Follow Up Doctor's Appointment

Okay, this goes in the category (that is rapidly getting filled up) of the "things I didn't know about because I am a new mom". After calling the doctors yesterday morning and telling the nurse that Emma was still getting a temperature of about 99.7 (remember that number...it comes back in a bit...) and she started feeling sick last Friday, that we were concerned that we weren't shaking this fever. So they looked up her records and from when I called on Monday and Dr. P had said that if she still had a fever by Wednesday, to bring her in. So luckily, we were able to come in that afternoon and see her regular doctor.

So we get there and get all checked in and they take her temperature at about 99.8. Dr. P comes in and asks us a bunch of questions, and starts to check out little Tiny. Ears...check! Lungs...check! Throat...check! This is where it gets a little interesting. Dr. P says that a baby's temperature can range anywhere from 98.6 (or even a little lower) to almost 100 degrees in a day and that's normal. UM...SAY WHAT?!?! So every time she had a temperature of 99.8, or 99.9 or something similar and we gave her Tylenol she was fine?!?! He said that we don't have to give her Tylenol until her temperature reaches 100.5 or higher. Okay...so why didn't ANYONE ever tell us this before. Things that could have been brought to our attention prior to doping up our child....this! And why didn't the nurse that answered the phone tell us that when we called?

Emma is now fever free and that's what matters most, but Wes and I ended up coming home from the appointment quite frustrated. Not at Dr. P, not at the office, not at ourselves but just at the whole situation itself. Sometimes I just feel so new to this whole parenting thing that it frustrates me that I don't know any better. Who knew there were three different settings on a thermometer either? One for the mouth, one for the underarm and one for the rear-end. What ever happened to the normal thermometers where you just stuck it in and it told you the temperature without having to mess with the 'mode'?!?! Who knew that 99.8 degrees isn't a fever?!?! Who knew that when they are infants you have to wake them up to feed them at night if they don't wake up themselves?!?! How in the world are you supposed to introduce cereal?!?! How much do you give them first?!?! Do you put it in a bottle or use a spoon?!?! When can you start to give them a bath in a big bathtub and not in the little baby tub with the inclined rest?!?! Are they allowed to watch TV when they are this young?!?! Is it bad for them?!?! I could go on and on about all the stuff I don't know!

The only thing that I do know is that Emma is the most important thing in our lives and we want to do anything and everything we possibly can to make sure she is safe. That, and I also know she looks so darn cute in her pumpkin costume that it actually hurts. :)