fever 101 - please educate me

[lmh2402]

we are dealing with our first "major" fever with DS... he's had 100ish before but only for a day here or there associated with an obvious cold

yesterday he woke with 102.4. took him to doc and she said it's a virus - no specific origin or infection that she could diagnose

he ran fever on and off all day yesterday. twice i gave him tylenol and it didn't help the fever drop. so then, after an hour, i gave motrin. and then it dropped.

last night he was restless and i checked him before i went to sleep, but he felt cool at that point so i did not give him anything - i had given tylenol before he went to bed at 6:45.

this morning he woke at 5am with 103.6. i gave him motrin since it was so high. an hour later, it was still 103. i gave him tylenol and that dropped it

i just took his temp again, expecting it to be normal b/c his hands and feet are freezing...though his forehead felt a wee bit warm (though, really not hot)

it was 101.3.

so my questions are:
1. is it normal for hands and feet to be so cold, but for fever to still be present? i'm probably imaging this, but i started studying his feet and it seemed like they were almost purplish. my DH disagrees and says i'm just reacting out of nerves...so maybe they aren't purple. but anyway, please tell me if cold hands/feet are normal?

2. how long, on average, do fevers like this last? how many days?

3. what do you do to manage fussiness and sleep when your LOs are sick with fever? he's been really cranky and tired, but will not sleep. other than at night. naps have been nonexistent for the last two days. he DOES NOT cosleep. ever. he just likes his space and to be able to move around. but yest/today, every time we try putting him down in his crib, he goes nuts. but when we try laying him in our bed with him, he also goes nuts. what to do?

4. he's been wanting to nurse like crazy, but my supply is just not where he would like it to be. before yesterday we were nursing only 3-4 times a day. now he wants to nurse for like an hour at a time, every 2-3 hours. and he gets upset and starts beating my chest when i run dry. is there any way to quickly get a big supply boost? i offered him some frozen BM and he drank it all down, but my frozen stash is dwindeling b/c i havne't pumped in the last two months. i normally only use frozen milk on the one day a week i WOTH and he stays with my mom. i had knowing been just working through the supply thinking that since he's turning one in a week, we would eventually be transitioning to regular milk. but if i go through all my frozen now, how will i be able to slowly transition him?

5. should i have given tylenol/motrin before i went to bed (11ish), regardless of whether i thought he seemed cool? given that his hands and feet were so cool today and i thought he had no fever, chances are he had fever last night too??...my thought last night was not to disturb his sleep b/c i thought if he was sleeping, getting rest was most important.

6. any general tips for making parents and baby feel better and less worried?

thanks

[Katigre]

Some stuff in this article might help: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t082100.asp

[edurnemk]

I think how long the fever lasts will depend on the virus he has. I have found that Tylenol does not work very well (and my Ped agrees), so I just use Motrin.

When DS had roseola, his temperature was insanely high and at times not even the Motrin would lower it significantly, so we would use cool compresses or put in him in a lukewarm bath to lower it more.

Oh, I do give him Motrin before bed when he's sick, even if his temp is OK, just in case, and also to help ease any pain, inflamation or discomfort he may have.

I think he wants to nurse so much because it soothes him, are there any other ways of comforting him that you can use to distract him from wanting to nurse? Maybe giving him a bottle with diluted juice? That would also help to keep him hydrated.


I'm not sure about your other questions, especially about the cold feet.

I hope your baby gets well soon, be patient and don't worry, if the Ped saw him and doesn't think it's serious, don't worry too much (I know, easier said than done, especially the first time). Babies need several days to get over a cold, and all you can do is try to make them comfortable and hang in there.

[writermama]

If fever is not coming down enough with Motrin (agree with PP that Motrin works much better than Tylenol) you can also use lukewarm (not hot, not cold) baths, Epsom's salt is also recommended.

For high fever, the urgent care center sent us home with instructions to get a washcloth wet with lukewarm water and rub vigorously (but gently) on the trunk and extremities. Rubbing with the washcloth works better than cool compresses or baths to reduce the fever.

As for the cool hands ... do you see any other parts of your child that have a bluish tinge? Fingernails or lips? In addition to fever, is this an illness with coughing or other respiratory symptoms?

If you are worried, call your pediatrician.

[Indianamom2]

I can't help much with the nursing question, but we just went through a similar sounding fever situation with my 5.5 year old. Her fever lasted for a full 5 days at 101+, getting as high as 105 once. She was miserable when it would spike (which normally happens in the late afternoon/early evening, by the way).

Hers was also just a virus. It stunk because she lived on Tylenol (she wasn't eating, and had vomitted some, so no Motrin here). However, she has made a full recovery. It was just a long virus.

Did your Ds get checked for an ear infection? That would be my only other suggestion, since he doesn't want to sleep.