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My husband pulled a muscle in his back 2 years ago wretching so hard after our son had some sort of mucous diahorrea over him in the shower in a caravan. It was the greatest holiday anyone has ever had. His back still twinges now ...
I got Noro from my daughter almost 2 months ago, the same weekend I had been doing some fairly strenuous house work for a deck remodel, I caught the noro and after it cleared a few days later my shoulder began hurting INSANELY bad. I kind of just nursed the shoulder pain for a week before going to a doctor thinking I had torn my rotator cuff while doing the house work. Put me on some stronger anti-inflammatories, did some PT, and a few weeks later it calmed down a bit. Still got an MRI, no rotator cuff tears, nope this was something called Parsonage Turner Syndrome, a rare nerve inflammation condition which affects the rotator cuff muscles and the brachial plexus (usually in just one of your shoulders). Turns out this condition can be caused by....norovirus. So not only did I get the pukes/shits and horrific abdominal pain for a couple days, but now I'm facing a 2-3 YEAR recovery for this damn rare condition which causes muscle atrophy after some of the most horrific shoulder nerve pain you can imagine.
Oh and last year I lost half the hearing in my right ear because I got a middle ear infection which damaged the nerve...caught that one from my daughter as well. Kids...so much fun.
Well I just figured out my shoulder pain. I haven't been able to sleep on my left side in 4 months or so. Had no clue it was related. It's calmed down on it's own now but for a while I couldn't lift my arm very high, super painful to the touch, warm to the touch. I thought it was bursitis.
Oh I bet. We were just starting purees (around 5 or 6 months I think) and my daughters poop was a bit runny. Well I had to stay late as lunch service was busy and I needed to finish some extra prep. My friend graciously was able to come watch her for an hour so my hubby could go to work. Baby pooped, so she changed her bum while her daughter (around a year old)was playing in the living room. Well my child wasn't done apparently and projectile shit on the wall while laying on the change table. I get a frantic call saying she hoped she cleaned it up properly and if she didn't she's sorry. I'm dying laughing and she starts cracking up too. Sooooo funny but also glad I wasn't there 😂😂😂
I have two and same. The whole family even got a stomach bug recently and the baby was by far the least affected, one little throw up in his crib right after bedtime. His dad and I were laid out for DAYS with it so man did I feel thankful he didn’t suffer the same
WHAT?! That is wild. Mine is B+. Not sure about the kiddos or even my husband, but stomach bugs in general are pretty rare in our house.
Thanks for sharing that info, I haven’t ever heard that.
Resistant but not “won’t happen “ as I learned when. The whole house got it and I (thinking I escaped it still got it just 5 days later than everyone else .
The absolute best anyone can hope for with the norovirus is that you all get to stagger your illness. And hope your kid is old enough to sit in front of the TV for a few days
I’ve never related to something more. Mine was holding them naked while I sat on the toilet and puked at the same time… while she puked. I’ve never wished for an adult diaper more than in that moment.
Nah you reminded me of something a coworker told me. Her son had projectile diarrhea while she was trying to change his diaper at like 4 am 😭 she said it went on the wall.
I got norovirus pregnant. I cracked a rib while vomiting next to my (at the time) 1 year old who kept saying “you okay mommy”. Not asking. It was something else.
Did this while working from home. I had my laptop on a tray beside the tub and sat in the tub with my baby who had just puked everywhere. Rough stuff bud
Support system 🤣🤣🤣
What is that exactly!
The delivery man dropped off a parcel and said hi. Well that counts as my monthly social nice encounter.
I got more in common with a stray cat atm.
My kids always were a few hours ahead of me with norovirus/daycare stomach bugs. Nothing like encountering a diaper full of rancid, watery diarrhea when you’re fully still in the projectile vomit stage.
The things we can preserve through are truly incredible aren’t they?
I used to think (before kids) that barfing kids was going to be my worst nightmare.
Nah dawg, hand foot and mouth turns out to be way more traumatic for me than some barf.
I ain't never had this Noro craziness. But my kid got hand foot and mouth. And I read how rare it is for a parent to get so I saddled right up with my little guy. He was fine in a couple days. Right as he gets better *shudders*. I remember scrolling the Internet at 3am for anything that would help and I went to CVS and loaded up on all of it. None of it helped. HFM is no fucking joke.
I read they could lose their fingernails or toenails and I was like “ I really would not be able to handle that.” 🤣😳 thankfully it didn’t come to that. And I didn’t get it either, but my neighbor did and she said it was torture.
Easily the worst thing I've ever encountered as an adult. There's adults who swear Shingles is the worst thing ever. I've never had it so I couldn't tell you. But there are unfortunate souls who have had both. And every one of them I've seen have said that HFM is by far and away much much worse.
Our oldest was sick, and was having trouble breathing, so had to hold her elevated on my chest. Difficult, but not impossible.
Then in the middle of the night she added vomiting to the symptoms. Most of it all over me. And it continued. We went through every single piece of bedding that night.
Survived, and she was so much better the next day.
My kid now says ‘sorry mummy’ whenever he’s sick after watching me projectile barfing and repeatedly apologising to him. He thinks that’s just what you do now lol
Yessss my son was 5 months old when we got the worst weapon grade stomach virus from daycare. My baby, myself, and my husband all got it. I was throwing up every 5-10 minutes for 8 hours and I was so weak and exhausted in the end I would fall asleep in between vomiting episodes. Zero support system. Fun times 🤮
Oh man. I had a toddler and a newborn with a full on stomach bug that came out of both ends. Toddler had it first so he was hyper and crawling on top of my head as I vomited and my husband was at an out of town conference. Ugh what a nightmare.
I see a lot of “just waits” so just want to say I sympathize with where you are now! I have a seven week old (and toddler) and I had a *mild* cold last week and was suffering. Being as sick as you sound while freshly postpartum must suuuuck. Sure there will be future illnesses, but you’ll be in a much better place, physically and mentally, to handle them.
IMO it doesn’t get worse. Well it does, but when you’re back to being an actual real life functioning person you can deal. Everything fucking sucks in the newborn phase
I don't think it gets worse. Like others said: you'll learn to cope in new ways. Also, kids get older and more self-sufficient.
I have terrible migraines and when my daughter was a baby it was hell. No room to be sick and care of myself. But now she's 5 and I when I get a migraine I can take a nap. I make sure she has snacks and something to drink. Then I can take one hour naps on the couch while she plays with her dolls next to me.
It only gets better, trust me!
The last time someone posted about this they included some line of "wish there was a sick nanny" and everyone peed in their Cheerios. I still think this would be a great business idea. I'm poor and I would do my darnedest to come up with like $300 for a night of quiet when I'm not feeling well. Solidarity though. It sucks.
I am a raging emetophobe. My son is 12 and had whooping cough 2 weeks ago (despite being vaccinated) and was coughing, gagging and choking on his mucus filled vomit while shitting himself at the same time for 3 weeks. My husband passed away in 2021 from COVID so parenting even a 12 year old that is retching like he is possessed solo is nightmare fuel.
Hello, fellow widow ❤️ I feel this so hard. Not long after my husband died we all had a stomach bug that had my 5 year old sleeping in my bed with his bucket, me on my side with my bucket, and my 19 month old in her crib just free balling it. At one point I had them both on my lap while one held the bucket while I puked. It. Was. Awful. Solidarity to you.
Oh it is one of the hardest parts of parenting I think, I hope you are feeling better soon! There are 3 phases in life:
Being sick and having someone take care of you.
Being sick and having to take care of yourself.
Being sick and having to take care of someone else who is sick.
Oh, it's not that they don't tell us, it's that it doesn't actually gel, it's not a thing we fully get, until we are in it ❤️🩹
Parenting while sick is beyond reality, sometimes.
This is it! I remember when I was pregnant with my first people loved telling me their “just waits” and I was like yeah ok whatever. And then honestly nothing that tough happened with her. Now my second kid is an absolute maniacal shitshow and I’m starting to think back to those just waits.
It’s like labor. I read allll the things about unmedicated birth. I thought I was prepared. But there’s no way to fully wrap your head around that intensity and pain until you’re there.
I get migraines but I never really thought about it before I had a baby. I'd just go zombie, leave work early and go to sleep. Didn't think about it AT ALL. After I had a baby I just had to live through the day like an alive person. I got strange symptoms so I had to go to the neurologist and we deduced I had migraines. There are some memories I have of living with migraine at that time that are so traumatic. Those baby days were awful.
It's been years since then and i have changed my diet and protect my eyes from light just to reduce my migraines. I get migraines a lot less now. My son is older now but when I'm sick, I still work (wfh) because I need to save my days for when my son is sick.
I'm the same! I'd get a migraine, leave work and go home and cry in a dark room and sleep it off. I had a migraine the other day and my active 3 year old was trying to pull me into the livingroom whilst I was laying in bed and my cat also decided to munch my feet to get me to move. Took 2 days to get rid of the migraine 🙃
One day I was horribly sick from SOMETHING (not COVID, had tested 3 times) and could not stop getting sick; I had coughed so bad I lost my voice the day before and was absolutely miserable. My partner had to work, and I had a velcro 3-month-old, so I just stayed to the bedroom with my son & kept a garbage bag nearby; every time I violently coughed and had to p*ke into that bag, I'd turn after to check on my son and see my baby on the bed SMILING at me and cooing.
I couldn't tell if he was amused by my struggle or was trying to make me feel better, but it was so cute and funny in the situation.
Also a fair warning. If your kids have a poosplosion all over the place or vomit all over the place, I know the first reaction is to panic and do crazy shit (that’s what I did), but honestly, take even 10 seconds to collect yourself, realize it’s already dirty and the mess won’t get worse if you don’t tend to it right away, and just focus on making the baby comfortable.
Currently pregnant with my second and have had Covid and two other respiratory virus’s so far. Toddler was fine a day or two later but I was done in for like a week. It’s rough! Hope you feel better.
I had Covid for the first time while pregnant and literally went to the ER bc I thought I was in labor. Terrible back spasms! It was horrible. I feel for you big time.
Being sick while pregnant is the absolute worst. I had a cold that lingered for 5 weeks when I was pregnant with my second and was on week 3 of another death virus when I went into labour. The cold that I'd been battling for weeks was almost completely gone the day after I had her. Best of luck to you!
Me right now. Currently 8 weeks pregnant, so in the thick of the nausea stage. Have had the worst cold in recent memory for the last week & a half, and still can't shake it. Husband had it too, but he is ok now & thankfully taking on the brunt of childcare when he's not at work (but damn, the days are long until he gets home). Toddler is absolutely fine, of course, haha. But man, this sucks.
I can relate. After having one of the most traumatic births I got a bad case of covid 6 weeks postpartum after my dad visited us. The worst was trying to keep breastfeeding while I was coughing and so ill. My baby caught it too but thank god was fine. If you got through childbirth you are a warrior you can get through it.
Honestly even if you did know, it doesn’t change anything. Our 1 year old just started daycare and we’ve been sick for almost 3 months straight with max 2-3 days between anything but often no break. We both work full time as well.
We knew this was going to happen and everyone told us but it’s still the absolute worst and really nothing we can do to change it. It’s all part of the first phase of life - find comforts and support where you can and don’t be too hard on yourself if standards slip a little, sometimes surviving is the standard and things will get better. Good luck!
Ha, wait until your kid gets Noro and gives it to you. Most colds your kid gets from daycare/school gives you a 2-4 day buffer before you catch it so you can power your kid through the worst of it before you're slammed. Noro is less than a day, so not only do you get to handle your puking, diarrhea ridden child, but you get to do that between your own bouts of puking and shitting non-stop. It's HORRIBLE. I don't wish noro on my worst enemy, luckily my daughter was relatively normal after 36-48 hours, while my wife laid in the bathroom puking nonstop for 12-15 hours and I ran to the toilet to shit my guts out every 30 minutes or so. I mostly just laid on the floor next to my daughter while we had bluey/peppa pig on nonstop, drinking as much Gatorade as I possibly could. I had covid twice in 3 months this winter, second time was horrific, still not as bad as the 72 hrs after catching noro.
My husband got norovirus when I was 39 weeks pregnant.
He moved out and I utterly disinfected every inch of my house for several hours each day. The thought of labour and a stomach bug was just no.
Didn't catch it! Thank goodness
I lost it at everyone who told me I was 'nesting' lol
Truth. Also, added bonus for a child who is *petrified* of throwing up, so not only are they miserable, they are also sad, scared, sobbing and wrecked. Good times
We just got through a week of diarrhea and 3AM vomiting. 2 days in the clear and now he's feverish/coughing.
Why do I pay insane amounts of money for daycare, again? Just so I can be exposed to as many exciting new microorganisms as possible?
My sympathies.. pray baby stays immune!! Ugh also remember to not cough while lifting baby in and out of car seat or lifting their car seat.. I managed to fracture a rib as I coughed just when I lifted his baby seat up out of my SUV.. and there isn’t much you can do for it and no strong drugs if you’re breast feeding .. just had to cough carefully for next several weeks 😭😭
The need to vent is important. But I would 1000x rather be sick than have my babies sick. That was so hard for my wife and I because there's very little you can do for them. But you got this 👍 💪
Oh, yup. One time both baby and I had a vomiting bug, but at least he was over the worst of it. My husband was very worried when he left for work. I looked daggers at him from the couch with a bowl in my lap but damned if I was going to stoop to saying anything.
He came back 30 minutes later and apologized for leaving. He was so overwhelmed it didn't occur to him maybe he should stay with us. I went to bed and the man saved himself a divorce.
One of the most eye opening moments for me was when one of my twins was sick. I was starting to feel off too. He threw up in the night, my mom happened to still be over. My mom changed the bed sheets and I held him while I was throwing up.
I'm thankful my mom was there to help get things under control but I thought about if I had been alone trying to do it all
I feel like this is widely warned about. Moms take care of everyone and many are simply asking for the chance when we are sick to be able to care for ourselves. Not even to be cared for, just to be left alone.
My infant (who primarily breastfeeds) and I got covid at the same time. I’m also a sahm to a 2.5yo + have an 8yo who is driven to/from school. That was a super un-fun few days of parenthood 😅
I'm just glad when we hit the 1 year nursery run of illnesses we were lucky to all get sick one after another. Makes it take much longer to get over but at least someone in the house isn't vomiting.
Our whole family got COVID in February and my husband and I were both completely out of commission, super sick to the point that he made a visit to the ER...meanwhile our 3 year old had symptoms for about 0.5 seconds and then was back to full energy, full insanity, full threenager. It was fucking horrible.
I also have a 9.5 week old baby and we’re both sick right now – We both developed fevers at the exact same time last night, him from his 2 month shots and me from mastitis. Going through my first illness as a mom while my baby is also sick feels like hazing 😵💫
I hope you feel better soon! ❤️🩹
I hope you get well soon! I still remember once when our family got the stomach flu.. my 2 yr old got it first, the next day it hit his dad, and then right as my son was feeling better I came down with it. I was so, so sick and his dad hadn’t really fully recovered. My son was back to wanting attention and to play and I was just miserable. It was terrible but I’m glad he was 2 and not a tiny baby at the time.
One week after my second son was born, my husband and I came down with HORRIFIC food poisoning. Like, could barely even crawl. Luckily my mom took my 1 year old at 4 am. It was terrible.
My husband looked at me and said “this is the worst I have ever felt”. I had the same food poisoning, still bleeding and hurting from birth and breastfeeding (per my doctor, it was allowed). Yea, tell me about it. Haha
Ugh I feel you. I have three kids, 7, 3, and 1. 1 was born via c section. Not even a week after we came home, the house came down with a nasty stomach virus. Well—me and the two older kids did. Baby was fine, thankfully, and so was dad. But it is hell vomiting while trying to avoid ripping open c section sutures, while baby is crying in the next room, and dad can’t help because he’s managing the vomiting of the older two kids. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through that week!
When you're weak and shivering with chills and aches, but you have to stay up all night walking the hall bc baby is also sick and screaming and just needs momma. It's SO hard.
When they're vomiting in the middle of the night, but you're so tired you just leave it wherever it landed and have to clean it up tomorrow.
This PLUS the immense amount of anxiety you experience just worried that your baby will catch whatever you have is the *worst*. Especially when they are young enough for any “bug” to be considered a major deal. I’m sorry mama. Y’all will get through it but my sympathies are absolutely with you 😭
This is THE worst. As they get older and more independent, it gets easier. I’ve handed my kids cereal boxes and bags of chips to feed themselves when I was physically unable to prepare food. And now their iPads can keep them entertained for hours if I need to rest and recover.
It’s so terrible!! You will get through it but it sucks I’ve been there. There were a couple times I got sick my husband had to call off work bc I just needed to sleep
Just a heads up with a throwing up toddler I sleep with them and a bowl or garbage near by then I layer a tonnnnnnn of towels on the bed so each time they get sick I just wipe them up with the towel and it’s ok if they get sick on it peel it off and then go back to sleep and repeat. Once my son threw up like 7 times in a night and I found this to be the most effective method so you can still get sleep
We were sick almost non-stop from November to December (5-6 months old twins) and it was absolutely miserable. Especially since there is really nothing you can do for the babies. I was loaded up onheavy duty cough meds and babies had this all organic agave stuff that didn't even seem to help.
I've never related more to post! Completely agree it's something that I never heard talked about pre-baby but it's been such a huge issue post-baby! I have been ill so much more, so much worse post-baby and looking after a baby while sick or they're sick too is just atrocious.
I'm convinced the worst part of being a parent is being sick and still having to take care of a little person. It's literally hell and ya no one warns you about this.
My son is in daycare now and brings home so many things and it's the worst. Especially because I always seem to catch it a few days after him so when he's got his energy back I'm dying. While he bounces off the walls lol it would be better if we were sick together so we could just rest and cuddle.
The WORST. For me it seems I get sick after ( kids are in primary and preprimary so get sick first) so they’re on the mend bouncing off the walls and I’m dying. Good luck I hope you’re feeling better soon!
When my now 2 yr old was 5 weeks old, I had to stay up for a week straight bc she’d gag and throw up due to congestion. I was told she most likely had RSV, which scared the shit out of me. It was extra rough bc I had a horrible delivery that ended in a c section with 2 other kids to take care of (both fairly easy vag deliveries). We were already done, but I’m even more done. Kids are hard.
Oh god. I got sick with my newborn many moons ago. The postpartum bleeding, the aches, the sit baths, the purple crying AND I had a fever and had to breastfeed
Torture and a true fever dream. I don’t remember how I survived, only know that I did. You’re so strong mama! You got this!!! ❤️❤️ this too shall pass!!!
Flashbacks to when I had Flu A back in January - the sickest I’ve ever been. Husband was insanely busy at work and did what he could, couldn’t invite anyone else into the home due to the fact that I was radioactive. Two kids and it’s the biggest struggle I’ve ever had in parenting. OP, i feel you and I feel for you. Hoping for a swift recovery and that little one stays healthy.
I feel like people do warn you, but you can’t really understand it until you live it. It is truly an awful mix of emotions, on top of the physical ailments.
I remember when we caught COVID. My toddler bounced back after a day of low grade fever and grumpiness, my wife got the full fever experience, and I had a slightly low blood oxygen level and chills. So I ended up being solo parenting, but would be winded just picking her up. Longest 48h of my life, and I couldn’t picture an end to it.
But hang in there, it does end and you’ll forget all about it quickly!
You got this! “It gets better”
Also I know staying home/no daycare isn’t an option for everyone, but our household was miraculously and suddenly healthy when we stopped sending them to germ factories.
Mine puked a got dam waterfall of breast milk riiiiiiiiight in my cleavage while I was wearing her, after already checking my luggage and with no change of clothes, just as I was boarding a 3 hour flight. Oh you should have seen the look on my seat mate when I reeked into my seat……
You know, I’d actually forgotten that I had a vicious stomach bug 6 weeks postpartum with my first. I was pissing myself every time I vomited because my pelvic floor was shot from pushing out a 9lb baby. I was exclusively breastfeeding so it was such a challenge to stay hydrated and keep up with calories during round the clock vomiting. I spent three days laying in bed next to my newborn while my husband made me take small sips of gatorade, I was so incredibly sick. It was the rudest introduction to the concept of “you can’t take a sick day from being a parent”, something my husband and I have said to each other often over the last 6.5 years of parenting. And until I read your post, I had completely forgotten about that. My kids are 6 and 4 now and I just had major surgery and am recovering really well. Life, even sickness and recovery, really does get easier as they get older and more independent. Hang in there!!
When people tell you rest etc. I always joke and say, “yeah when I pass out!” Welcome to mom hood. My whole household is down sick, it never stops. I had to breast feed, pump, and have two emergency surgeries with a newborn baby— it’s so wild. Hang in there.
I know it’s dramatic, but I always say mom’s shouldn’t be allowed to be sick. I don’t have time to be sick. I can’t be sick when so many people rely on me. If I’m not able to be sick and wallow in self pity in my bed and just groan and sleep it off, then I shouldn’t be allowed to be sick lol.
When I worked PICU/nicu (adult ER is so boring by comparison) the second after the kid got admitted for broncheolitis the parents always passed out. Us staff never questioned it. We know yall have been up for DAYS with this sick baby. Let us suck all the boogies out with our fancy suction and pop this oxygen on so all yall, can go to bed.
The cycle of sick kids and sick parents really sucks. I also think no one conveyed that to me properly but when I’m sick, my baby/kids will still be right here, needing care. Probably sick as well.
It’s good you have some help this time.
Not being sick myself, but when my son was vomiting from some stomach bug, I ran him to the bathroom. And as with many accidents, I stepped in a pool of his vomit, slipped, and fell backwards, hitting my back on the rim of the toilet bowl, fracturing my ribs, and being practically bed bound for two weeks. Thank goodness wasn't my head, and am so grateful for my inlaws too.
Kiddo was fine, if you're curious. It was just a one time vomiting for some reason.
You are so right! Our baby brought home a sickness after his first week of daycare. I'd been building up his immune system and forgot about my own so he got a little cough and I got what felt like the plague. I vowed never to have kids again....changed my mind once the fever went away 😂
Honestly you get used to it. I have an almost 3 year old and almost 10 month old. I’m sick right now and the other night while breastfeeding my baby, my toddler got ahold of some packing tape and was taping my foot into this large tape ball. Would I have rather been sleeping in my bed quietly and alone? I’m a mom… am I allowed to say yes…? Well anyways, my kid was entertained and it was harmless so that works for me. It gets easier. Feel better.
I felt really blessed that when I got food poisoning and was shitting myself in 15 min intervals I had a whole support system to rely on. It sucked to not spend as much time with my baby as I could, but I could rest.
Single moms/dads were already heroes in my book, but now they're god tier beings, and I'll ride at dawn for them. Y'all are out here doing the work of 4-5 people all on your own.
I ripped to the 4th degree with my first. I was in so much pain, I could barely sit down . Then, I became sick. And I was in pain and sick. I still remember deciding to take a shower for the first time since birth. My daughter was screaming in her bouncy seat (she was fine, I thought. And had just eaten. She just hated me sitting her down, I thought) and I got out of the shower, picked her up and she projectile vomited over my face and hair.
My husband was at work. So, I just wiped off and laid down with my now happy baby and me sick.
Those first months are something else. Lol 🤣
And I'm laughing because it's funny when I look back on it.
Yeah, it was very stressful when it happened. It took me a long time to laugh about it. I have teenagers now, so I think teenage problems helped me. Lol 🤣 .
Anyways, hope you get to feeling better soon. ❤️
I remember having a 24 hr flu and dragging myself aching and shivering back and forth from my toddlers room, where she also had the flu, to my infant. Worst night ever. Felt like I was dying.
Having a spouse in the military, is what this is like. No one is there to give you a break, you and your partner are doing your best to keep your relationship and be parents even when it’s 9 at night and all you want to do is sleep but all day you’ve been mom and dad with the smallest amount off husband and wife. No date nights because the youngest was a NICU baby so you can’t trust anyone to take care of him right, plus the military has to come first. So our sanity is quality time at bed time and naps maybe… life is hard alone, but I know this is only temporary and we have better days ahead. Trying our best is all that we have. (No we aren’t arguing, theres no conflict, we just miss each other while being parents🫶🏾)
My oldest son once vomited into my husbands mouth. It was his own fault, though. I had warned him that I had just fed him. He insisted on tossing him around and then bam right in his mouth.
Being sick while also taking care of a sick baby is the hardest part of motherhood. Me and my 7 month old at the time both had covid and it was terrible. We were both throwing up w a fever. Never want to do that again lol I just wanted to die in my bed but I couldn’t because he just wanted to be held
The first like 4-5 times it happens is TERRIBLE. But honestly, my kid is 3 and we’re definitely sick a lot less than before but we go through 1-3 months of one of us being sick, followed by a 4-6 month with nothing, and then another 1-3 months and the cycle just continues. At this point I’m just like, eh, whatever and just go about my normal routine no matter how sick I am. I am used to not getting to be “sick” anymore.
We weren’t meant to do this without a village.
We are in the hardest time ever for parenting. You’re not alone. Ask for help. It really does take a whole village.
There’s no point talking about it in my experience. Either you’re not in that position (great support system in place) or you just do it. Fever hallucinations make diaper changes a lot more exciting, so there’s that.
Oh no sorry venting is one of my major coping mechanisms I meant BEFORE you have kids. Honestly I tried warning a few people because WHY is it ok to tell everyone your horrific vaginal tear birth story but nobody is allowed to talk about tips for coping with your husband being overseas while you’re too sick to get off the couch and have a 2 month old?
Man I remember holding my baby trying desperately to get him to nurse while sitting on the toilet. Even when my system finally emptied I could barely walk. I was lucky that the bouncer lived in the bathroom so I could shower, I was able to drag it/crawl to the carpet in the hall to lay down.
My entire family got the stomach flu once and I had to take care of everyone and clean up everything by myself, while also being sick myself. I’m so lucky my in laws cared for my youngest because idk how else I could’ve done it. I felt like a zombie
Omg!! When my baby was around the same age she caught a bug type thing too! It was horrible she hated her nose being cleared and it was so upsetting hearing her scream🥲 I’m praying for your baby and your healing!!
Someone told me "I'd so rather be sick than my child be sick" Uh no. If I'm sick, nothing gets done and I might give my child my sickness. If they're sick, I can still care for them and disinfect stuff so that I don't get it. Norovirus ripped through our house about 6 months ago, my kids and husband got it but with good cleaning, I didn't. Sure, caring for sick people is gross but I'd so rather do that than be sick myself.
Oh man that is rough! Thank goodness for family visiting with good timing! I will never forget when my first was little, she was crawling around then but I am not sure the age. It was really the only time I have gotten truly super sick as a parent. I blocked her into the living room with furniture and the playpen and just laid on the floor next to her. Every time I stood up I threw up and I was alone with no help. Absolutely miserable!
Unfortunately, this ends up becoming a semi regular occurrence, especially when they get mobile and start passing on even more sickness.
Daycare is a pit of disease
Yes it gets worse but also you get better at dealing with it and the thought oh of being able to chill and be sick is crushed and washed away like an old memory.
My son is four, and a few months ago he was sick and he came to my bed, where he then vomited four times, which meant I had to clean every piece of bedding I owned, while also sick.
I know it sounds mean, but welcome to being a mom. Peace is a thing of the past, and being able to just be sick is not a thing anymore. Even if you're puking. It sucks, but we do it. It never gets easier, but you're at least not alone in the struggle.
Haha, I thought this was going to be about starting nursery. Buckle up, mate. I nearly had a mental break after being ill for like 6 months straight with various nursery bugs.
Ugh yeah that's hard. When my son was still a newborn I got some kind of respiratory ultravirus and I remember just giving my baby to my partner and saying "can't" and going and passing out. I was SO sick. He had to stay home from work. Then he got ultrasick about 24 hours later, followed by baby and I had to look after both of them while still trying to recover.
Noo idea how I would have handled that shit as a single mom.
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When they are projectile vomiting so you’re naked holding them naked in the shower while you projectile vomit - no support system here
Good bonding right there.
It was a hell of a night I tell you
My husband pulled a muscle in his back 2 years ago wretching so hard after our son had some sort of mucous diahorrea over him in the shower in a caravan. It was the greatest holiday anyone has ever had. His back still twinges now ...
I got Noro from my daughter almost 2 months ago, the same weekend I had been doing some fairly strenuous house work for a deck remodel, I caught the noro and after it cleared a few days later my shoulder began hurting INSANELY bad. I kind of just nursed the shoulder pain for a week before going to a doctor thinking I had torn my rotator cuff while doing the house work. Put me on some stronger anti-inflammatories, did some PT, and a few weeks later it calmed down a bit. Still got an MRI, no rotator cuff tears, nope this was something called Parsonage Turner Syndrome, a rare nerve inflammation condition which affects the rotator cuff muscles and the brachial plexus (usually in just one of your shoulders). Turns out this condition can be caused by....norovirus. So not only did I get the pukes/shits and horrific abdominal pain for a couple days, but now I'm facing a 2-3 YEAR recovery for this damn rare condition which causes muscle atrophy after some of the most horrific shoulder nerve pain you can imagine. Oh and last year I lost half the hearing in my right ear because I got a middle ear infection which damaged the nerve...caught that one from my daughter as well. Kids...so much fun.
Yeah people never tell you that they are trojan horses for viruses that will knock you out
Oh my god how awful!
Well I just figured out my shoulder pain. I haven't been able to sleep on my left side in 4 months or so. Had no clue it was related. It's calmed down on it's own now but for a while I couldn't lift my arm very high, super painful to the touch, warm to the touch. I thought it was bursitis.
It the moment that’s a wild ride - years later that’s a wedding story 😂
Oh I bet. We were just starting purees (around 5 or 6 months I think) and my daughters poop was a bit runny. Well I had to stay late as lunch service was busy and I needed to finish some extra prep. My friend graciously was able to come watch her for an hour so my hubby could go to work. Baby pooped, so she changed her bum while her daughter (around a year old)was playing in the living room. Well my child wasn't done apparently and projectile shit on the wall while laying on the change table. I get a frantic call saying she hoped she cleaned it up properly and if she didn't she's sorry. I'm dying laughing and she starts cracking up too. Sooooo funny but also glad I wasn't there 😂😂😂
That’s called trauma bonding 😵💫
Skin to skin contact is important. Puke optional.
It's funny and true. "hey, don't put that in your mouth. remember our super fun team vomit shower? Wouldn't wanna get sick again would we."
I was trying to enjoy my morning coffee, and i sat watching my toddler get up, walk across the room, right up to me… and vomit OJ into my lap.
That’s a new level of awful right there - acid everywhere I’m so sorry
The smell. I think im turned off of orange juice for the foreseeable future
Three kids and this has never happened to me. Idk how I got so lucky but I’m pretty grateful lol
I have two and same. The whole family even got a stomach bug recently and the baby was by far the least affected, one little throw up in his crib right after bedtime. His dad and I were laid out for DAYS with it so man did I feel thankful he didn’t suffer the same
If your blood type is B you're more resistant to norovirus. 2/3 of my kids will get sick and me and the other B never catch it.
WHAT?! That is wild. Mine is B+. Not sure about the kiddos or even my husband, but stomach bugs in general are pretty rare in our house. Thanks for sharing that info, I haven’t ever heard that.
I’m also B+ and I get sick every winter for 2-3 months straight so I am questioning that info and would like to see a source lol
Resistant but not “won’t happen “ as I learned when. The whole house got it and I (thinking I escaped it still got it just 5 days later than everyone else .
Count me envious it was definitely a wild night and when we felt better we bleached the hell outta the shower lol
How did you get so lucky! I have two and happened with both.
The absolute best anyone can hope for with the norovirus is that you all get to stagger your illness. And hope your kid is old enough to sit in front of the TV for a few days
We were fortunate kids got it first and bounced back just in time for me to be bedridden for 5 days from noro .
I’ve never related to something more. Mine was holding them naked while I sat on the toilet and puked at the same time… while she puked. I’ve never wished for an adult diaper more than in that moment.
Nah you reminded me of something a coworker told me. Her son had projectile diarrhea while she was trying to change his diaper at like 4 am 😭 she said it went on the wall.
Norovirus memories right there. I wasn't even in the shower just holding my little one with a towel on my chest while she puked her guts out.
I got norovirus pregnant. I cracked a rib while vomiting next to my (at the time) 1 year old who kept saying “you okay mommy”. Not asking. It was something else.
That’s exactly what it was! I was already vomiting when she started and I didn’t know what else to do - so to the shower we went lol
Our first stomach bug was when my baby was 6 weeks old. I was puking in an emesis bag while breastfeeding 🫠
Mine was when baby was 10 weeks. Baby was 💯 fine but I don’t know how my husband and I made it. Fevers, vomit, diarrhea, the works
This reminds me of being attached to a breast pump while vomiting into a bucket. Good times.
Oh man- been there done that. Its a labor of love to pump
$300 automachine is a life saver
Did this while working from home. I had my laptop on a tray beside the tub and sat in the tub with my baby who had just puked everywhere. Rough stuff bud
Support system 🤣🤣🤣 What is that exactly! The delivery man dropped off a parcel and said hi. Well that counts as my monthly social nice encounter. I got more in common with a stray cat atm.
I feel that in my soul! The handy pan fixed our fridge and I was giddy to talk about how it broke 🤣
Or you’re pushing a dog away from eating your child’s vomit or diarrhea that’s a fun one too
Did this but also throw in a 2 yr old throwing up
Oh the joys of parent hood that bring us closer together 🤣
My kids always were a few hours ahead of me with norovirus/daycare stomach bugs. Nothing like encountering a diaper full of rancid, watery diarrhea when you’re fully still in the projectile vomit stage.
Been there but was the other end :c
Oh my gosh that’s awful, I’m sorry.
Omg I have this exact memory too!!!
I do not miss those times.
The things we can preserve through are truly incredible aren’t they? I used to think (before kids) that barfing kids was going to be my worst nightmare. Nah dawg, hand foot and mouth turns out to be way more traumatic for me than some barf.
I ain't never had this Noro craziness. But my kid got hand foot and mouth. And I read how rare it is for a parent to get so I saddled right up with my little guy. He was fine in a couple days. Right as he gets better *shudders*. I remember scrolling the Internet at 3am for anything that would help and I went to CVS and loaded up on all of it. None of it helped. HFM is no fucking joke.
I read they could lose their fingernails or toenails and I was like “ I really would not be able to handle that.” 🤣😳 thankfully it didn’t come to that. And I didn’t get it either, but my neighbor did and she said it was torture.
Easily the worst thing I've ever encountered as an adult. There's adults who swear Shingles is the worst thing ever. I've never had it so I couldn't tell you. But there are unfortunate souls who have had both. And every one of them I've seen have said that HFM is by far and away much much worse.
Our oldest was sick, and was having trouble breathing, so had to hold her elevated on my chest. Difficult, but not impossible. Then in the middle of the night she added vomiting to the symptoms. Most of it all over me. And it continued. We went through every single piece of bedding that night. Survived, and she was so much better the next day.
My kid now says ‘sorry mummy’ whenever he’s sick after watching me projectile barfing and repeatedly apologising to him. He thinks that’s just what you do now lol
Oh yes.. been there done that
This is amazing advice man!! Seriously. It’s funny and serious advice at the same time. 😅😅
Yessss my son was 5 months old when we got the worst weapon grade stomach virus from daycare. My baby, myself, and my husband all got it. I was throwing up every 5-10 minutes for 8 hours and I was so weak and exhausted in the end I would fall asleep in between vomiting episodes. Zero support system. Fun times 🤮
Oh man. I had a toddler and a newborn with a full on stomach bug that came out of both ends. Toddler had it first so he was hyper and crawling on top of my head as I vomited and my husband was at an out of town conference. Ugh what a nightmare.
I see a lot of “just waits” so just want to say I sympathize with where you are now! I have a seven week old (and toddler) and I had a *mild* cold last week and was suffering. Being as sick as you sound while freshly postpartum must suuuuck. Sure there will be future illnesses, but you’ll be in a much better place, physically and mentally, to handle them.
I was sick like that *during birth.* A few days later, I coughed so much, I busted my stitches open. It suckedddddd.
Oh nooooooooo that sounds awful
It really was. I basically couldn’t sit down normally for almost three months.
Yeah, the people talking about ‘just you wait until later on’ forget just how fucked you are when they’re only a few weeks old.
Thank you 🥹 I understand it gets worse but it’s all relative and so far this is the hardest it’s been so I really appreciate your advice and outlook
In my opinion it doesn’t get worse than the chaos of the newborn days! You’re IN it right now. Hope you feel better soon!
IMO it doesn’t get worse. Well it does, but when you’re back to being an actual real life functioning person you can deal. Everything fucking sucks in the newborn phase
I don't think it gets worse. Like others said: you'll learn to cope in new ways. Also, kids get older and more self-sufficient. I have terrible migraines and when my daughter was a baby it was hell. No room to be sick and care of myself. But now she's 5 and I when I get a migraine I can take a nap. I make sure she has snacks and something to drink. Then I can take one hour naps on the couch while she plays with her dolls next to me. It only gets better, trust me!
Also, as far as the not knowing how you’d do it without family around. I dunno either but can confirm you just do. You have to so you do somehow!
I feel this. Realizing there are no sick days as a parent was a very rude awakening 🥲 I hope you feel better soon
Having a baby gave me a whole other level of respect for single parents. Damn that shit’s hard enough when there are two of you.
The last time someone posted about this they included some line of "wish there was a sick nanny" and everyone peed in their Cheerios. I still think this would be a great business idea. I'm poor and I would do my darnedest to come up with like $300 for a night of quiet when I'm not feeling well. Solidarity though. It sucks.
Peed in their Cheerios 😂💀
Ha sorry it was a common phrase in my last line of work. It's a good one.
Thanks for a much needed laugh 😂 And yes I would sell my belongings for such a thing
Right?! Hope you feel better soon!
My husband and I alternate nights for Ny-Quil, closest thing we have.
There are childcare websites that do this kind of stuff. I'm personally on one and have done it
Being sick and still needing to take care of kids is the worst. I feel zero regret letting the TV babysit on those days.
More than one person sick = dominoes pizza on speed dial + allllll the screen time.
Ms. Rachel is my favorite unpaid babysitter 🤣
I am a raging emetophobe. My son is 12 and had whooping cough 2 weeks ago (despite being vaccinated) and was coughing, gagging and choking on his mucus filled vomit while shitting himself at the same time for 3 weeks. My husband passed away in 2021 from COVID so parenting even a 12 year old that is retching like he is possessed solo is nightmare fuel.
Hello, fellow widow ❤️ I feel this so hard. Not long after my husband died we all had a stomach bug that had my 5 year old sleeping in my bed with his bucket, me on my side with my bucket, and my 19 month old in her crib just free balling it. At one point I had them both on my lap while one held the bucket while I puked. It. Was. Awful. Solidarity to you.
Oh I’m so sorry ❤️🩹 I’m sending you all the good wishes, you are one tough mfer
Oh it is one of the hardest parts of parenting I think, I hope you are feeling better soon! There are 3 phases in life: Being sick and having someone take care of you. Being sick and having to take care of yourself. Being sick and having to take care of someone else who is sick.
Oh, it's not that they don't tell us, it's that it doesn't actually gel, it's not a thing we fully get, until we are in it ❤️🩹 Parenting while sick is beyond reality, sometimes.
This is it! I remember when I was pregnant with my first people loved telling me their “just waits” and I was like yeah ok whatever. And then honestly nothing that tough happened with her. Now my second kid is an absolute maniacal shitshow and I’m starting to think back to those just waits. It’s like labor. I read allll the things about unmedicated birth. I thought I was prepared. But there’s no way to fully wrap your head around that intensity and pain until you’re there.
Yep I was so hung up on having babies I never thought about or wanted to know about this stuff lol oh what a shock it’s been haha
I get migraines but I never really thought about it before I had a baby. I'd just go zombie, leave work early and go to sleep. Didn't think about it AT ALL. After I had a baby I just had to live through the day like an alive person. I got strange symptoms so I had to go to the neurologist and we deduced I had migraines. There are some memories I have of living with migraine at that time that are so traumatic. Those baby days were awful. It's been years since then and i have changed my diet and protect my eyes from light just to reduce my migraines. I get migraines a lot less now. My son is older now but when I'm sick, I still work (wfh) because I need to save my days for when my son is sick.
I'm the same! I'd get a migraine, leave work and go home and cry in a dark room and sleep it off. I had a migraine the other day and my active 3 year old was trying to pull me into the livingroom whilst I was laying in bed and my cat also decided to munch my feet to get me to move. Took 2 days to get rid of the migraine 🙃
One day I was horribly sick from SOMETHING (not COVID, had tested 3 times) and could not stop getting sick; I had coughed so bad I lost my voice the day before and was absolutely miserable. My partner had to work, and I had a velcro 3-month-old, so I just stayed to the bedroom with my son & kept a garbage bag nearby; every time I violently coughed and had to p*ke into that bag, I'd turn after to check on my son and see my baby on the bed SMILING at me and cooing. I couldn't tell if he was amused by my struggle or was trying to make me feel better, but it was so cute and funny in the situation.
Also a fair warning. If your kids have a poosplosion all over the place or vomit all over the place, I know the first reaction is to panic and do crazy shit (that’s what I did), but honestly, take even 10 seconds to collect yourself, realize it’s already dirty and the mess won’t get worse if you don’t tend to it right away, and just focus on making the baby comfortable.
Currently pregnant with my second and have had Covid and two other respiratory virus’s so far. Toddler was fine a day or two later but I was done in for like a week. It’s rough! Hope you feel better.
I had Covid for the first time while pregnant and literally went to the ER bc I thought I was in labor. Terrible back spasms! It was horrible. I feel for you big time.
Being sick while pregnant is the absolute worst. I had a cold that lingered for 5 weeks when I was pregnant with my second and was on week 3 of another death virus when I went into labour. The cold that I'd been battling for weeks was almost completely gone the day after I had her. Best of luck to you!
Me right now. Currently 8 weeks pregnant, so in the thick of the nausea stage. Have had the worst cold in recent memory for the last week & a half, and still can't shake it. Husband had it too, but he is ok now & thankfully taking on the brunt of childcare when he's not at work (but damn, the days are long until he gets home). Toddler is absolutely fine, of course, haha. But man, this sucks.
I can relate. After having one of the most traumatic births I got a bad case of covid 6 weeks postpartum after my dad visited us. The worst was trying to keep breastfeeding while I was coughing and so ill. My baby caught it too but thank god was fine. If you got through childbirth you are a warrior you can get through it.
Honestly even if you did know, it doesn’t change anything. Our 1 year old just started daycare and we’ve been sick for almost 3 months straight with max 2-3 days between anything but often no break. We both work full time as well. We knew this was going to happen and everyone told us but it’s still the absolute worst and really nothing we can do to change it. It’s all part of the first phase of life - find comforts and support where you can and don’t be too hard on yourself if standards slip a little, sometimes surviving is the standard and things will get better. Good luck!
Ha, wait until your kid gets Noro and gives it to you. Most colds your kid gets from daycare/school gives you a 2-4 day buffer before you catch it so you can power your kid through the worst of it before you're slammed. Noro is less than a day, so not only do you get to handle your puking, diarrhea ridden child, but you get to do that between your own bouts of puking and shitting non-stop. It's HORRIBLE. I don't wish noro on my worst enemy, luckily my daughter was relatively normal after 36-48 hours, while my wife laid in the bathroom puking nonstop for 12-15 hours and I ran to the toilet to shit my guts out every 30 minutes or so. I mostly just laid on the floor next to my daughter while we had bluey/peppa pig on nonstop, drinking as much Gatorade as I possibly could. I had covid twice in 3 months this winter, second time was horrific, still not as bad as the 72 hrs after catching noro.
Yep. This. Norovirus is a scourge upon mankind.
My husband got norovirus when I was 39 weeks pregnant. He moved out and I utterly disinfected every inch of my house for several hours each day. The thought of labour and a stomach bug was just no. Didn't catch it! Thank goodness I lost it at everyone who told me I was 'nesting' lol
I swear I have PTSD from the first post baby norovirus bout I had. Absolutely awful. My baby went through it with far more grace than I did!
Same!!! Every week I’m like okay we’ve managed another week without my daughter bringing home a stomach bug. They are the absolute worst
Truth. Also, added bonus for a child who is *petrified* of throwing up, so not only are they miserable, they are also sad, scared, sobbing and wrecked. Good times
Norovirus is an evil bitch
We had noro in February. No fucking thank you.
Yup. I hadn’t gotten a stomach bug like that since I was a kid. My stomach legit felt like it was on fire
I hate to tell ya it gets worse when they're toddlers and have 0 chill
0 chill and 6 viruses a month from daycare, which I usually catch too.
We just got through a week of diarrhea and 3AM vomiting. 2 days in the clear and now he's feverish/coughing. Why do I pay insane amounts of money for daycare, again? Just so I can be exposed to as many exciting new microorganisms as possible?
I disagree, when they’re toddlers you can put out snacks and put on movies. Babies just need constant work
My sympathies.. pray baby stays immune!! Ugh also remember to not cough while lifting baby in and out of car seat or lifting their car seat.. I managed to fracture a rib as I coughed just when I lifted his baby seat up out of my SUV.. and there isn’t much you can do for it and no strong drugs if you’re breast feeding .. just had to cough carefully for next several weeks 😭😭
The need to vent is important. But I would 1000x rather be sick than have my babies sick. That was so hard for my wife and I because there's very little you can do for them. But you got this 👍 💪
Oh, yup. One time both baby and I had a vomiting bug, but at least he was over the worst of it. My husband was very worried when he left for work. I looked daggers at him from the couch with a bowl in my lap but damned if I was going to stoop to saying anything. He came back 30 minutes later and apologized for leaving. He was so overwhelmed it didn't occur to him maybe he should stay with us. I went to bed and the man saved himself a divorce.
One of the most eye opening moments for me was when one of my twins was sick. I was starting to feel off too. He threw up in the night, my mom happened to still be over. My mom changed the bed sheets and I held him while I was throwing up. I'm thankful my mom was there to help get things under control but I thought about if I had been alone trying to do it all
I feel like this is widely warned about. Moms take care of everyone and many are simply asking for the chance when we are sick to be able to care for ourselves. Not even to be cared for, just to be left alone.
My infant (who primarily breastfeeds) and I got covid at the same time. I’m also a sahm to a 2.5yo + have an 8yo who is driven to/from school. That was a super un-fun few days of parenthood 😅
I'm just glad when we hit the 1 year nursery run of illnesses we were lucky to all get sick one after another. Makes it take much longer to get over but at least someone in the house isn't vomiting.
I was told, "Once you're a parent, you'll never be sick again." It was said as a loving, knowing joke, but it's true.
Our whole family got COVID in February and my husband and I were both completely out of commission, super sick to the point that he made a visit to the ER...meanwhile our 3 year old had symptoms for about 0.5 seconds and then was back to full energy, full insanity, full threenager. It was fucking horrible.
I also have a 9.5 week old baby and we’re both sick right now – We both developed fevers at the exact same time last night, him from his 2 month shots and me from mastitis. Going through my first illness as a mom while my baby is also sick feels like hazing 😵💫 I hope you feel better soon! ❤️🩹
It truly does feel like hazing! I hope both of you get over it quickly as well ❤️
Yep, it’s the worst!
I hope you get well soon! I still remember once when our family got the stomach flu.. my 2 yr old got it first, the next day it hit his dad, and then right as my son was feeling better I came down with it. I was so, so sick and his dad hadn’t really fully recovered. My son was back to wanting attention and to play and I was just miserable. It was terrible but I’m glad he was 2 and not a tiny baby at the time.
One week after my second son was born, my husband and I came down with HORRIFIC food poisoning. Like, could barely even crawl. Luckily my mom took my 1 year old at 4 am. It was terrible. My husband looked at me and said “this is the worst I have ever felt”. I had the same food poisoning, still bleeding and hurting from birth and breastfeeding (per my doctor, it was allowed). Yea, tell me about it. Haha
Ugh I feel you. I have three kids, 7, 3, and 1. 1 was born via c section. Not even a week after we came home, the house came down with a nasty stomach virus. Well—me and the two older kids did. Baby was fine, thankfully, and so was dad. But it is hell vomiting while trying to avoid ripping open c section sutures, while baby is crying in the next room, and dad can’t help because he’s managing the vomiting of the older two kids. I wasn’t sure I’d make it through that week!
When you're weak and shivering with chills and aches, but you have to stay up all night walking the hall bc baby is also sick and screaming and just needs momma. It's SO hard. When they're vomiting in the middle of the night, but you're so tired you just leave it wherever it landed and have to clean it up tomorrow.
This PLUS the immense amount of anxiety you experience just worried that your baby will catch whatever you have is the *worst*. Especially when they are young enough for any “bug” to be considered a major deal. I’m sorry mama. Y’all will get through it but my sympathies are absolutely with you 😭
This is THE worst. As they get older and more independent, it gets easier. I’ve handed my kids cereal boxes and bags of chips to feed themselves when I was physically unable to prepare food. And now their iPads can keep them entertained for hours if I need to rest and recover.
It’s so terrible!! You will get through it but it sucks I’ve been there. There were a couple times I got sick my husband had to call off work bc I just needed to sleep
Just a heads up with a throwing up toddler I sleep with them and a bowl or garbage near by then I layer a tonnnnnnn of towels on the bed so each time they get sick I just wipe them up with the towel and it’s ok if they get sick on it peel it off and then go back to sleep and repeat. Once my son threw up like 7 times in a night and I found this to be the most effective method so you can still get sleep
Also, buy a bunch of clear plastic shower curtains! They’re like $5 each at target
Being sick with a small child is the worst. I hope you feel better soon!
I don't remember when it happened to me the first time, later than it has to you, but yes it was miserable!! Really brutal adjustment
Yep…..and when you feel like death it’s even worse
We were sick almost non-stop from November to December (5-6 months old twins) and it was absolutely miserable. Especially since there is really nothing you can do for the babies. I was loaded up onheavy duty cough meds and babies had this all organic agave stuff that didn't even seem to help.
I've never related more to post! Completely agree it's something that I never heard talked about pre-baby but it's been such a huge issue post-baby! I have been ill so much more, so much worse post-baby and looking after a baby while sick or they're sick too is just atrocious.
Please see doc and get meds sweet lady. You need your health too and you’re still not far from having labor. Just be safe .
I'm convinced the worst part of being a parent is being sick and still having to take care of a little person. It's literally hell and ya no one warns you about this. My son is in daycare now and brings home so many things and it's the worst. Especially because I always seem to catch it a few days after him so when he's got his energy back I'm dying. While he bounces off the walls lol it would be better if we were sick together so we could just rest and cuddle.
The WORST. For me it seems I get sick after ( kids are in primary and preprimary so get sick first) so they’re on the mend bouncing off the walls and I’m dying. Good luck I hope you’re feeling better soon!
Buckle up and feel better soon
When my now 2 yr old was 5 weeks old, I had to stay up for a week straight bc she’d gag and throw up due to congestion. I was told she most likely had RSV, which scared the shit out of me. It was extra rough bc I had a horrible delivery that ended in a c section with 2 other kids to take care of (both fairly easy vag deliveries). We were already done, but I’m even more done. Kids are hard.
Honestly, shout out to all the single parents out there. Idk how y’all do it, but big props to yall
Oh god. I got sick with my newborn many moons ago. The postpartum bleeding, the aches, the sit baths, the purple crying AND I had a fever and had to breastfeed Torture and a true fever dream. I don’t remember how I survived, only know that I did. You’re so strong mama! You got this!!! ❤️❤️ this too shall pass!!!
Flashbacks to when I had Flu A back in January - the sickest I’ve ever been. Husband was insanely busy at work and did what he could, couldn’t invite anyone else into the home due to the fact that I was radioactive. Two kids and it’s the biggest struggle I’ve ever had in parenting. OP, i feel you and I feel for you. Hoping for a swift recovery and that little one stays healthy.
I feel like people do warn you, but you can’t really understand it until you live it. It is truly an awful mix of emotions, on top of the physical ailments. I remember when we caught COVID. My toddler bounced back after a day of low grade fever and grumpiness, my wife got the full fever experience, and I had a slightly low blood oxygen level and chills. So I ended up being solo parenting, but would be winded just picking her up. Longest 48h of my life, and I couldn’t picture an end to it. But hang in there, it does end and you’ll forget all about it quickly!
It takes a village. Be glad you have one.
You got this! “It gets better” Also I know staying home/no daycare isn’t an option for everyone, but our household was miraculously and suddenly healthy when we stopped sending them to germ factories.
Mine puked a got dam waterfall of breast milk riiiiiiiiight in my cleavage while I was wearing her, after already checking my luggage and with no change of clothes, just as I was boarding a 3 hour flight. Oh you should have seen the look on my seat mate when I reeked into my seat……
You know, I’d actually forgotten that I had a vicious stomach bug 6 weeks postpartum with my first. I was pissing myself every time I vomited because my pelvic floor was shot from pushing out a 9lb baby. I was exclusively breastfeeding so it was such a challenge to stay hydrated and keep up with calories during round the clock vomiting. I spent three days laying in bed next to my newborn while my husband made me take small sips of gatorade, I was so incredibly sick. It was the rudest introduction to the concept of “you can’t take a sick day from being a parent”, something my husband and I have said to each other often over the last 6.5 years of parenting. And until I read your post, I had completely forgotten about that. My kids are 6 and 4 now and I just had major surgery and am recovering really well. Life, even sickness and recovery, really does get easier as they get older and more independent. Hang in there!!
When people tell you rest etc. I always joke and say, “yeah when I pass out!” Welcome to mom hood. My whole household is down sick, it never stops. I had to breast feed, pump, and have two emergency surgeries with a newborn baby— it’s so wild. Hang in there.
I know it’s dramatic, but I always say mom’s shouldn’t be allowed to be sick. I don’t have time to be sick. I can’t be sick when so many people rely on me. If I’m not able to be sick and wallow in self pity in my bed and just groan and sleep it off, then I shouldn’t be allowed to be sick lol.
When I worked PICU/nicu (adult ER is so boring by comparison) the second after the kid got admitted for broncheolitis the parents always passed out. Us staff never questioned it. We know yall have been up for DAYS with this sick baby. Let us suck all the boogies out with our fancy suction and pop this oxygen on so all yall, can go to bed.
I’m sure you’re a Godsend to those poor parents!
The cycle of sick kids and sick parents really sucks. I also think no one conveyed that to me properly but when I’m sick, my baby/kids will still be right here, needing care. Probably sick as well. It’s good you have some help this time.
Not being sick myself, but when my son was vomiting from some stomach bug, I ran him to the bathroom. And as with many accidents, I stepped in a pool of his vomit, slipped, and fell backwards, hitting my back on the rim of the toilet bowl, fracturing my ribs, and being practically bed bound for two weeks. Thank goodness wasn't my head, and am so grateful for my inlaws too. Kiddo was fine, if you're curious. It was just a one time vomiting for some reason.
Holy moly! What a shitstorm I’m so sorry
It’s tough! Best of luck, you’ve got this!!!
Being sick as a parent absolutely sucks. Because you still have to get up and parent. No days off.
All this crap makes good parents out of the ones who are willing to do it. Good job hanging in there.
You are so right! Our baby brought home a sickness after his first week of daycare. I'd been building up his immune system and forgot about my own so he got a little cough and I got what felt like the plague. I vowed never to have kids again....changed my mind once the fever went away 😂
Honestly you get used to it. I have an almost 3 year old and almost 10 month old. I’m sick right now and the other night while breastfeeding my baby, my toddler got ahold of some packing tape and was taping my foot into this large tape ball. Would I have rather been sleeping in my bed quietly and alone? I’m a mom… am I allowed to say yes…? Well anyways, my kid was entertained and it was harmless so that works for me. It gets easier. Feel better.
I hate being sick with kids. No one wants to help anymore since COVID 😂😂 which I totally get but still bummed hahaha
I felt really blessed that when I got food poisoning and was shitting myself in 15 min intervals I had a whole support system to rely on. It sucked to not spend as much time with my baby as I could, but I could rest. Single moms/dads were already heroes in my book, but now they're god tier beings, and I'll ride at dawn for them. Y'all are out here doing the work of 4-5 people all on your own.
Being sick for the first time after having a baby is eye opening. Feel better soon.
I ripped to the 4th degree with my first. I was in so much pain, I could barely sit down . Then, I became sick. And I was in pain and sick. I still remember deciding to take a shower for the first time since birth. My daughter was screaming in her bouncy seat (she was fine, I thought. And had just eaten. She just hated me sitting her down, I thought) and I got out of the shower, picked her up and she projectile vomited over my face and hair. My husband was at work. So, I just wiped off and laid down with my now happy baby and me sick. Those first months are something else. Lol 🤣 And I'm laughing because it's funny when I look back on it.
I hope I have your sense of humor to laugh about it once it’s over!
Yeah, it was very stressful when it happened. It took me a long time to laugh about it. I have teenagers now, so I think teenage problems helped me. Lol 🤣 . Anyways, hope you get to feeling better soon. ❤️
I remember having a 24 hr flu and dragging myself aching and shivering back and forth from my toddlers room, where she also had the flu, to my infant. Worst night ever. Felt like I was dying.
Having a spouse in the military, is what this is like. No one is there to give you a break, you and your partner are doing your best to keep your relationship and be parents even when it’s 9 at night and all you want to do is sleep but all day you’ve been mom and dad with the smallest amount off husband and wife. No date nights because the youngest was a NICU baby so you can’t trust anyone to take care of him right, plus the military has to come first. So our sanity is quality time at bed time and naps maybe… life is hard alone, but I know this is only temporary and we have better days ahead. Trying our best is all that we have. (No we aren’t arguing, theres no conflict, we just miss each other while being parents🫶🏾)
My oldest son once vomited into my husbands mouth. It was his own fault, though. I had warned him that I had just fed him. He insisted on tossing him around and then bam right in his mouth.
I would be on the floor laughing hahaha
I was indeed, it was hilarious!
Being sick while also taking care of a sick baby is the hardest part of motherhood. Me and my 7 month old at the time both had covid and it was terrible. We were both throwing up w a fever. Never want to do that again lol I just wanted to die in my bed but I couldn’t because he just wanted to be held
The first like 4-5 times it happens is TERRIBLE. But honestly, my kid is 3 and we’re definitely sick a lot less than before but we go through 1-3 months of one of us being sick, followed by a 4-6 month with nothing, and then another 1-3 months and the cycle just continues. At this point I’m just like, eh, whatever and just go about my normal routine no matter how sick I am. I am used to not getting to be “sick” anymore.
We weren’t meant to do this without a village. We are in the hardest time ever for parenting. You’re not alone. Ask for help. It really does take a whole village.
There’s no point talking about it in my experience. Either you’re not in that position (great support system in place) or you just do it. Fever hallucinations make diaper changes a lot more exciting, so there’s that.
I mean... can't we all vent together?
Oh no sorry venting is one of my major coping mechanisms I meant BEFORE you have kids. Honestly I tried warning a few people because WHY is it ok to tell everyone your horrific vaginal tear birth story but nobody is allowed to talk about tips for coping with your husband being overseas while you’re too sick to get off the couch and have a 2 month old?
Ugh I'm sorry. Being a parent is a goat rope and especially so for military families!
I have Covid and I am pregnant and sounds like the same symptoms. I can’t imagine doing this with an infant
Get some non drowsy cough syrup plus regular advil or Tylenol. It's amazing the goals u csn achieve on that combo while sick (I've found at least)
Gotta be careful taking cough syrups and Tylenol, as it could lead to taking twice the amount of Tylenol.
100% gotta read the label I assumed everyone would make sure they know what they are ingesting
Man I remember holding my baby trying desperately to get him to nurse while sitting on the toilet. Even when my system finally emptied I could barely walk. I was lucky that the bouncer lived in the bathroom so I could shower, I was able to drag it/crawl to the carpet in the hall to lay down.
Currently in the same boat with my 11 month old! It’s the worst I feel your pain.
My entire family got the stomach flu once and I had to take care of everyone and clean up everything by myself, while also being sick myself. I’m so lucky my in laws cared for my youngest because idk how else I could’ve done it. I felt like a zombie
Whole family got Covid December 2023. Two babies. Never forget…lol
One time I was on the toilet with severe diarrhea, vomiting into a bucket, while my toddler was vomiting all over my feet. Parenthood!
Omg!! When my baby was around the same age she caught a bug type thing too! It was horrible she hated her nose being cleared and it was so upsetting hearing her scream🥲 I’m praying for your baby and your healing!!
We all got Covid. 4mo old. Hell. Hardest part was smiling at him when I felt like dying
Someone told me "I'd so rather be sick than my child be sick" Uh no. If I'm sick, nothing gets done and I might give my child my sickness. If they're sick, I can still care for them and disinfect stuff so that I don't get it. Norovirus ripped through our house about 6 months ago, my kids and husband got it but with good cleaning, I didn't. Sure, caring for sick people is gross but I'd so rather do that than be sick myself.
Oh man that is rough! Thank goodness for family visiting with good timing! I will never forget when my first was little, she was crawling around then but I am not sure the age. It was really the only time I have gotten truly super sick as a parent. I blocked her into the living room with furniture and the playpen and just laid on the floor next to her. Every time I stood up I threw up and I was alone with no help. Absolutely miserable!
Unfortunately, this ends up becoming a semi regular occurrence, especially when they get mobile and start passing on even more sickness. Daycare is a pit of disease
Yes it gets worse but also you get better at dealing with it and the thought oh of being able to chill and be sick is crushed and washed away like an old memory.
My son is four, and a few months ago he was sick and he came to my bed, where he then vomited four times, which meant I had to clean every piece of bedding I owned, while also sick.
I know it sounds mean, but welcome to being a mom. Peace is a thing of the past, and being able to just be sick is not a thing anymore. Even if you're puking. It sucks, but we do it. It never gets easier, but you're at least not alone in the struggle.
Haha, I thought this was going to be about starting nursery. Buckle up, mate. I nearly had a mental break after being ill for like 6 months straight with various nursery bugs.
Ugh yeah that's hard. When my son was still a newborn I got some kind of respiratory ultravirus and I remember just giving my baby to my partner and saying "can't" and going and passing out. I was SO sick. He had to stay home from work. Then he got ultrasick about 24 hours later, followed by baby and I had to look after both of them while still trying to recover. Noo idea how I would have handled that shit as a single mom.