Sixth disease aka exanthem subitum aka roseola infantum

Max has roseola. Yesterday the fever left and the pediatrician said the rash would peak, and it seems that the concentrated red spots all over baby’s face, chest, and back have turned somewhat blotchy and less well-defined today. The important thing is that Max is getting stronger again. We played around some yesterday and even though he didn’t smile so much, it was a relief to see him demanding mental stimulation again. Until two days ago was just horrible – he was hugging mommy all day and got weepy about anything.
Last night, he actually let me hold him and put him to sleep with two conditions:

  1. I didn’t stop walking
  2. I didn’t even think about stopping walking

So I held him and walked around the living room from 9pm to 3 am. This is only fair, since mommy has been taking care of him every night like this, although I kinda went into this Gumpish trance and couldn’t stop walking or even change the arm I was holding him with – my left arm feels like it did a thousand pull-ups or something. I gave him milk from a bottle when he woke up every couple hours and Nam finally got some uninterrupted sleep. In fact, I believe her exact words right before she fell unconscious were, “haha now you know what it feels like,” followed by, “don’t wake me up.”
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5 thoughts on “Sixth disease aka exanthem subitum aka roseola infantum

  1. Glad to hear that boya is doing better. It must be worrisome to see your child in a weakened state. Sorry we’re not there to help but I’m sending good juju your way.

  2. Ha ha, now you know what you put me through when you were a baby!
    I’ve walked non-stop across the US from Cali to NY back and forth on a plane with sick baby Merin, and did it again from Cali to Tokyo with sick Adam. Both were in early stages of a cold or ear infection, so I didn’t know about it until takeoff.
    Nam and boya are lucky that you’re a great daddy!

  3. Poor little Max! Getting this at such and early age!!!
    Sometimes when Yannick was poorly as a baby (he’s a little boy now!) he wanted to be carried (but never as much as your Max) so at some point I got myself a pouch in which I could hold (and even feed) him a lot more comfortably. This really helped and made Yannick relax almost instantly. Any kind of soft carrier should really do. I’ve got a spare ring sling in camouflage pattern – do you want me to send it to you? 🙂

  4. Thanks for the offer, Sylke! Nam is using a combination of slings, supports, and carriers, so we are set for equipment. I really appreciate the kind offer, though.
    I was surprised to see how big Yannick was on your blog – the last photo I saw of him was when he was still a baby I think.

  5. Oh, good, you are all set! 🙂
    Yeah, Yannick has grown and I just can’t believe all the changes that have taken place ever since he turned 2. You are probably thinking you’ve seen a lot already with Max but believe me there’s so much more great development stuff to come! Talking is great and now imagination has set in. I’m really enjoying this age (despite the typical tantrums)! Keep enjoying your little man! :))

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