Health And Wellness Center: Baby 102 Fever : 10 things you should know

1. How I can know if my baby has a fever?

Kisses or touches his forehead. If the warmer notes than usual, probably has a fever.

Usually, fever is a sign that the body is fighting an infection. To confirm your suspicion, taking her temperature. The doctor will want to know the exact temperature to treat it.

Most doctors and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP for its acronym in English), agree that the normal body temperature of a healthy baby is between 97 and 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius (C). If your baby rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees exceeds F (38 degrees C), it has a fever.

2. How I can know if my baby's fever is serious?

The temperature is not the only factor indicating that a fever is serious. Age is an important factor (the fever is more worrisome in infants younger than 3 months), and so is their behavior (if your baby is still playing and eating normally, a high fever may not be cause for alarm).

Remember that the temperature of all people up to the late afternoon and early evening and down between midnight and early morning hours. That is why, most doctors and pediatricians receive calls related to fever towards the end of the afternoon and early evening.

3. When should I call the doctor?

No one knows your baby better than you. If you think you're sick and you're worried, call the doctor, whatever its temperature.

General notes:
If your baby is less than 3 months old and has a temperature of 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C) or higher, call your doctor immediately. In such a small baby must examine to rule out an infection or serious illness.

If your baby is older than 3 months, the most important thing is to look at their appearance and behavior.

If your little one behaves normally and is eating liquid, it is not necessary to call the doctor unless your fever persists for more than 24 hours or if very high. Ask the doctor to orient you a bit more about when to call. For example, it is possible to recommend to call immediately if the temperature exceeds 104 degrees F (40 degrees C), regardless of the symptoms present.

Additional information:
The AAP recommends call the doctor if your child is between 3 and 6 months old and has a temperature of 101 degrees F (38.3 degrees C) or, if more than 6 months and a temperature of 103 degrees F (39 , 4 degrees C) or more.

Also contact your doctor if the following symptoms:

Loss of appetite.
Cough.
Signs of an ear infection.
Irritability.
Drowsiness.
Vomiting.
Diarrhea.

Also call the doctor if:

Your little one is very pale or very red-faced or has wet fewer diapers than normal.
You notice that your child has a rash and do not know its cause. A rash may indicate a more serious problem if it is accompanied by fever. Small red-purple spots on the skin that do not turn white or paler when they are pressed, or large purple spots may be a sign of a serious bacterial infection.
Difficulty breathing (it is very hard to breathe or breathe faster than usual) even after wiping your nose with a rubber bulb. This could indicate that you have pneumonia or respiratory syncytial virus.
If your baby seems sick and his temperature is lower than normal (less than 97 degrees F or 36 degrees C). Sometimes the very tiny babies get cold instead of hot when they get sick.

4. What will the doctor?

If your baby is less than 3 months, the doctor will want to take him to the clinic for examination. You might ask you do not give any medication to reduce fever until he has personally taken the temperature.

If your baby is older than 3 months, is behaving normally, you are ingesting liquids and does not present any symptoms of a serious illness, the doctor may recommend you wait 24 hours before taking him to the query. Because fever is often the first symptom of a disease, sometimes doctors can not find other significant symptoms when examining a child too soon.

Depending on how your baby feel uncomfortable, the doctor may recommend you give child acetaminophen (or ibuprofen if the child is older than 6 months), to lower its temperature.

If you have symptoms that indicate the existence of a disease or a serious infection, the doctor will ask you to bring to the query, regardless of their age, or if you call an emergency room after business hours.

5. If fever is a defense against infection, why we should try to lower it?

Since fever is part of the body's defense against bacteria and viruses, some researchers have suggested that the body could attack infections more effectively if the temperature is high. Bacteria and viruses prefer a body temperature of 98.6 degrees F or 37 degrees C. Fever also tells the body to produce more white blood cells and antibodies to fight infection.

On the other hand, if your child's temperature is too high, it will be too uncomfortable to eat, drink, or sleep, which will make recovery more difficult.

If your little fever is not affecting their behavior, you need not give anything to lower the temperature. Offer him a lot of breast milk or formula to prevent dehydration, and not cherish too much when sleeping.

If your body temperature is higher than normal due to excess clothing or the day is hot, help to cool down by removing some clothes, and encouraging him to rest or play quietly in a cool place.

6. What fever-reducing medicines are safe for my baby?

If the doctor approves, you can use acetaminophen or <child ibuprofen to reduce fever (note that ibuprofen is not recommended for children under 6 months or so that suffer from dehydration or have been vomiting steadily).

Be very careful when giving your baby medicine. Your weight will determine the correct dose. Always use the tool (spoon, dropper or oral syringe) that comes with the medication to give you the exact amount.

Do not give medication to reduce fever, more often than it is recommended. The instructions indicate that des probably acetaminophen every four hours (up to five times per day) and ibuprofen every six hours (up to four times a day).

Never give your baby aspirin because it makes it more susceptible to Reye syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disorder.

A word of caution: most doctors do not recommend combined medications for colds and coughs, which are sold without a prescription. But if your little one is taking a prescription medication, talk to your doctor before giving any other medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Many medications combined for colds and coughs already contain ibuprofen or acetaminophen, so you run the risk of giving your child too much medicine.

Find out when you can give it a pain reliever to your baby without calling the doctor.

7. Are there other ways to lower the fever of my child?

You can try to lower the fever by sponging with lukewarm (not cold) or giving a warm bath water.

Never try to reduce fever by sponging with alcohol. Alcohol can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. In addition you can also cool too quickly, which can eventually give up the fever.

8. What should I do if my baby has a seizure due to high fever?

If the baby is suffering a convulsion quickly put it aside, away from hard objects. Gently turn your head to the side to prevent choking if vomiting occurs. Make sure you have nothing in your mouth, and do not put anything in it for the duration of the seizure.

During the seizure do not give your baby any medication to lower the temperature. Nor put it in cold water or will you spend a wet sponge by the body.

Try to record how long the seizure lasts. If it lasts more than three minutes, call your emergency service location (911 if you live in the United States). Even if the seizure did not last long, it is important to take the time to which you tell the doctor. Also called the emergency service if your baby has difficulty breathing, is choking or turns blue.

If no such severe symptoms, it is recommended to do is to carefully clean vomiting and call the doctor once finished the seizure, if it is the first time that happens to your child, no matter how long it lasted. Chances are that the doctor wants to examine it to make sure it does not have a serious infection or other problem that caused the fever.

If your baby is older than 6 months and has had seizures before, the doctor will offer more guidance on when to call if the seizure lasts less than three minutes.

9. Why did back up my baby fever after he fell?

Medicines that reduce fever have a temporary effect. Do not affect the germ that causes infection, so the baby can follow with fever until you cure the infection. This process can take two or three days.

Some infections, such as influenza, can last five to seven days. If you have been given antibiotics to protect from a bacterial infection, fever may take 48 hours to yield.

10. My baby has a fever, but does not have any other symptoms. What's up?

When a baby has a high fever, but no runny nose, cough, vomiting, or diarrhea, it can be difficult to know what happens.

There are many viral infections that cause only fever and no other symptoms. Some of them, like roseola can cause three days of high fever followed by a rash of soft pink in the trunk.

Other more serious illnesses such as meningitis, urinary tract infections, or bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream), infections can also cause high fever without presenting any other specific symptom. If your child's temperature is 102.2 degrees F (39 degrees C) and this persists for more than 24 hours, call the doctor, but not have any other symptoms.