So the scariest thing that has ever happened to me just happened. My 16 month old daughter was doing fine around 8 o’clock completely normal. Around 9 she got tired and fell asleep and at 10 she woke up screaming and was burning up. Then she seized. Only lasted about 30 seconds but then struggled to breathe for a bit and was in and out of it. We called 911 as she started seizing. The medics found she had a 103 temp. She was rushed to the hospital. Turns out she had contracted influenza A. She is fine just sick.
Apparently it can be common for a baby to have this happen with a high fever. It’s still important to seek immediate help but I write this to hopefully give everyone something to hold on to when/if this happens.
I have never been so scared and helpless. Please remember to wash your hands during this cold season and keep them close. Love to everyone.
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This happened to me when I was just over a year old. My grandma was about to put me into a cool bath and my eyes rolled back and I seized. My mom recalls my temp around 104 and said it was absolutely terrifying. Thank you for sharing! It’s definitely one of my fears!
I’m so glad your little one is okay. Hopefully she recovers quickly from the flu!
I know of someone who lost an older kid this way recently. He was taking a bath for a fever and seized. So scary because as a kid I used to take baths all the time when I had body aches and fevers.
Something else that can happen, ( I know because I experienced it last week with my 1 yr old who also swabbed positive for influenza A)
Her arms, hands, legs, feet, mouth and face turned blue during a nap. I was terrified.
Her torso did not and was hot to touch. Apparently this can happen as a high fever forces circulation to stay central. Babies are a different ballgame man.
Did the doctors say it was a febrile seizure? Someone was just telling me about this and that it is a protective measure the body takes to keep the brain from getting too hot. I have yet to look into it as I’ve been focused on keeping my baby comfy during his fever and hives outbreak .
@Van
The doctor didn’t really put a name to the type. He just said it’s common with a high fever at this age. He even sent us home after labs and just made sure we had what we needed to keep the fever down. When they gave her meds and the fever broke all the way down to normal other than being tired she was completely herself.
@Kenan
Something similar happened to my niece when they brought her into the ER. The doctors said similar to what you were told but also mentioned a warning for during the summertime to be extra cautious to make sure the little one stays cool on hot days to help minimize further chances of febrile/heat-related seizures.
My 18-month-old boy has these seizures every time he has an illness that causes a fever! Flu, chickenpox, COVID. It’s happened 5 or 6 times over the last few months. It is so scary, but we are now at a point where we can just look after him at home rather than taking him to the hospital. We just strip him down to his nappy, give paracetamol, and let him sleep after it happens. But yeah, I had no idea that this could happen, but hopefully this post will reassure other new parents that it’s okay and very common. Babies’ temperatures spike so quickly it’s so hard to catch it before it happens.
They told us to switch to Motrin to keep the fever down and to come back if it stops working or she seizes again. Other than that, to treat it like the flu. Once they gave her the Motrin, her fever broke. She is mostly back to herself, just tired. She is comfortably sleeping with me and her dad watching over her.
@Kenan
Same, consult a doctor, but my daughter has PFAPA and when she was younger she got such high fevers, we had to alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen every 3 hours just to keep it down per the dr. Scariest times ever and she would get them once a month.