Feverish Faith

Early on a beautiful Sunday morning, I went in to wake up my little guy.  He woke up very cuddly.  In fact, I sat on the ground for a bit and just held him close.  This, of course, is usually a blessing, because my little one is so sweet about giving kisses, but he is not a cuddler.  So when Baby A cuddles, I know that something is amiss.

He felt a bit hot and so I took his temperature.  It was 100.1.  Not a fever yet but I wasn't going to chance it and take him to church.  Especially since our church nursery has a strict "no sickness" policy. We stayed home and he played a bit, but that morning he was much more interested in sitting in my lap, then doing a whole lot.  This of course, was another warning sign.  We watched a Veggie Tale movie for our church service and then I laid him down to nap.

When he woke up from his short nap, his temperature had risen.  After two more short naps it had risen to 103.  I was super worried because,  over the 20 months of his life, his temperature had never risen to over 102 degrees.  I called my mom and she encouraged me that if he didn't have any other symptoms to let his fever ride out.  Even my pediatrician said the same thing.  Fevers are not bad in and of themselves because they were helping fight off something that was trying to attack his body.

This momma was scared but she kept him close to her all night and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. The next day he woke up with no fever.  YAY!  It must have done the trick!  So I let him play hard and I fed him and we had a great morning!  Then I put him down to nap.

When he woke up, he had a fever over 101.  Where did that come from I asked?  By that evening it had spiked and was 104 degrees.  I was totally scared!  What if he got brain damage?   What if...?  I called my mom again and she told me I could give him Tylenol but that the fever needed to play out.  I knew that if I did give him Tylenol, it could mask the problem and the fever might not fight off the disease.

• FACT:  Fevers turn on the body's immune system and help the body fight infection. Fevers are one of the body's protective mechanisms. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are actually good for sick children.
• FACT:  Fevers with infections don't cause brain damage.  Only body temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage.  The body temperature climbs this high only with extreme environmental temperatures (for example, if a child is confined to a closed car in hot weather).  -allkids.org

It was so hard to see my baby suffer and I scared myself more, by going online and reading articles about Febrile Seizures and Bacterial Meningitis.  I proceeded to bother my mom until she finally said that I had to either trust the natural way of healing or give him some type of drug to mask it.

I knew that this was a battle that Baby A's body had to fight, but it was so painful to watch.  I knew that if I gave himself medication, it could mask the problem and tomorrow he would have to fight that battle all over again.  That night, I was miserable and so was my baby.  I prayed and watched for any signs that could be warning of real danger.  I took his temperature throughout the night and gave him liquids whenever I could.

The next morning, Baby A woke up with no fever again.  I knew that this was a good sign and that his body was able to break it without any help.  I continued to watch him and, even though he was more tired then usual, he started to get better and better.  The afternoon came and no fever, and then, that night, no fever again.  It was a trial for Baby A and Mommy but I knew that we had done the right thing.

This was a spiritual lesson to me as well.  When life gets tough, I usually want to take the easy way out. I  want to mask my pain with ___________, but I know it doesn't actually help in the end.  It just drags the pain out or covers what is going on. Sometimes in those "valleys of death",  I feel God the closest and those are best times in my life.

Psalms 30:5b says  "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."  Trials are not fun nor are they exciting, but they can still be celebrated because God is teaching us a lesson or making us stronger.  Remember, moms, that your labor brought forth such a wonderful blessing, that baby.  What blessing is God trying to give you in your labor and trouble today? Don't mask the pain, go through your trial, "fearing NO evil, for God is with you." - Rejoicing in the Present