Febrile convulsions

High temperature alone is not dangerous and does not harm the baby unless it reaches 41.7 ° C( rectal temperature is indicated), which is rare. The two main reasons for decaying temperature are to relieve the general discomfort that occurs when the child is feverish and to avoid febrile seizures. The immature brain of a child can react to a sharp temperature jump with convulsions. To a greater extent, febrile convulsions are caused not by how high the temperature has risen, but by the fact, how quickly it rises. The most common febrile convulsions occur in the youngest children;they rarely occur in children older than five years.

Sometimes convulsions give a warning in the form of twitching - a shaking hand, a trembling lip or in the form of a look into the void. As soon as you notice one of these signs, immediately go with the baby in the shower. Rapid cooling can interrupt the rapid rise in temperature and prevent an attack. In other cases, convulsions unfold at full speed without any warning, and parents may not even have time to understand that their child has a fever. The entire body of the child shakes, he rolls his eyes, his skin pales, and he becomes limp. Although it seems that it has been an eternity, in most cases, febrile convulsions last only ten to twenty seconds, which is not enough to bring any harm to the child, but the parents after these seconds may shake themselves. Only convulsions that cause the child to become blue for a few minutes( which rarely happens with febrile convulsions) can be dangerous for the child. Expect that after the spasms the child falls asleep, but you will not have a dream in one eye.

The same sharp temperature jump that caused the first convulsions, can take place in an hour or two, and the performance will repeat. To prevent this, give immediately after seizures antipyretic drug. If the baby is sleeping, give the appropriate dose of acetaminophen in the form of a suppository and do not wrap the sleeping baby. If the child does not sleep after convulsions, persuade him to drink more( but no food if you expect new seizures, because during an attack the child can choke on food);give, also acetaminophen and organize a shower, a joint bath or rubbing with a sponge in bed if you feel that a new attack is approaching.(See also "Convulsions".)

While your child has not yet emerged from early childhood, when high fever is a frequent occurrence that makes it easier for you to cool down, remember that one mother once told me in consolation: "What has risen,it must fall. "

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