being sick is never fun. being sick when you're pregnant or have a newborn at home is even more not fun. i was sick once when i was pregnant (i'm talking a cold) and i seriously thought i was going to die. i thought i had strep, my ob's office was worried i had swine flu. it was bad. i had to go to urgent care, where the lady who checked me in asked me a million questions, when it was very clear that I HAD NO VOICE. luckily, it was just laryngitis and pharyngitis and a mess of yuckiness. i got excused from work for a week- and i spent that week wallowing in misery in my bed. you can't really take much when you're pregnant. i had a list of "approved medicines" but every time i would grab something and take it up to the pharmacy counter, the poor girl working behind it would just shake her head no at me.
then i got sick after i had ian. dave's gma has been very sick for a while, so we made several trips to see her at the nursing home she is in. nursing homes are full of sick people. and sick people are full of germs. i got sick, ian got sick. it was a disaster. i was also a new mom. much of this sickness involved me calling my husband at work crying and telling him how miserable i was taking care of a crying baby while about to die, and he was "living it up" at work. there's also not much you can take while breastfeeding, but it's more than you can take while pregnant. i popped a zicam swab up my nose every 4 hours, and luckily was feeling better in a few days. my husband got the cold a few days later, but unlike me, he got to leave work and come home and sleep all day. who takes care of mama when she's sick?!
now i'm sick again. you would seriously think that these pre-natal vitamins i've been taking for let's say, oh, a year would be protecting me from the icky. but no. i spend my days and nights hacking up a lung and thinking i have tuberculosis or the whooping cough. pretty sure i don't have either, but then i heard a commerical on tv about whooping cough and how 83% of infants who get it, get it from family and that it can be fatal for infants under the age of 1. of course, even if i wanted to visit my dr. now, i can't because ge's new health plan, which i like to compare to fear mongering prevents me from going to the dr. because if you go to the dr. and you're sick. you have to PAY. all my lung hacking has also somehow injured my hip. seriously, how old am i? 80?
my advice for how to handle your life and being sick while having a baby.
-get plenty of rest. sleep when your baby sleeps- at night, naps, etc. it really does make a difference because i am cranky when i don't get sleep. and cranky + no sleep + baby crying + sick = awful.
-hot showers or baths. not sure they do much, but they feel nice. sometimes as a mom it's hard to get a shower or a bath- make time!
-drink lots of liquids. i like to alternate between hot and cold. i try to drink lots of super cold ice water for hydration and then have lots of hot tea (i prefer mint) with honey in it. this really does help. hot water with lemon juice and honey helps too.
-take whatever meds you can. there are many things you can take while pregnant and breastfeeding from natural remedies (echinacea, garlic, vitamin c, homeopathic remedies) to otc meds (delsym, robitussin). i usually take ibuprofin, a zinc dissolvable tablet and cough drops (be sure not to overdo it with zinc and menthol cough drops as they can cause a drop in milk).
-wash your hands as much as possible. duh.
i'm looking to be at the end of my cold, as my husband is now officially sick (he seems to be about a week behind me). here's hoping that you and your family are staying healthy!
sources for safe meds: KellyMom
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