#5mo #Feverinthefamily #BMpower!

Poor Lil bubs was sick on Sunday, with fever hitting a high of 38.7℃. Thankfully though, with what I attribute to a healing mix of BM packed with powerful LEE antibodies, Koolfever and plenty of rest on daddy and mommy’s sacrificial arms, his fever went down fairly quickly to 38.4, and gradually decreased throughout the day. He had a baby hacking cough though, and regurgitated some of his milk when feeding, followed by a what’s-going-on crying . Poor bubs. Still, he scooted off fairly lightly compared to his poor 3yo cousin, Shancie, whose fever reached a high of 39.7℃ and is still looking somewhat the worse for wear still.

Lil happy bubs before he was down with fever! Crazy hot weather these days, hard to survive without aircon x__x

Lil bubs’ daddy fared even worse. On Monday, it was poor Pips’ turn to succumb to the nasty virus, which had counted my MIL, FIL, Shanice and Ray as its customers. In the middle of the night on Tuesday (early Wed morning), his fever reached a high of 39.7℃, which is nearly 40! Pips told me on Wednesday night that when he saw the temperature, even he got scared and took an extra dosage of Panadol than was prescribed and sponged himself (since I was in another room tending to baby Ray and his numerous night wakings. SOB) for an hour till his temperature went below 39℃ before he dared to sleep. The man said he has a wife and child now and cannot afford to die lol.

I did  offer Pips my wonderful, organic, nature’s medicine – chilled breastmilk, but the ungrateful sod rejected my kind offer. Tsk tsk. So much for my kind thoughts.

When I left for work yesterday morning, he came round to me and was preparing himself to head to work. I asked him what his temperature was. This was how our convo went

Pips  “Nope, no fever anymore.”
Me “That’s great, what’s your temperature now?”
Pips “37.8℃”
Me “How is that not a fever?” (proceed to measure myself and google fever temperature)
“Dear, I’m 36.4℃ and wikipedia says a ear temperature above 37.2℃ is FEVER. Look, now the thermometer says 38℃!”
Pips “Ok, I think you’re right. I do feel abit hot”

Zzz. This is why a man NEEDS a wife. I had to forbid him from going to work and spreading his deadly germs to his colleagues, just so that he could try and do some of his piling work in office. I think there was this one time, when after a period of staying late in office, he decided to come home earlier at about 8pm (all of us were surprised he was home that early haha!) to see his wife and son. In the end, the donut couldn’t sleep till past midnight and woke up at 6am because he was worried about his mountain load of work. Gosh.

The other day, Pips told me that he was shocked when he looked at himself in the mirror. He said he looked like he hadn’t slept in 3 days, had this unshaven, sick, sleep-deprived beggar look although that’s all that he has been doing to nurse his fever. This guy is full of anecdotal gems sometimes.

In other news, glad that I’m breastfeeding lil munchkins, and passed him the powerful LEE antibodies in my BM to fight off the virus. Glad that he recovered so quickly without the intervention of medicine. Glad that he is not so cranky now, and most importantly, glad that both big Man and lil Man are well. At least BIG man is getting better, though lil Man’s baby cough seems to be getting worse. Yesterday, he cried suddenly in his sleep, and proceeded to vomit a little. Heard some raspy breathing as I was carrying him. Think there was some lodged phelgm. Poor bubs. He was so stinky after that. At least the half of him that had abit of his own vomit LOL.

I love how Ray can look so happy even when he is sick. He is such a happy, playful and cranky baby all rolled in one!

The weather has been a little crazy these days, so take care and drink more water. I have this theory on why I am not sick (fingers crossed), and my theory is that I am dirtier than Pips’ entire family (ok, I know I am not supposed to be proud of this fact hurhur), who are used to a very high level of hygiene in their daily lives. What’s that Hokkien saying again? Lup sup jiak, lup sup dua… Builds up one’s immune system. In case you think I am selling you a farout case of bullcrap, kindly see the article below

http://supportingbreastfeeding.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/breastfeeding-and-dirt/

Does your baby like to pick up rocks and lick them? Play in the sand and then stick his fingers in his mouth? Guess what – along with breastfeeding, this may be a great way to keep him healthy.

Breastfeeding and dirt. It’s not a combination you might think of as being ideal for a new baby. But Joseph Lam, a professor of microbiology at the University of Guelph, explains that many people “are almost paranoid about germs – especially parents with a new baby.” And yes, hygiene is important – Lam rates the invention of the toilet and other improvements in public hygiene (including hand-washing) as significant factors in keeping our society healthy.

We need to remember, though, that not all bacteria are bad. In fact, many are essential to our survival. Lam explains: “There are many good bacteria commonly found on our bodies which live in symbiosis with us. They help defend us from other more harmful bacteria, they help us digest our food, and they provide essential nutrients.”

One important benefit of breastfeeding for the new baby, he points out, is that the baby at the breast picks up bacteria from the mother’s skin and in her milk. These bacteria are the desirable ones which will live in the baby’s digestive system and on his skin, helping to keep him healthy.

And if the baby does pick up some infectious germs from the dirt, the immune factors in human milk will help him fight off any illness, and other factors will stimulate his system to produce antibodies. That’s a positive step for his long-term health.

If we take steps to kill off all the bacteria – by using anti-Add Newbacterial dishwashing liquids, hand soaps, and mouthwash, for example, or by spraying our home with anti-bacterial cleansers, Lam says “we are potentially doing more harm than good. These cleansers aren’t necessary, and they increase the risk of creating monsters – dangerous antibiotic-resistant germs.”

So babies in a super-clean environment are not only missing out on the immune-stimulating benefits of harmless bacteria, they are also at risk of not having enough good bacteria to keep them healthy.

In short, Lam’s advice is: “Keep your house reasonably clean, bath the baby regularly, keep breastfeeding – and don’t worry if he drops his toy on the floor and then sticks it in his mouth.”

So if you’d sooner play with your baby than sterilize your kitchen, you are actually making your baby healthier. Who knew that a little dirt could be such a good thing?

by Teresa Pitman, LLLC Leader, Co-author of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Sweet Sleep, and author of Preparing to Breastfeed .

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By projectjasmine

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