Fever dreams

Last night, Drew had a fever.

My husband noticed that Drew felt a little warm, and said we should take his temperature.

What he meant was that I should take his temperature. My husband - who is in training to become a registered nurse - couldn't stick the thermometer up our son's butt.

I politely pointed out to him that, as a nurse's assistant, he spends most of his working time elbow-deep in other people's bodily emissions, and that, as a nurse, he will be conducting various and sundry invasive procedures upon total strangers.

It's not that he didn't see the hypocrisy, he just chose to ignore it.

So, the thermometer registered 101. That's a fever in any country.

Being the newbie first-time and slightly panicky parents that we are, we telephoned the on-call nurse at our pediatrician's office.  She was very pleasant, in the way of people who have answered the same questions over and over all day long and are really just tired and ready to go home but don't want to be rude because it could cost them their job.

I bet first-time mothers are the bane of pediatric nurses' existences. I've never been the bane of anybody's existence before, so it's a rather heady experience.

Before you ask, Drew is fine. His fever broke last night and he was as happy this morning as anyone can be who has repeatedly had a rectal temperature taken while they're trying to sleep.

Comments

[Michele]

Your baby is adorable.

I agree with your idea that new parents are probably a nuisance to pediatric nurses. I'd like to add doctors, too.

My husband and I, in a panic, ran our week old baby into our pediatrician's office - afraid she was dehydrating; I'd been scouring my baby how-to books on what to look out for, etc.

Our doctor practically patted us on our heads, and didn't even bill us for our time..we must have seemed so pathetic; our baby had diarrhea.

[Amy]

Too funny! You've got a good doctor. Mine would have given me a pat on the head, but then he would charge me a $20 co-pay for doing it.

[ebeth]

i've never taken a rectal temperature..... we have an ear thermometer. that would make me soooo nervous! glad to hear he's better. :)