I’m sick.
Soggy tissue, runny nose, hacking cough, pounding head and ringing ears sick. I feel miserable. Really miserable.
So how is it that I’m managing to write? Good question. Shouldn’t I be in bed with a cup of tea and a box of tissues, getting my rest? Better question. The answers: with difficulty, and yes, of course. The problem is, I have a baby. A turbo-charged 10-month old baby who has just mastered walking and climbing and who has no interest in settling down for a quiet afternoon. So here I am, curled up on the floor with my laptop while WonderBaby zips around and over me, wondering exactly how long I can survive under these conditions…
I had planned to write a post about one cannot know how challenging the common cold can be until one has lived through it as a mother, bearing the responsibilities of childcare and household management while ill. (What’s even worse: going through this as a breastfeeding mother, unable to take Nyquil and other helpful drugs.) And I was going to surf around the blogosphere looking for other Canadian moms going through this challenge right now – you know, a misery loves company kind of thing. But I am TOO SICK – staring at this screen is making me feel woozy – and getting sicker by the minute and I have a baby hanging off of my leg and so I’m going to have to beg off and ask you to come to me and tell me how YOU do it: how do you cope when you’re under the weather but the work of motherhood won’t let you take a break? Got any secret remedies? Chicken soup recipes? Magic DVDs that will distract a baby for twenty minutes while one dips one’s head in Vick’s Vaporub?
Please. HELP.
(And while you’r efeeling charitable… MetroMama is just getting over a cold, too, and MamaTulip is recovering from the trauma of dental work – go wish them well…)
Hey! Look at that! I was right! I love validation of my most dearly held theories… Now cackling aloud at vision of you and WonderBaby reeling in drunken synchonicity.
Thanks for the sympathy! Alas, I am still sick. I don’t have any secrets…I agree with Bub and Pie, kraft dinner (for both of us), pacifiers, and tv. I willl add, when the baby goes to bed, a very large glass of wine to soothe those aching bones.
Having a cold and taking care of a baby is THE WORST! I had to take care of the little monkey while I had the flu and was breastfeeding. I was so nervous that she would get what I had — and it was awful! The thought of giving her this torturous affliction was painful. But, thanks to breastmilk antibodies, I guess, the little monkey was spared! But, I was a mess. I begged hubby to stay home from work — and he couldn’t, my mother happened to be a way. So, I just lay in bed and let her pull and tug and poke at me….Occasionally, we’d go downstairs and I’d turn on a video, she’d play independently, and I’d kvetch about how shitty I was feeling on my blog…. 🙂 Hang in there, Catherine. FEEL BETTER!!!
Drambuie! Now you’re talking!
In all seriousness, when I lived in Spain, a friend’s father, a doctor, insisted that the best remedy for ailments of the throat and lungs was Scotch, and for ailments of the sinuses, Cava (Spanish champagne). That would make for a pretty picture for the public health nurse, wouldn’t it – mother in pajamas clutching a bottle of Scotch while baby teeters atop the bookshelves?
Colds for me are battled with forced ingestion of approx. two liters of chicken soup, a few pots of tea, and copious quantities of Drambuie (which, according to my theory, burns all the germs out of your throat). A day or two of this and bugs retreat before the power of watming liquid.
Is September sickness month? I am very down right now with a stubborn cold accompanied by sore throat, congestion, cough and a bacterial eye infection…in BOTH eyes!
However, being mom to 2 means no break…N.O.N.E. Probably why they got over it in a few days and I am still sufferin’.
Sorry, no suggestions here. Just self-pity.
I hope you feel better soon. I wish I could help you myself as I am unfraid of other’s illness. If I am meant to get it, it will show up at my house anyway no matter what precuations I take. I am too far away to be of assistance, sorry. This is a time when true friends and family will shine or your hubby becomes super-spouse. But for most of us, we are left to our own devices to figure it out. Try and rest when you can as your days of nursing your own illness are out the window once you are a Mommy.
My toddler recently discovered that she’s a cinephile. Finding Nemo, Bambi, and Monsters Inc. will all allow me to rest for 30 – 40 minutes on the sofa beside her …
Get well soon!
Aw, thanks for the shout-out. Hope you’re feeling better REALLY BLOODY SOON.
The worst part is that if I am sick (or the kids are sick), all my usual supports draw back. My mom won’t come over, and she calls my sister on the phone to make sure SHE cancels her plans to come over. Because, you know, being retired is really challenging and you wouldn’t want to have to do it with a cold.
But you wanted suggestions, hmmm. I don’t have any good hacks, but I do feel that when a cold is present, it’s time to pull back on any of the be-a-good-mom initiatives you might otherwise pursue. Around my house, that means unlimited TV, all-you-can-eat cereal and KD, and multiple pacifiers freely available on demand (one for the mouth and then one in each hand as back-up).
I’m just getting over a cold, too…it’s horrible. Just keep in mind – you can only do what you can do. Let slide what you can and don’t stress over the rest. Obviously, you have to care for your daughter – she needs to be fed and so on. But remember to care for yourself – the reality is – sometimes that means a reduced level of service for the rest of the family!
Hope you feel better.