Is giving medication to our babies the answer...?

It's been a few days now that Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge). The best she could eat was just a few spoonfuls. But she's fine with drinking milk.

This is the usual symptom for babies when they are not well. Loss of appetite. Well, adults encounter the same too, no doubt.

Since my last post of her having fever, she has not fully recovered from cold till today. Fever went off 3 days later but cough and runny nose stay. Now, more than 1 week later, cough is gone but runny nose stays. No, she's not taking any medicine except Panadol syrup when she had high fever. Took her to a doctor earlier but her advise was that babies shouldn't be given any medicine to treat these common illnesses. Medicine only suppresses the symptoms but does not cure. We should allow our baby's own immune system to work and fight against those bacterias and germs. Babies will eventually get better with time. Which I agree.

It's very worrying to see the increasing trend of parents and doctors prescribing medicine and antibiotics to treat cough and cold. This quick-fix may cause more harm to our babies well-being.

Earlier this year, the US FDA warned parents that cold and cough medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. Some of these cold medications can actually cause serious life-threatening side effects (difficulty breathing, unconsciousness) in children under age 2. As a matter of fact, the US FDA suggested that all cold and cough medications should be kept out of the mouths of any child under the age of two years. It went further to state that the medications don't help kids under 6 years old.

As a parent, I know how worried and heart-broken we may be - seeing our children not being their usual, bubbly selves - the unbearable pain and discomfort that our children have to go through... Like this afternoon when my mom told me that Leia is not interested in her "moi" again and the non-stop runny nose. But having learnt the great danger of medication intake for "immediate recovery" from these illnesses, I decided to be patient and consider other options to make her feel better while allowing her own body immune system taking care of it.

What we can do;
1. Let our children drink more water to flush out the toxins from their body & to reduce dehydration
2. Allow enough rest, which includes enough sleep
3. Try a tender touch - hold her hand and sing her a song
4. Lots more

Take note though. It is not advisable to rub our child's chest with a strong-smelling over-the-counter ointment containing menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus. These give parents something to do, but they really don't improve air flow. And in babies and very young children, these ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, where they might have toxic effects.

Leia's and grandma's highlight of the day!

Can you believe that this cheerful-looking baby has had a fever this early afternoon? Highest temperature recorded was 37.8 degree celcius.



Based on my past 2 experiences (yes, thank God that this baby hardly falls sick), this is not considered high. Her first time fever reached 42! (Yeah, you can bet this mom newbie was worried sick then) Doctors and nurses have assured me before that it is only considered high fever when the temperature hits 40. Anything below 37 is normal. So, at 37.8 - I diagnosed it as slight fever. But she was grumpy though. Refused her "moi" (hokkien word for porridge) - unusual sign that confirms she was not well.

And my mom - being the panicky person over small, trivial matters got extremely worried. Especially when Leia rejected her favourite drink - milk though still feeling hungry. A double confirmation. And to make matters worse, Leia's incessant crying (triple confirmation) sent my mom frantically looking for help.

So, there I was - working in my office when my phone rang. Not one time but many, many times. It was mom.

I almost wanted to pack my laptop and rush home to rescue, both Leia and mom. The sick baby and the panic-stricken mom. But then I managed to stop myself. Relax... give my mom a chance to manage the situation. Besides, I was sure that my sis-in-law was already at her side helping her out. So, I called home to check on both a bit later. And you know what I found out?

Everything turned out fine. Mom handled the "crisis" pretty well. Leia was given panadol syrup (as per my approval...) and went to sleep. She drank her milk later. Within less than a minute thereafter... she's being her old self again - happily running around in her walker and "talking" loudly to her "kong kong" (hokkien word for grandpa), "ah ma" (grandma) and "kim kim" (aunty).

The moral of the story is...