Needless to say I’ve had many colds in my life, but never one as a mother. With the onset of a sore throat yesterday, I think that’s no longer true. If I can get past feeling sorry for myself, maybe I’ll be able to modify my self-pampering sick routine.
If my mom taught me one really useful skill, it is how to pamper myself while I’m sick. Here at the Boyds’ nest, we sickies surround ourselves with boxes of soft tissues, bags of cough drops, gallons of honey-sweetened tea, and cozy blankets. If we are feeling really sick, we get to wear “the sick hat” (a floppy cotton nightcap I knit) and we set up the futon like a bed and watch movies and snooze all day long. Mom was right: if you’re going to be sick, at least try to enjoy it!
However, I’m not quite sure how we’ll go about this now with an infant in the house. Gone are the days when I can sleep till ten because I’m feeling feverish. But perhaps we can find some new practices to put in place of old ones:
|Then|Now|
|Sleeping till ten…|Nursing Lucy in bed and snuggling till eight|
|Drinking hot tea in a favorite mug…|Drinking hot tea in a travel mug, to risk scalding Lucy|
|Worrying that I’ll get Jon sick…|Worrying that I’ll get Jon *and* Lucy sick|
|Falling asleep watching _Pride & Prejudice_…|Watching _Pride & Prejudice_ in 20-minute bursts|
|Napping when I feel sleepy…|Napping when Lucy naps|
|Eating chicken soup…|Eating chicken soup and ice cream (a nursing mom’s got to keep up her strength!)|
|Feeling sorry for myself…|Being cheered up by Lucy’s giggles|
The most distressing thing about being sick is the likelihood that Lucy will catch it. I’ve been washing my hands like mad, but will it help? I’m really hoping that she’ll get some good virus-killing antibodies from my breastmilk these days to keep her healthy. Otherwise, we’ll have to go find some Baby Einstein DVDs and tiny tissues for Lucy’s own convalescent therapy. Here’s hoping she’ll fight this one off!
p{color:gray}. Photo: This picture has nothing to do with having a cold, but I am in a medical exam room! This was taken during our final checkup, on April 24. Little did we know that Lucy would be born within 24 hours!
for what it’s worth, cadence never caught any of my colds that i can remember. i agree that the antibodies your body produces that are given to lucy in your breastmilk will provide extra protection. hope you are feeling better soon!
That is encouraging to hear, Sarah!
Also, I just have to say: I was so huge! When I saw this photo, I thought for a minute that it was distorted, stretched out sideways. Nope. I really was that big. Thank God Lucy finally came out!
I am relieved to see this picture… as I have been wondering how big this little guy I’m carrying is going to be!!! I feel as big now as I did with Gabriel just before he was born. I can do this – I AM doing it! ; )
Hope your cold goes away soon and that Lucy heals quick if this is one she is going to catch.
The goodwill house is sick too. Maddy got it at camp and has pasted it to all of us. ARG
Oh, colds are fine. It’s those stomach flu viruses that’ll get you. Daniel caught one last year when we were visiting Jon’s family in Indiana. It wasn’t long before we caught it from him. What made it extra miserable was that it dried up my milk temporarily, so I have vague memories of Daniel crying and plucking at my shirt while I laid there in misery. But we were back to normal in a couple of days.
Take good care of yourself, Ann!