J's first illness...

Hi everyone. I guess I caused a little concern when I posted that last time about Autism. Let me just clarify that at this time we have no concerns about J’s development and he’s shown no signs of Autism or any other problems. The reason I posted that was simply because there is so much talk in the media and around the water cooler about autism and the possible vaccine link. I wanted to be one of the people out there giving factual level headed information in the discussion. Most people that I talk to or read from are either skewing the facts to push their own agenda, or are so completely uneducated on the topic that they totally misunderstand what’s going on. So everyone rest at ease, J is fine!

This weekend J was sick for the first time. He had some sort of bad cold and a fever. It started Friday night with a low fever and trouble sleeping. By 11:00 Saturday morning his fever was 102, and his nose was running like a faucet. We started giving him Tylenol, and anything with vitamin C we could think of. We were keeping the fever under control, around 101 but peaking slightly between doses. Soon he began to cough, and was sooo tired! He just wasn’t himself at all. His eyes were distant, and he was very lethargic. He was super cuddly, and we just held him most of the day. He couldn’t sleep very well, and would wake up after only a 20 minute nap. It was a long day. Followed by a long night! My mom came over in the evening to help us out. She and I ended up taking turns holding James while he slept so that he could be upright and actually sleep. He would cough and it would wake him up and startle him and he’d cry. Finally somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning I finally got him to lay on a pillow that was propped up on a small boppy (U-shaped pillow). The only way I could get him to lay still was to play his Baby Einstein “first signs” video. We had to set it on “repeat play” and I laid down beside him on the floor and we all were able to sleep for several hours that way.

Sunday he was better. The fever was lower, and his nose had stopped running. He was able to take longer naps. At first I had him sleeping on his “pillow pallet” but later he was able to sleep well in his own bed. He was very tired and slept a lot. He was not drinking too well, and seemed to have a sore throat, as he’d cry every time he coughed.

Last night he slept very well. He didn’t wake me up at all until around 3:30am. I did have to bring him into bed with me around 4:00, but after that he slept so soundly! I kept waking up to check that he was breathing, he was so still! Today the fever is totally gone. He is happy and playful again. He still has a slight cough and is tired. He’s been sleeping a lot today. He is not real hungry, but is drinking much better.

So, we made it through J’s first illness just fine. It’s so great to be a mommy! I do not relish my son feeling bad, but I’m glad I was there to hold and comfort him and help him through. I felt awful that he was sick, but I was glad to know that my instincts kicked right in, and I just did what I had to do to help him get better. I never felt afraid or unsure what to do. I’m sure that will change drastically as he gets older, but I’ll try never to let him know that I’m winging it!