Sick Baby Protocol: Supporting Immune Systems for the Whole Family
Having a sick baby last week was nothing short of traumatizing for a new mama - it is just SO sad and hard to see your little one under the weather! When Sul first started running a fever, I didn’t sleep for a solid 24 hour stretch because he only wanted to be held, and he would cry out “mama mama” anytime I put him down. Cue the waterworks. The house was revolting, and I was covered in sweat, tears, and baby spit up; very reminiscent of our newborn days. But after 7 days of torture, Sul is all better, and I want to share with you some of the things we did to help support his body through his first sickness!
Please remember, none of this is medical advice. I am not a doctor, and when sharing natural remedies, it is always up to you and your healthcare providers to research and choose what is best for your family!
I was prepped for Sully’s first illness to be a little cold with some sniffles, but instead, he ran a 101-104 fever for about 4 days, had a low fever on the 5th day, and then was ridiculously fussy and angry for 2 days after his fever broke. I always had high fevers when I got sick as a child, so the number didn’t scare me, and I hope it won’t scare you as much with your little ones after we talk through this post! Even with that knowledge, the amount of times I had to say to myself, “Fevers are GOOD,” was ridiculous, but #firsttimemom problems.
Day 1
The first day, we did nothing for the fever except keep him hydrated with constant nursing, and I really like Shannon Tripp’s Fever highlight on her profile, if you want to learn more. She is a pediatric ER nurse with a natural focus, and I took her Mastering Medical Emergencies for Moms course, which I highly recommend! My friend and experienced mama, Kat, hooked me up with great home remedies, and we did the following throughout his sickness:
lemon, lavender, and thieves essential oils diluted with coconut oil on his feet and spine (I use Young Living)
2 Virex drops 2x/day (Ross and I took 2 droppers per day, as well)
4 Herbal Minerals II drops 4x/day (these are great for teething, too)
I let him sleep as much as possible, and on the first 2 days, that meant 95% of his naps were on me. No joke, I was actually awake 24 hours straight because I have too much anxiety to cosleep, and he needed me. The second morning, we went to his pediatrician’s office to make sure there was no secondary infection, as his temp was over 103, and they were confident it was a virus that would run it’s course in 3-5 days. They said we could give Tylenol or Motrin (I detest them both, but more on that later) if I wanted to reduce his fever, but it’s not necessary for a 103 or 104 fever (105+ is when a fever becomes more concerning). He was still nursing well and stayed hydrated throughout the illness, but if your babe is not nursing with a high fever (or any fever), that is definitely a red flag and shouldn’t be overlooked!
Day 2
In the middle of the second night, Sully was inconsolable and super hot, so we gave him a 1/2 dose of Motrin to allow him to get to sleep. I hated it, but I want to talk to you about my rationale in making this decision.
First, this is why I’m not a fan of fever reducers. Fevers are a sign of the body’s immune system working properly and fighting, and both Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen, which can only be given 6+ months and up) deplete glutathione, which the body needs to detox and fight infection. Tylenol is harder on the liver, Motrin is harder on the stomach, but when I have to choose, Motrin is preferable to me because acetaminophen has a lot of other side effects that I’m not cool with. I knew Sully wasn’t in danger with his temperature, but sleep is also necessary to combat illness, and he wasn’t able to do so without help that night. So, we weighed the pros and cons of depleting his immune system with the medication or him truly not being able to rest, and we made our choice. Remember, I’m sharing my choice, not telling you what to do for your child!
I have friends who never give medication and others who will use fever reducers at the sign of any temperature, and this is a topic (like every parenting topic, really) that is absolutely up to you to research and make peace with. Often, parenthood feels like choosing the lesser of two evils, and that’s not going to be the same in every situation or with every baby!
Day 3-5
On the third day, S was still running a high fever, and we went to see Dr. Lindsay Hollister, who is a local naturopathic pediatrician. We had been meaning to connect anyway and form a relationship with her, and Sully’s sickness seemed like a pretty good time.
In this post, I hope you can see how we embraced both allopathic and alternative medicine during S’s illness, but I also want to say, Lindsay examined Sully much more thoroughly than the pediatrician did, within the first 5 minutes. She also spent an hour with us talking through our concerns, his symptoms, and other facts about Sullivan. Not long after we arrived, she gave him a homeopathic medicine that lowered his fever from 104 to 98.9, just in the hour we were there; it was so cool! She sent us home with that remedy for fever support and another one for times that he was inconsolable. I loved that she talked about how the treatments and supplements we used during his illness were training his immune system to do battle in the future; that’s another beef I have with traditional fever reducers - they don’t train the immune system to do its best work.
Dr. Lindsay sent us home with a treatment plan, and we used the homeopathy, the herbal supplements we were already giving him, epsom salt baths, and chamomile tea during the next couple of days to comfort him. We also took him to Etio Chiropractic for an adjustment and immune boost, and his fever was mostly gone by the fifth day, which is a long illness for a little one, but he came out strong on the other side!
For the Family
One last note. When someone in your family is sick, especially your baby (as I learned last week), it is so easy to ignore your own health, but that is the worst thing you can do as a caretaker. Thankfully, Ross wasn’t quite as sleep deprived as me, so he made sure to cook healthy meals, bring me green smoothies, and keep us both on top of our supplements. If I went down with illness, it would effect Sullivan, too, and it was crucial that we all got as many fluids, nutrient dense meals, and “restful” sleeps, as possible. I know it’s hard, but illness isn’t the time for takeout food. Growing up, I was always taught to avoid all sugar and dairy when battling an illness, and it’s something I still do to cut inflammation. I throw this tip in here only because I know that convenience is the name of the game when you’re tired, but it’s so worth it to go the extra mile!
I hope this was helpful for you and your sick little ones if and when they come down with something. I’d love your thoughts, so feel free to add a message in the comments!