Baby Has Been Sick with Virus for Three Weeks! Has This Happened to You?

It could be teething. My kids had fevers, diaper rashes and runny noses with teething. The doctors don't support these symptoms as having anything to do with teething. We went to the emergency room with my daughter at 3 mos. because she had a high fever. Nothing was found to be wrong. The next day she had two teeth come in. My daughter is now 18 yrs. old. Every time she cut teeth, she had the same symptoms. My son had perpetual runny noses and coughing and we found he was allergic to the protien in cows milk. We put him on soy formula and the congestion went away. He was on soy milk through elementary school. He is now 13 and can drink cow's milk with no reaction.

My daughter had RSV when she was 6 months old and it lasted almost a month. she ended up with a secondary infection and needed antibiotics. I think when they are sick a long time the little bodies are less able to fight off secondary infections. so just because the doc says its viral keep an eye on it. you may need antibiotics to fight off an extra bacterial infection that has cropped up.
Or she could have a second cold that just came up as she finished the first one and she never seemed to get better so you are just thinking this is the same cold, when it is possibly a second cold.

That happened to my daughter too and it turned out to be food allergies. Since she is 4.5 months, is it possible you started solids and she is reacting? Wheat, soy, eggs and even corn products (corn syrup and dextrose)are common allergens that get added in around this time. Doctors are not always big on believing in food allergies and intolerances so you might want to check out the internet for this.
Hope she feels better soon!

Dear A.,
I'm not sure where you are, but there has been a terrible bug going around. My son got sick not long after the school year started and he's still not completely over it.
I usually catch everything under the sun and was so proud of myself for not getting it.....Then WHAM!
I honestly don't know a single person that didn't get it.

It is so hard to have a sick baby. Your heart just breaks about it and you want them to feel better. If you've had your baby checked and it is truly a virus, it just has to run it's course. Check with your pediatrician about whether or not to use a humidifier. Make sure the baby gets plenty of fluids. All kids are different, but both my kids liked having Mentholatum or Vick's Vapo-rub when they were sick. Just a tiny amount rubbed on the chest under a t-shirt and jammies can help with the congestion and it feels nice and warm. The vapors can help with the nose congestion as well. My youngest baby just turned 13 and he still swears it makes him feel better. Your baby is obviously WAY too young for this now, but another thing we swear by is Chinese hot mustard....like the kind they give you in a restaurant to dip things in. A little bit of that will clear your sinuses in one second. Fortunately, we all love it, sick or not. I'm not saying it's a cure, but it will clear your nose up.
Best of luck with your baby.
I was always told that getting sick now and then is actually good for them because that's how their little bodies learn to build immunities and fight things off.
Keep her comfy and give her lots of hugs and cuddles.

My two boys are going thru the same thing.....I'm pretty sure it's a virus, I haven't taken them to the dr. yet, but was going to give it another week or so. I've heard that that Rotavirus is the one that last for months, so if this doesn't go away soon (we don't have the fevers though) than I'm going to ask for them to be tested for that.

I would wait another week or so before asking for it, because from what I understand most dr.'s won't test for it and need to be asked multiple times before testing.

Hope that helps
K.

Have you only been to your pediatrician? if so I would take her to the E.R. or Urgent care to be sure. My son had RSV at 1 month old and almost died, we thought it was just a little chest congestion. I'm not saying that that is what it is but if you have only seen one Dr.3 times I would get another opinion, even if it is the same diagnosis it will make you feel better. You can say you have been to the Dr. before but do not tell them what was said so you can get an unbiased opinion. Good Luck!

Things you should be looking for: spiking a temperature over a 100; not eating, not drinking, losing weight. These are all complication of being sick. Yes, sometimes these things can last for weeks but if she shows any of the above signs it means she is getting worse. You didn't mention any of the above so you must be doing what you can to keep her safe during this time. Viruses have their own agenda and can last for awhile and seem to attack the young and the weak. Hang in there. This too will pass.

may I suggest you give her raw virgin coconut oil 1T 3 times a day. It is good for her. They put cocnut oil in baby formula in hospitals because of its antibacterial,anti viral, anti fungal properties.

Don't ,dont ,dont give her ANY vaccines until you are sure she is quite well. Vaccines have toxic mercury in them, and if she has a virus or bacteria that is giving off toxins, it could damage her central nervous system. My daughter had a vaccine at 5 mos when she had a cold and was never the same since. She is delayed now.

ps...I contracted pertussis and it lasted for a good 6 months. It was a full year before I was totally back to normal and could laugh without going in to a cough. The doctor told me it was asthma. That's hooey, because I gave it to my husband and best friend!They told my husband he had allergy throat. when I did research on the communicable diseases I realized there was A LOT of nasty stuff out there, and anything lasting more than three weeks then you know she picked up a nasty one. do some online research. Try wrongdiagnosis.com for starters. But please, try that coconut oil. It's good stuff nd VERY healthy for you.

Hi- I know it's hard but don't worry. My daughter ran a temperature on and off for a month when she was about 14 months. She would act fine and had just a few other mild symptoms and then she would be obviously sick for a couple days with fever spiking way up for a while and then the cycle would start all over. My Dr. said don't worry but as we went into the fourth week he thought maybe we should start some tests. Started with urine (for urinary tract infection) got back the negative results and then the whole thing just went away. No more fever and she was fine, she's now a healthy happy 6 year old. I am not a big worrier but this was really tough as my mind went to some really bad stuff! Kids are not little adults they are building their immune systems up and can't explain to us exactly how they feel. Don't worry, one day you'll just realize her symptoms are gone and she is finally virus free!

Hi A.,

I know it is upsetting when our child is not well. I started giving my granddaughter wholefood supplements to support her immune system at 2 days old. When our children are sick their immune system becomes weak. You may start rebuilding your babies immune system to make her stronger so her body can fight the virus.

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N. Marie

I went through this with both my son and my daughter. My son was premie so I took him in for every thing under the sun. I'm sure I drove our Dr. crazy. But it made me feel better. After the cough lasted for two months our Dr. thought it might be athsma related and put him on albuterol. That ended up fixing the problem. We would have to have him on a breathing treatment every time he got severly congested because he just couldn't breath right and would cough forever. He has since out grown this treatment and gets over the colds just fine most of the time. He is now 5 but with starting kindergarten has had a cold for 3 weeks. My daughter and I both got it too, but we only had it for a week. Some kids just take longer to fight it off.

My daughter on the other hand I did not take in all the time. I paid the price with she was 6 months old because she got RSV. I waited until she couldn't nurse to take her in and they did the RSV test. The thing about RSV is that unless it is very severe they don't treat it. They just tell you to keep them hydrated and keep a humidifier in their room while they sleep and watch them. It always helped us to take both the kids into a steamy bathroom when they were really congested. It would help to clear them out at least for a little while.

I know it is frustrating but hang in there. She will be okay. If you really think it is a secondary infection to her cold like RSV or a sinus infection I'd take her back in or get a second opinion. They can give her antibiotics for a sinus infection.

My daughter (1 1/2) has followed the same course of symptoms. She's been sick for over four weeks now. Frustrating ... but we're just riding it out.

Hi A.,
Viruses do hang on a lot longer in kids (especially infants) than in adults. Three or four weeks is totally normal, based on my son's experience and what his pediatrician said. Coughing more in the moring is often from post-nasal drip during the night that collects a bit in the bronchial tubes. I'm always that way when I have a cold. Try running a hot shower to steam up a small bathroom and hold your daughter in the steamy room for 15 minutes before bedtime to clear some of the congestion. Also run a cool-mist vaporizer when she is sleeping. Don't add anything, like menthol products such as Vicks, at this age. Email me if you want more on why, but suffice it to say that the pharmacist we spoke to back when our son was about 18mos told us pretty scary stuff about using menthol in kids younger than 6 years-old. What method are you using for taking her temp? At that age, were told that using a digital one under the armpit was safest and that anything over 99 degrees (using that method)was potentially a fever. Many of the forehead strips and at-home ear thermometers, etc., are not terribly accurate, but neither is the armpit method. It's just apparently the best, non-rectal way to take a reading at that young an age. Taking the temp rectally (booty) is the most accurate. If you get an armpit reading over 99 degrees, the rec is to follow it up with a rectal reading (with a thermometer approved for taking temps rectally). Also, consider the timing of when you take her temp. Try to take it after a period of calm. Also, one's temp tends to be lowest first thing in the morning before getting up, which could be misleading. Here is a link to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford re: taking a child's temp: http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/ParentCareTopics/FeverI...
Anyway, my only concern would be that she might have an ear infection, though if her fever has been trending down (on its own, not because of Tylenol, Motrin, etc.), she probably doesn't have, or no longer has, one. Btw, many docs no longer advocate treating ear infections with antibiotics, etc., anyway and just let mild ones run their course. I do recall that coughs and sniffles seemed to persist forever until my son was about 4 years-old. The fact that she is acting happy is a really great sign. If she had something more serious, you would likely notice changes in her behavior and eating. I hope her cough and sniffles go away quickly!

In an infant with a new untouched immune system with very few present antibodies, three weeks or more is not uncommon or unusual for a virus to run its course.
As long as she is not running a high fever, is sleeping and eating "normally" and seems happy, then there is no need to be concerned. In fact, while it might not seem like it now, this is a GOOD thing: the slight, occasional fever is a sign that her body is fighting the virus in a healthy way, and that she is building immunity and antibodies that will keep her safe and well in a world full of germs and viruses. Are you breastfeeding? If so, your breast milk is full of your own real world, working antibodies and will help her build her immunity even stronger.

DO NOT go out of your way to keep her away from the outside world including other babies, toddlers, or inside. Get her out and about in the fresh air, open her/your bedroom windows when she is not napping, and just treat her symptoms as they seem to bother her. And, by the way, doctors do not "test" for anything when an infant has a virus: there is nothing to test for.

In my experience, yeah, most things take 2 or 3 weeks to clear. It surprised me to find out that a cold- even if the baby seems better after 4 or 5 days, still has symptoms that keep them out of childcare for like weeks. And FYI, doctors don't really consider a baby to have a fever unless it's 100.5 or above.

i feel for you! our daughter was sick it seemed since she started daycare at 9 weeks to she was about 6 months old. same thing, happy and good baby, but congested and sick all the time. doc said same thing, virus stickw around a long time and in daycare she was catching everything. i think it was harder on me then her. we switched from the cold humidifier to a vicks vapor plug in. it seemed to help more. good luck, it will get better.

Hi A.,

A mother's worry never ends does it! 3-4 weeks is actually about the time it takes for a cold virus to run it's entire course and often times, they can catch another cold on the tail of the current cold. I remember feeling like it was more of an occation when my son DIDN'T have a cold. Try not to worry, there is a reason people say it's JUST a cold. She will be fine. :)

A tip that we used was breastfeeding (or bottle feeding if that is what you are doing) in the bathroom with a super hot and steamy shower running. This allowed congestion to clear up, things to start "flowing" and made for a much nicer nap for my little guy.

Hang in there!

T.

Three weeks is a bit long, but the fact that she is happy and smiling should reassure you. I would expect her to get over it within a week.

A... you are not alone. When my lil man was a baby ( now 4 yrs old).. I went through the same thing.. I remember one time he was sick for like 6 straigt months with sneezing and coughing and running nose..Dr. told me it's just a common virus too. Babies immune systems are not as strong as ours.. so it's easier for them to get sick. Sometimes I would just give him the infant tylenol drops too. My son would be sick for months and months with this cold then be well for a few months then get a cold again. Especially if your child is in child care.. get sick all the time. Just monitor it, and if you feel that their is something more to the child's sickness then you do what's best for your baby. But i just want you to know that I went through the same thing. :)

Best,
C. Z

My son has had two little bugs but with each he has gotten better in a day or two. Are you doing probiotics with her? When did the symptoms FIRST appear? Can you pinpoint when she started to not feel well?

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