No one likes to see their little babies sick and in pain. This post is written as to share some information on how to naturally deal with poor, sick little munchkins, specifically to handle one of the most commonly feared symptoms, a fever. It will describe how this indicator should not be feared, but is rather a sign that the body is doing what it is supposed to in order to fight off a sickness.
We recently had a hard week! My son got his first real sickness. It came just after our first trip to Disneyland and I think just being exposed to a large amount of people and germs just took a toll on his immune system. About 2 days after our fun, family adventure he was very fussy and felt VERY hot. I took his temperature and the thermometer read 102!
No Mama likes to see their little baby in pain and a fever as high as that can be pretty scary! Being that my son is my second baby, I feel like I’ve been around the block and no longer panic when my kids are sick as I did as a first time mom. From previous research, and a quick read through of my homeopathic pediatric books I researched some ways to help make life a little more comfortable for my little man. His symptoms were a high fever, a slight runny nose with clear discharge and he was very very weepy and clingy (but then again aren’t most men when they are sick!) My poor boy wasn’t his usual happy, smiley self. He wouldn’t walk, wouldn’t play and had absolutely no interest in laughing at even the funniest behavior. All he wanted to do was lay on me, or lay in bed and sleep. I put him to bed in a onesie, gave him a few Belladonna tablets and put him down with a bottle of almond milk with some Vitamin D drops. I knew the most important thing to do was to monitor the fever (you should contact your doctor if the fever gets to be 104, continues to climb or is at 102 for longer than 3 days) and to make sure that he was getting enough fluids.
I continued to monitor him every hour or so, and gave him Belladonna tablets whenever he seemed really miserable. I have always read that you should let fevers run there course. They are due to the body fighting off a virus and the heat from the fever kills the virus. Breaking the fever before the virus has been killed can actually prolong the sickness. This is why its important to let the fever do it’s natural thing and just try to make your itty bitty patient as comfortable as possible. I also gave him a bath with a few drops of essential oils added, Rosemary, Lavender and Tea Tree. These particular oils help the body to stabilize the fever naturally. I offered fluids to him often, most times persisting to make sure that he didn’t get dehydrated and made sure to include his vitamins (Multi and D). I could tell he didn’t feel good, but he wasn’t miserable and suffering and I could tell it was coming to an end.
On the afternoon on the 3rd day of the fever, it was much lower that day and by evening my son was beginning to return to his happy, fun little self. Because he had slept so much those couple of days when it was bed time he wanted to play instead. I let him stay up for a few minutes more to play and put him down confident that the worst was over. When I went to pick him up the next morning and saw a red, bumpy rash all over his face, neck and torso I immediately got nervous and sent a text to my husband. Right after I texted him I remembered back to when my daughter experienced these same symptoms around the same age. I referred back to my books and the internet and knew that he was suffering from Roseola. A very common viral infection that typically occurs in babies 9 month to 2 years of age. The symptoms are actually a lot scarier than the actual illness itself, you just need to keep an eye on your little one and notify your health care provider if you child appears to be dehydrated or the fever is over 104 or persists for too long.
Even with having an entire rash my sweet boy seemed happy and not too uncomfortable. I did give him some chamomilla twice, once before nap and once before bedtime just to make sure he was comfortable and had a good nights sleep to help his body heal. By the next morning his rash was almost completely gone and if it weren’t for the slight pink, bumpy spots you would have never known he was sick as he was back to full energy and had his appetite back. Illnesses like this are actually very healthy for children and help them to build up their immune system to develop into healthy adults.
Disclaimer: Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements
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