Surviving Sickness with Babies

Having sick children is never a good time for a family. Sleepless nights, sweet babies turned into cranky, out-of-sorts babies, and the ever-looming question of “How sick is too sick to go to the doctor?” all come crashing down at the same time. Sound terrible? It is …but there is something far worse lurking in the deep recesses of motherhood.

If you think sick children are tough, just you wait until momma gets sick.

With three children under the age of 7 and no family close by to help, I have found time and time again that, in our house, very little is quite so scary as the aftermath of a sick Kelly.

Thus, I have created 3 rules for surviving sickness when your children are well (after all, if your children are also sick, at least they’ll be de-energized and feel like cuddling):

1.      Let the reins on the house slacken, but DON’T LET GO.

I’ve fallen into this hole numerous times, and every time it looks just as ugly. I get sick, but by some small miracle the children don’t. This means that I have zero energy (in addition to nausea, etc.) while my children are literally bouncing off the walls.

The worst case scenario, which has played out in our house many-a-time, goes like this:  I have to lie down, as I am so sick I can barely function. I get Abigail and Sophia down for a nap, and let Lilly have some quiet time with her TAG pen or a movie. At some point during my nap, I hear Sophia wake up (distinguished by the sounds of little feet pattering down the hallway), but can’t fully rouse myself because, of course, I’m sick. When I do finally wake up, my living room, which was only in a moderate state of “toy-mess” when I laid down, now looks like this:

What I now try to do on days that I’m sick is the bare, bare minimum. This includes throwing one mandatory load of laundry in the wash, and trying to dirty as few dishes as possible. A snack of crackers and cheese, for instance, can be served on a paper towel at the table instead of a cute snack bowl.

2.      Take Out Food is Your Best Friend.

I used to make myself suffer quite a bit about this one, as I figured that with the family fighting off illness the last thing we needed was processed fast food.

I was wrong. Well, sort of.

There are some seriously great options in Dallas for take-out food that are affordable, healthy, and—most of all—yummy. Cowboy Chicken has locations all over Dallas, as does Zoe’s, Jason’s Deli, and Panera Bread. Oftentimes I’ll call in an order and tell Husband where and when food will be waiting for him to pick up on his way home.

3.      Accept help.

This one is always difficult for me, as I struggle with the dual faults of trying to be Donna Reed AND the feeling that if I ask anyone for help, I’m being terribly imposing.

What I’ve come to realize, however, is that when somebody offers to help you, it’s because they care. And the last thing you want to do when somebody is trying to show you they care is to tell them you don’t need their help.

This help comes in many forms, from taking Lilly to her co-op, to a meal, to simply calling and checking on me. [For all my friends out there – I appreciate you!]

With all of these steps, lots of luck, and a little rest, you should be back on your feet in no time.  Most of all, hopefully you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and WON’T have to worry about walking into your living room and doing this: