tubes put into his ears.