I’m pretty sure it happened on the trip to the pediatrician, I just don’t know if it was in the pediatrician’s office or in the play area the kid’s visited afterward. Either way, Child #4 caught a respiratory illness that meant croup for him. He’s had croup two other times and this was the worst, I think.
He was out of sorts, clingy, and crabby on Day 1 (about five days after the routine trip to the doctor’s for well-baby checks). That night, he had a cough that sounded somewhat whoopy to me but was able to sleep. Day 2 was coughy, clingy, and really crabby. That night, he woke up early with a fever. Later, he couldn’t breath well and was barking like a seal. We did all the usual treatments – steamy bathroom, five minutes outside in the cool/clear air, humidifier, warm tea (with some honey in it), and sitting up with him in a chair to keep him calm and upright.
By the time the doctor’s office opened the next morning, he was almost normal except for the on-going seal-like bark and light fever (100.4°F). The nurse wanted to see him anyway. He ended up with a prescription for a steroid anti-inflammatory that was VERY bitter.
We are now on Day 6 and our last day of the medicine. We have one more dosage to try to get him to swallow. (This is where the “crying” comes in from the title of the post.) The fever broke yesterday after hovering between 102-103 for 12-18 hours. He still has a cough, but he is definitely acting normal today.
Now, we wait to see if the other kids caught something from him. It might not show up as croup for them. More likely, it’ll start with a sore throat and end up with a fever, cough, and maybe a runny nose.
It hasn’t been easy on anyone. I don’t know how moms of multiples or single moms do it. It seemed that I was either dealing with the croupy toddler or the hungry baby most nights with lots of handwashing in between.
