How To Deal With A Poorly Child

It's a fact of life that children get poorly and if you have them in a nursery or daycare it may happen a little more often as illnesses are easily passed in children with their little immune system. 

We were quite lucky with Calleigh as she didn't get her first illness until she was over a year old. It was a bad one and it broke my heart to see her so ill knowing there was nothing I could really do to make it go away, I just had to let it run it's course. But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to make them feel better or more comfortable. 

Most illnesses can be dealt with at home and a trip to the doctors isn't always necessary but there are times when you should definitely consider taking them to see a doctor. Such things are: An unusual rash, high pitched crying, a stiff neck, difficulty breathing, if your child is very sleepy, a high temperature (above 37.5) or if your child refuses fluids. Calleigh has been to the doctors a few times due to illness. One time she was coughing so much she had trouble breathing and the other (more recent) time she had a really high temperature accompanied by constant crying and stiff body movements. 

Here are some of the best ways I have found to help a child deal with the pain of being ill:

1. Never underestimate the power of children's medicine- When a illness gets really bad, it's important to give your child a little something to help deal with the pain. I find that a dose of Calpol (or Motrin or children's Ibuprofen) works wonders. The last time I remember giving Calleigh a dose of medicine it worked that well that within half an hour she was running around like a mad woman as if nothing was wrong. Always check the dosing chart and never give more than recommended on the packet. Also check that it's okay to use with anything that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If ever in doubt ask a doctor. 
2. Keeping their temperature down- A high temperature is extremely uncomfortable. When your child is experiencing a high temperature it's important to try and keep it down. Try light fitting clothing or even just in a nappy for a while. Cold cloths on the forehead also work really well. 
3. Make sure they drink plenty of water- Very important this one. Fluids are very important!
4. Give them their favourite foods- I find that when Calleigh is poorly she doesn't really want to eat and when she does she doesn't eat much at all. I always try to give her little portions of her favourite meals to keep her happy. 
5. Let them have plenty of rest- When Calleigh is ill I like to let her have as much sleep as possible. When she is well rested I notice that she is much more able to deal with the illness and in a much better mood. 
6. Try to make them laugh- I know it may seem that the last thing you want when you are ill is someone trying to make you laugh. But with Calleigh I find it lifts her mood loads and makes her much happier. Pulling funny faces, tickling her and generally just being an idiot always makes Calleigh laugh even when she is feeling her worst.

These are a few of the things I find helpful to me when Calleigh is poorly. Like I said there is nothing worse than feeling so helpless when they are ill. So doing these little things will make you feel much better. 

Calleigh chilling out in the spare bedroom 

More Vaccines for Calleigh

At the moment we are in the process of getting everything ready for our green card application. This means if it's approved we will be able to stay here for as long as we please once our visa expires. It will also make us official residents of the United States and it will make things like buying a house and a car a hell of a lot easier for us. 

The early stages of this process involve all of us getting full medical checks and making sure we are all up to date on vaccinations. Daddy and I both require a booster for MMR and Tetanus, which we are going for today. 

It turns out Calleigh was also in need of more vaccinations, and although both the ones she needed are optional, for our green card application they are not and she needed to get them done. 

The two she needed are Hepatitis A and B. As these, once again, are not offered as part of the normal immunisation schedule on the NHS I was unsure about what they actually protect against and why she needed them. I also needed to know about all the possible side effects and if there were any possible serious ones involved with getting them done. 

Both Hepatitis A and B are diseases that affect the liver. Hepatitis A is an acute liver disease, it comes on quickly and runs a short course that doesn't linger. It is the most easily spread of the two and is commonly spread by close personal contact with someone who has it or via contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B on the other hand may start out as an acute disease causing mild symptoms but has the ability to develop into a lifelong illness that can cause long term liver problems such as liver cancer. Hepatitis B is spread through blood or other bodily fluids.

So they both sound like pretty serious diseases and I was convinced that it was a good idea to get her vaccinated against them. After talking to the nurse she confirmed that both are completely safe and recommended and that there are no real concerns when it comes to side effects and I shouldn't see more than a bruise around the injection site. 

She had her injections on Friday and once again, like the trooper that she is, she did little more than flinch during and was completely fine afterwards. The injection site is pretty bruised, which is horrible to see but I know it was for a good cause. Other than that she has been completely healthy and not shown any signs of having side effects, just like the nurse said. 

I am really glad she had them done and once we have ours done we will have everything we need for the green card process to go ahead. 

I do worry over here sometimes that I am not as clued up as I felt I was back in England. I found out the other day that Calleigh is also overdue for her Pneumonia Vaccination- another thing I didn't even know she needed. 

In England I knew all of her Immunisation schedule and when she was due check ups. Over here I feel like I am just failing terribly at keeping her healthy. I think I need to spend some time looking into it over here so I can be sure I am doing what is best for Calleigh.