Parent Extremis

Teething is a bit of a mystery for us first time parents. I have been convinced that Noah was teething since he was about a week and a half old so clearly, my observations are not to be trusted. Fast forward to NOW, Noah is seven months (32 weeks) and I suspect a tooth is just about on the horizon.

Teething is a bit of a gray area at this time because I can’t tell which tooth might be coming in first. Most babies get the two bottom teeth first, although I have known plenty of babies who get five teeth on top and then no others for months on end.

Teething can begin as early as three months or as late as a year. The averages are around … seven months.

Some common symptoms of teething are:
* biting hands or anything that comes near their mouths
* crying out in yelps of pain
* drooling
* runny nose or congestion from drooling
* “smokers’ cough” from the drool going down the back of the throat
* spitting or throwing up from drool going into the stomach
* “drool stool,” which is shards of drool in the poop (I know, and it’s truly stunning when you see it)Moxie says it’s true!)
* rash around the mouth
* rash around the anus
* acidic poop (sometimes you can even smell the difference) and a burned monkey-butt look after pooping
* tugging or pulling at the ears
* not wanting to nurse
* biting while nursing
* flash fevers (fevers that come out of nowhere, don’t last, and are gone in 30 minutes to an hour)

Teething remedies will be discussed in a later post …

Noah has had a fever for three days now. I first noticed on Wednesday evening when I was holding him. He just, felt warm. I tried to take an ear temperature but its really too hard to get the ear probe into such a tiny little ear. Anyway, the temperature came back at like, 94 degrees. BAH.

Next up, rectal thermometer.

100.5

I really didn’t panic. I really didn’t freak out about my little baby, my little preshus newborn really, a two month and four week old baby.

Fever can be really dangerous in a young infant. Infections can spread rapidly and get out of hand much quicker than in an adult body. Therefore, we mobilized for a visit to the pediatrician. for some blood work and a urine culture. My poor little baby was stuck with needles and catheters all day. I’m not the kind of mother who cries at the notion of her baby getting a needle prick but just the same, it isn’t easy watching his face turn BEET RED with pain before he let out a wail of massive proportions.

Twenty fours hours later:
Positive: All labs are clear. No sign on infection. No UTI.
Negative: Noah still has a fever. 101, before the Tylenol.
Positive: He is acting fine. Totally unphased. And last night, he slept for eight hours straight.

The most common reason for fever in an infant is an upper respiratory infection, a urinary tract infection or a mild virus. Fever isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The body naturally raises its temperature to fight offending germs. A small, controlled fever is a good thing. It shows the body is working to fight off possible infection. However, a fever can be dangerous at high levels and you should always contact a doctor to rule out serious medical issues.