To have taken my baby to emergency

[NeedingAGoodNap]

Our 8 month old daughter was feeling very unwell. She had a temp of around 40.3 and her breathing was very fast. It was 2am in the morning and we didn’t know what to do so we jumped in the car to take her to emergency. The triage nurse did some tests and found that her temp, breathing and heart rate were all very high so she admitted us straight away.

The doctor seemed confused as to why we were there and thought it was obvious that it was a virus and we should have just treated at home. They monitored and gave her pain relief for 4 - 5 hours until her heart rate we back in a normal range and then sent us home.

Where we unreasonable to take her in? It’s not like she can talk and tell us why she is so upset and unwell

To those PP calling some doctors twats, just stop it, eh?

I’m guessing that was rather the whole point.

OP better to be safe than sorry with a baby - you won’t find many parents who haven’t taken their babies to A and E.

I ended up with my son in out of hours with colic. He was 6 weeks old and my health visitor said although likely to be colic it could be an infection so to take him.

Doctor was very lovely and said he would much rather see a baby whose uncomfortable with colic than a baby whose infection has been left untreated and is now serious.

@Graphista

You might also find it helpful/interesting to work out her base temp when she's not unwell. Take her temp from a variety of places on her body and at different times to get a rough idea what her normal ave temp is.

My sister has one who is the opposite and runs cool so a "normal" temp for others is a high fever for them and she's had difficulty getting some hcps to accept and acknowledge that

yes.

I have one who runs cool and one who runs hot.

temp of 40 is normal for dd2, get a temp it is always high.
temp of 39 is incredibly high for dd1 and a real cause for concern

Nope! Could have been sepsis. Yanbu op.

You definitely did the right thing. Something similar happened with my then 10 week old daughter and she had meningitis. I would rather the doctors think I was an over-protective mum than take any chances with my child’s health.

Absolutely you should have gone. You're not a medical professional and the doctor sounds horrible. I've taken my dc in similar situations and the HCP's have always been amazing

100% the right course of action OP.

Always follow your gut.

Hope your baby is feeling better

I'd have gone. With a baby that age I'd never give Calpol and wait and see.

When my daughter was about the same age she got a temp of 41 and was breathing funny so we took her to our local out of hours dr, they were so concerned they sent us by ambulance straight to the local children's hospital. When we got there she was monitored for a few hours, once her temp had come down slightly we were told it was probably viral and it would be ok to take her home. They said they would always rather see baby's even if it turns out they are fine, rather than not see a baby who may potentially be very poorly

YANBU, it’s always best to be cautious with babies especially when their temp gets very high. You did the right thing.

Better to be safe than sorry

This

I'm getting a bit sick of this idea that we should all apply a stiff upper-lip to our family's health emergencies. I always went running the A and E if it was late at night and I was worried about my child and, in those days, nobody would have dreamt of criticising me for that.

A few yrs back. i ended up calling out of hrs as I was concerned. Out of hrs Doctor saw child and sent us to hospital. First Doctor basically said nothing wrong you will be able to go home soon. Not sure if this is the same everywhere but the ward had a 2 doctor check system before discharge. 2nd Doctor was examining and their face changed. Examination went on for ages. Doctor identified a heart problem and we were sent for tests straight away and referred to a heart specialist. This was a congenital issue that no one had pick up on despite child always being ill.
So If in doubt get check out is my motto. better for a Doctor to see a child unnecessarily, than not see and there be a problem

You did what any parent would do. A GP told me off for insisting on taking our 3 week old DGS to the hospital for checks. He kept saying it was just normal reflux. His parting words were to not be surprised if we get told off for wasting time at the hospital. Within 30 mins of being on the children's ward dgs was assessed and blue lighted to a specialist hospital for emergency op. I will always trust my instincts. I dont care if I get moaned at.

Did you give any pain relief at all?

OK...so you should have known it was a virus and to treat it at home...but the nurse who did the triage (who is a trained professional) didn't assume that and admitted you. So basically you should have known better than a nurse with years of training. Nope, you did the right thing and, had it been 'obvious' the nurse who saw you would have made a different decision. She saw something she wasn't happy about so admitted you immediately. That's all you need to focus on.

I don't think you were unreasonable, but I do think calpol and monitoring would have been a more appropriate reaction, possibly with a 111 call if you were anxious. However, it's easy to panic and I don't think the doctor should have openly criticised you.

No you did the right thing.

Babies can turn extremely fast, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. I’ve seen far too many kids become seriously unwell because people didn’t act quick enough

A baby with a 40C temp and without knowing cause id be taking to a&e for a check up too, especially as its not so easy to see a GP right now.

You did the right thing. You know your baby best and the doctor should have respected that. At the point she was seen by the triage nurse, she was correctly admitted.

However, a high temperature is a common thing for a young child to have and you say you didn’t know what to do. This is likely just the first time that your child will have a medical episode/event. Perhaps book yourself onto a paediatric first aid course so you feel more confident of what you can manage at home and when to seek regular or emergency medical help.

(The problem with the Internet is that some people write dangerous rubbish in a very convincing manner and you could end up following the wrong advice).

Nope you did the correct thing. Some children if they get to that kind of temperature have a seizure called febrile convulsions. My son suffered them. Far better to be checked over and at that time of night your not getting in to see the out of hours gp. You would not forgive yourself had it been more than a virus and you delayed going.

@imalmostthere I'm a former nanny, childminder and nurse. A temp number alone is not the whole story. Particularly when most parents don't know how to take a temp correctly AND when you consider possible faulty device, atmospheric conditions etc

As stated here

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/health/how-to-take-your-babys-temperature/

Most parents now use ear thermometers which are notoriously difficult to use accurately especially with a wriggly baby.

I perhaps should have qualified my statement about stripping down, I wouldn't do that in an already cool room but even the nhs states they advise against not because of shock but because a fever is a natural response to infection - which it is

I've been looking after babies inc sick ones for over 30 years and never had a baby or child be harmed by the way I've dealt with such a common symptom

@steppemum it's murder getting hcps to "get it" isn't it? I think harder with ones who run cool, my sisters child has been bright red and sweating buckets while an hcp went "but thermometer says" thermometers are merely an assessment tool, averages are just that - average - not everyone is the same

I’d much rather have a slightly Bemused doctor than a seriously ill child. You did the right thing.

Fever can cause an increased respiratory rate so I would give calpol asap, monitor and if still concerned then try to see somebody.