Don’t let Mommy Get Sick

Posted by mamas

Posted: November 11, 2008 - 2:26 pm

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This weekend was an ordeal in and of itself. Wow, the intestinal flu and a severe cold targeted members of my household as I’m sure it targeted many of you as well. The thing about young children, is that you can (and should, I might add) wash your hands continually throughout the day, but it seems inevitable that it will spread throughout the family. After the third bed set/clothing change for my two year old, I called a phone nurse. She said that this widespread and generally consist of vomiting for 3-6 hours and then it should get better. She mentioned that she just got off the phone with a mother of five children and they all had it. Suddenly I wasn’t feeling as bad about my situation.

About a year and a half ago a nasty virus swept through our family. I remember that we were all so sick and miserable and I wasn’t sure how we would make it one more hour. As a nursing mom, it’s a horrible feeling to not be able to stand up or walk very many feet. You end up barely being able to prop a baby up next to you for them to latch on and all the while, you’re thinking “God, please don’t let me loose the contents of my stomach right now”. Yet, you must go on and try to rest when you can. Get on the floor with your kids if you have to and don’t feel bad if you need to resort to a kid movie or noisy toys, just focus on getting better.

If your baby is young and contracts something bad, you should watch for signs of dehydration. It can happen very quickly. If they are throwing up or have persistent diarrhea it is a cause for concern with fluid levels. It doesn’t hurt to call the pediatricians office or a phone nurse and tell them what you notice in your children.

The thing that strikes me the most about when sickness comes to a family is that when the mom gets it, it is more difficult for everyone. Mom usually knows what to try or just how to provide comfort and can manage to keep the world spinning. However, when a mom is out for the count, the whole family seems to tilt sideways. I talked to another mom who was sick this past week with the same scenario. However, the whole family does slow down together, and eventually you recover. I was blessed to have my husband home this weekend and able to help out. Let me tell you that he is much happier now that we’re all feeling better. Take vitamins, keep fluids up, get rest and try to think positive thoughts to speed recovery.

What do you do when you’re the mom and you’re sick? Hints for staying healthy in a family with kids?

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