I'm SICK, SICK, SICK , SICK, SICK SICK 

Woke up to a throbbing pain in my head. How did that happen?...I feel so hot, has the air conditioning gone belly up, have we moved closer to the sun. I feel weak and my head is heavy. This is too much for a small baby to bear. What is happening to me, is this what growing up feels like. I think I want to throw up, shall do what I know to do best and yell for Mummy dearest. A few minutes later, but what feels like a lifetime, Mummy dearest crashes through the door. Mum I know its three o clock in the morning, but c’mon get with the program, don’t look all sleep-eyed and groggy on me, we need full attention, there’s something wrong with your child. Mummy takes one look at me and looks panicked, oh now what have I gone a different colour. 

I feel so strange, my body hurts and I if I get any hotter I think I might explode. I think I’ll just cry about it instead. Through my tears and snot I see Mummy dearest rummaging madly through drawers for something, is it an antidote for the sudden mutation that has overcome me. She finds what she’s looking for and stick’s it under my armpit, that’s just rude Mum, I’ll just cry a little louder because you did that. Did my crying just set off the car alarm, wow I sure do have a good pair of lungs on me. After a few seconds the strange device under my arm beeps, Mum takes a look at it and nearly passes out. ‘Yikes 100 degrees”. WHAT WHAT does that mean, has the mutation happened, am I not human anymore. She wraps me in a blanket and sprints down the hall to Dad, whose snoring really does need to be addressed. Can a human make such a loud noise, it's severely affecting the pain in my head Mum, please take me away from the growling mess that is my father. 

Mum screams at Dad ‘the baby’s got a fever, its 100 degrees, get the car, emergency room NOW!”. Dad wakes up in a daze and surveys the scene before him, me screaming my head off, Mum hair dishevelled shoving things into bags. Yes Dad you have woken up in your own nightmare, Mum hands me over to Dad whilst she dashes to find the car keys. Holding on to Dad I scream through the pain, the fever is getting to me Dad help me…wait I really think this is a good time to vomit, which I promptly do all over Dad. Wow forgot that we had mac and cheese for dinner last night, it was really good going down but not so good coming up. Actually the vomiting make me feel a bit better, though Dad doesn’t look that attractive with vomit mac and cheese in his hair.  To cut a long story short the vomiting really woke up Dad who tooks control of the situation, administers some medicine to me and calms Mum down. I lived another day for it turns out I wasn’t mutating but instead suffering from the common cold! 

Fever in Babies 

A fever is usually a sign that the body is waging a war against infection. Most doctors – and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — agree that a normal body temperature for a healthy baby is between 97 and 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit. If your baby's rectal temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, he has a fever. 

Is It Serious? 

A temperature reading isn't the only indication of whether a fever is serious. Age is a factor: Fever is more serious in babies under 3 months. Behavior is another factor: A high fever that doesn't stop your baby from playing and feeding normally may not be cause for alarm. Keep in mind that everyone's temperature rises in the late afternoon and early evening and falls between midnight and early morning. It is always best to seek medical help if your are worried about your child welfare. 

Warnings signs to watch out for: 

- Your baby is noticeably pale or flushed, or has fewer wet diapers. 

- You notice an unexplained rash, which could indicate a more serious problem when coupled with a fever. Small, purple-red spots that don't turn white or paler when you press on them, or large purple blotches, can signal a very serious bacterial infection. 

- Your baby has difficulty breathing (working harder to breathe or breathing faster than usual) even after you clear his nose with a bulb syringe. This could indicatepneumonia or bronchiolitis. 

- Your baby seems sick and his temperature is lower than normal (less than 97 degrees F/36 degrees C). Very young babies sometimes become cold rather than hot when they're ill. 

Always see medical help if you are concerned about your baby. 

By Mayuri Jayasinghe