Note: I have received information and products from McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks.
The week before my oldest son’s first birthday, he started running a fever. As a baby and young child, he seemed to be prone to fevers. His temperature would rise every time he got sick, whether it was a sniffle or the flu. That fever before his first birthday didn’t concern me at first. I gave him TYLENOL® and we kept plugging along. I had 3 babies at the time. What more could I do?
After a few days, instead of getting better his fever started to spike and it became harder to keep the temperature down. I pulled out the trusty book that my pediatrician had given us and looked up the chapter on fevers to see what more I could do. I read through the whole chapter, tried what I could, and figured I’d call the doctor in the morning if his fever was still high.
Just 30 minutes after putting him to sleep in his crib, I heard him screaming. Since he was sick, I didn’t want to let him cry, so I ran up to his room only to find him staring at nothing, eyes wide open, looking as if he was seeing monsters. His body was stiff and he didn’t respond to me. But instead of freaking out, I recognized exactly what was happening from the chapter on fevers I had read just hours earlier. My baby was in the middle of a febrile seizure.
I carried him downstairs, told my husband to call 911, and waited for the ambulance to arrive.
My little one was fine and well taken care of in the ER, and we eventually headed back home. The next day I had to take him to the pediatrician, where I was greeted by an office full of doctors, nurses, and office staff who called me “The Mother Who Remained Calm.” I stayed calm in the ER because I was prepared – I knew what was going on.
It was a proud moment, but that moment in the pediatrician’s office had NOTHING on the moment that my I could tell that my sweet little boy was feeling better.
When my little boy was finally feeling better (and don’t I look so young?!)
You know that look that kids get when they are feeling like themselves again after being sick? It’s the “feel better smile.” And it is the best smile ever.
About the SMILING IT FORWARD™ campaign
The makers of TYLENOL® were so inspired by Moms across the country sharing their own kids’ “feel better” smiles that they created the SMILING IT FORWARD™ campaign. TYLENOL® teamed up with How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan, mom of Satyana, 4, and Keeva, 1, to launch the SMILING IT FORWARD™ campaign. Together, they are inviting everyone to share smiles of good health to help children in need.
It’s easy to participate in SMILING IT FORWARD™
All you need to do to help children in need is to share a photo that makes you smile at SmilingItForward.com. For each photo shared, TYLENOL® will make a $1 donation, up to $100,000, to Children’s Health Fund, which works to ensure that children in need always have access to a doctor’s care.
While you’re on SmilingItForward.com, in addition to sharing your own SMILING IT FORWARD™ photos, you can view the TYLENOL® Smile Gallery, learn more about Alyson Hannigan and Children’s Health Fund, and receive tips about staying healthy during cold and flu season from leading pediatrician, Dr. Tanya Altmann.
Do you have a “feel better smile” story? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below!
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