Do talk of fevers make your mama heart beat a little bit faster with fear and anxiety? You’re not alone mama.
I know how hard it is to watch your little one struggle when they’re feeling under the weather. Throw in the side of fear and uncertainty often surrounding the topic of fevers and it only makes matters worse.
Did you know, however, that fevers are actually quite protective and part of your incredible body’s natural line of defense against unwanted foreign invaders?
It’s true. Fevers are often our friends, but unfortunately in recent years they’ve become the misunderstood “step-child” of sickness.
In this guide, I hope to shine much needed light onto the topic of fevers, dissipate some fear surrounding them, provide you with resources in navigating them, and ease your nerves, even just a little, the next time they arise in your family.
Let’s get to it.
The 3 causes of fevers
- Viral Infection
- These will need to run their course and can NOT be treated with antibiotics.
- Bacterial Infection
- These can be treated with antibiotics.
- Teething
- Teething can cause a slight increase in temperature, but typically not higher than 101 degrees F.
Are fevers dangerous?
Under normal circumstances fevers are not usually dangerous. They are caused by your immune system and are often a helpful and natural way for your body to defend itself against unwanted pathogens.
“A fever is not an illness, rather, it is a symptom of sickness and usually a positive sign that the body is fighting off an infection.”
- The American Academy of Pediatrics
Your hypothalamus controls your body temperature and, in normal circumstances, won’t allow it to rise high enough to cause harm.
What is a fever?
A fever is your body’s natural line of defense and way of fighting off unwanted bacteria and viruses that are trying to invade your body.
- A low grade fever is 100-102.2 degrees F.
- Moderate grade fever 102.2- 104.5 degrees F.
- High grade fever: over 104.5 degrees F.
- HARMFUL fever: over 108 degrees F (rarely naturally occurring).
Should we treat a fever?
Typically, we want to let the body take control and let the fever run its course.
In some instances however, assisting this process may be helpful. More on that below.
Parents should be taught to assess their little one’s wellbeing by watching their skin color, activity levels, respiratory rate, overall hydration, & ultimately follow their gut intuition.
Contact your provider if:
- your child has a fever and is younger than 3 months of age.
- your child is 3 months to 3 years of age, appears very ill and is running a fever of over 102.2 degrees F.
- the fever rises above 104.5 degrees F.
- your gut is telling you something just isn’t right
Most fevers tend to break naturally after about 24-72 hours.
What can I do to naturally help a fever?
Our bodies are intelligent and most fevers tend to break naturally after about 24-72 hours, therefore often it’s best to just let a fever run its course.
However, if you know your child is prone to febrile seizures or you feel the need to assist the process, Calcium Lactate may be your friend.
Calcium is needed in your immune system response to help your body identify and fight off pathogens. Therefore it’s not uncommon that we become calcium deficient when we’re sick.
Specifically, it’s your muscles heating around your bones to extract calcium from your bones when you spike a fever. If we feed the body calcium, the fever will deplete as its need for more calcium is gone. You are providing the body with what it’s needing and therefore naturally decreasing the fever.
Therefore, calcium lactate may be a great item to add to your natural medicine cabinet. Click here to receive 20% off my goto Calcium Lactate (listed under my Kids Protocol).
I hope you found this guide helpful and feel a bit less nervous and more equip the next time your little one spikes a fever.
Isn’t your body incredible! I’m sending you lots of love mama!
Be well.
