So LMW has been fighting an infection (we think UTI or bladder infection) and she's had a high fever since Sunday that has been relatively well managed with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. She's on antibiotics, but we're STILL waiting for the results of the urine culture to get a prescription for a better targeted antibiotic for her. (They took the sample, by cathing her, on Monday morning.)

Today was the first time she was getting temps below 100 when her fever meds were wearing off, so we were so hopeful. We took her out for a quick outing before bedtime, and before we left her temp was 101. She was acting fine, eating a little (she hasn't been eating much in general) and took her bottle just fine while we were outside. It wasn't cold outside but we had her in a long sleeved shirt and leggings and socks just in case.

I noticed her lips looked a little blue when we were outside. I chalked it up with the banana-blueberry baby food pouch I had given her. But her hands and feet were also ice cold. When we got her home we sat her on the ground to play a bit before bedtime, and she wouldn't move. She was still babbling and giggling a little, but she wouldn't reach for things and wouldn't crawl. When she reached her hands out, they were shaking. Her whole body was shivering a bit. We took her temp again and it was 103, so we gave her ibuprofen (she was overdue) and her scheduled dose of antibiotics. In the bath she was super still, when she's normally thrashing.

During all of this I was on the phone with a nurse from the pediatricians office and she walked me through checking her out, and basically told me to watch her for the next 30 mins, and if I was still concerned, to call back. By the end of the call, LMW was already pretty much completely pinked up, her hands were warmer, she was still shaking a bit but not nearly as much as before... We continued on with the bedtime routine and by the end of her bottle (she drank the whole thing) her lips were mauvey pink again and her hands were still. So I put her down, and after her regular rolling around, she peacefully fell asleep.

I'm fine now, but I was so sick with worry. So unbelievably sick with worry. She has been drinking plenty of fluids (only breastmilk actually), and had plenty of wet diapers all throughout her sickness... actually increasing fluid input and output each day because we've been pushing the bottles.

She has been such a trooper throughout this whole illness and to see her so unresponsive and lethargic (but totally awake and alert... her eyes were like saucers but she would just refuse to move) was seriously, seriously scary. Frightening.

Sorry this is so long but I had to get it all out! Anyone else ever seen this kind of reaction?? I'm assuming it was her fever spiking and her circulation getting all messed up, compensating for the rising temp. The nurse urged us to alternate between motrin and tylenol every 3 hours, even through the night. We've been letting her sleep through the night (she wakes at 5, burning up and inconsolable, at which point we give her more fever meds and her antibiotics and a bottle, then she goes back to sleep for 2-3 hours) but I think tonight I will be going in to check and see how warm she is.