Fever of 40, not sure what to do anymore

[JustSomeMama]

Hi,

I'm a first time mum to a 10 month old. Please be kind of you think that I'm asking silly questions.

DS is generally a healthy and happy baby. He's just started nursery last Monday.

That evening he came home with a snotty nose and a cough which was to be expected but the symptoms persisted and got worse over the next few days. On Friday I called the GP as his cough sounded chesty and he was unsettled. GP wasn't concerned.

Fast forward to Sunday and I had to take DS to a&e. He developed conjunctivitis, started projectile vomiting, had diarrhoea and was very reluctant to eat and drink. Had a fever of 38.4 at this point.

Doctor at the hospital concluded that DD has an ear infection. Gave him some antibiotics and advised to continue using Calpol/Nurofen.

Now it's Tuesday and whilst the conjunctivitis has cleared, the other symptoms persist. He also had a fever of 40 this morning and slept most of the day. I called 111 again as this is very much unlike my baby to sleep so much and for Calpol to not get the fever down. They sent a referral over to GP and I'm waiting for a call back.

The fever has now gone down to 38 but that's still high. Can other mums with more experience please tell me if I should be going to a&e again? What can I do to get the fever down and is it normal for this to happen with an ear infection?

There are so many bugs going around at the moment. We've just had flu and my son had a temp of 40C for five days. Are you alternating Calpol and ibuprofen every four hours up to the maximum per 24 hours (usually have to reduce overnight to not go over)? Calpol is a bit crap for temps. Personally I wouldn't go back to a and e from what you have described. His temp is coming down with medication and isn't crazy high.

Calpol is crap for lowering a high fever, ibuprofen does a better job. The fever will make him tired, is he drinking okay and having wet nappies? That is the ultimate main thing, crying real tears?

Hi. Thank you both. I am alternating now, usually stuck to just one. Because I gave him ibuprofen in the morning but he threw it up, I waited and then gave Calpol instead a few hours later as I didn't know how much ibuprofen stayed in his system and didn't want to overdose him. Now it's been 8 hours since ibuprofen in the morning so I gave him another dose and hoping for the best.

He's not drinking or eating much at all. Just sips of formula and water. Solids make him throw up so at the moment I'm not offering them.

He still has wet nappies though. Mind you urine smells strong so I think he is a little bit dehydrated but he is having regular wees.

How is he now OP? Honestly any signs of dehydration and I would take to a&e because with little ones it can turn so quickly. The fever wouldn't be my concern, the lack of drinking and strong smelling wee would be.

HI, thank you for checking in!

We've had some signs of improvement in the late afternoon yesterday. Temperature went down to less than 38 at one point and he started showing interest in solid foods. He managed a little bit of toast, sips of water and a bottle of formula before bed which was excellent. He also started crawling around like a mad man again...

Then the fever returned in the night and he had crap sleep. This morning, however we managed 120 ml of formula and a few spoonfuls of Weetabix which is better than the last few days.

Wee still smells strong but we continue to see wet nappies and real tears when he's crying. Spoke to GP yesterday and his advice was to continue giving Calpol and nurofen, not super helpful.

A doctor at a&e on Sunday told us they only worry about dehydration once the baby hasn had a wet nappy for 12 hours! It's absolutely crazy to me. I know they're overstretched and it's very busy with RSV and COVID at the moment but that sounds ridiculous. I'll continue to offer food, water and formula as much as I can as every sip counts but yes some tiny improvements.

Thank you for checking in, I really appreciate it.

Just to note you can use dioralyte in water or the formula to help with rehydration. You can actually get an unflavoured one (this was prescribed for my baby by the hospital so it’s definitely ok to give to babies but you could always check that with your pharmacist). Although it feels very alarming, especially with a little one, the fever itself isn’t usually harmful and is just the body’s way of reacting to the infection. Sounds like he’s in the mend now!

Ah, thank you! That's brilliant advice. I'll go to the pharmacy and ask!