We walked outside, the cool crisp air was fresh, a light breeze brushed my cheeks and the sun was peaking through the clouds. It was a perfect 75º Sunday for football in Southern California. Michael was cooperating greatly for an outing and we managed to find a table with both of our football games in view. Woo hoo! We order bbq wings and a chicken quesadilla (because it’s football and there’s lots of protein in wings right?) As we’re sitting there stuffed, I’m sipping on an ice water and start to feel really cold. I continue to sip on my water (I drink a gallon a day) and it’s just making me feel worse. At this point it’s barely half time and I’m ready to tap out and head home, I felt like absolute crap! Knowing all these signs were leading me to the depths of snotty, coughing, painful torture I needed soup and some hot tea ASAP. Kevin finished watching the games while I went conveniently next door to get some miso soup and green tea with Michael. Finally we make it home and the bed called me straight to sleep.
The next morning getting out of bed was nearly impossible. Before Michael, I would have taken a nice dose of NyQuil and slept all day long. A girl can dream right? Nose was stuffed shut, body was aching, fever was on its way and my throat was torturing me. Yay Monday’s! Michael, bless his wonderful soul, was screaming, hungry and naturally extra needy that day. It always seems to happen that way, doesn’t it?
How I repeat HOW as a mom are we suppose to get through this and survive!? No one knows how we do it, but we do. If men even attempted to move a muscle while sick, who am I kidding they don’t move a muscle while they’re sick. We though are expected to still remain a fully functioning adult from nursing and entertaining a baby all day, being a partner and making sure our dripping nose isn’t over every piece of furniture in the house. A key to getting better is having an understanding partner to help out as much as they can so you can get better fast. Not everyone lives in this perfect bliss so I’ve come up (lived through) with some helpful tips to get you back to functioning above 60%. I am not a medical professional. I’m just telling you what works for me to kick sickness in the butt without a visit to the doctor office (ew).
1. Stock up your nutrients
- Sounds crazy and obvious but getting extra vitamins helps so much! You’re already deprived from the sleep you need to get well, substitute it with vitamins. I usually take 2000-4000mg of vitamin C daily while I’m sick (in pill form).
- Air Born! Will help avoid all the viruses your susceptible to while your immune system is down. At the first sign of a cold coming on I take airborne 2-3 times a day. Best way to deal with being sick is to prevent it!🤔
- Orange juice with vitamin D. I will drink half a gallon a day when I’m sick. Not only is it a good source of vitamin C and D, it has sugar to give you energy. As a mom ya still gotta change those diapers and keep the baby happy. You need a little sugar. 😘
- Heart healthy Campbell’s soup and some crackers. I’m a classic and go for the home style chicken noodle. You get nutrients, carbs for energy and that broth does wonders for a cough, sore throat and aching heart. 💝
- If you’re nursing you can’t take much over the counter so getting a vitamin supplement and rest is key to getting better. What ever over the counter you get approved for take. With my virus I only took Sudafed PE with fever reducer.
- H2O all day! Drink and drink and drink as much water as you can. Keeping hydrated is so vital to healing your zombie body. Especially if you’re nursing and taking any decongestants!
2. Set up a sick shop on your couch
- Having a 3 month old who doesn’t like to stay in one spot for long doesn’t make it easy to “rest “. Having a pillow and big comfy blanket to make a bed on the couch is what works best for me. I place him on various entertainment pieces like his playmat, or bouncer right next to me. Doing this takes the pressure off of me to constantly be with him.
- I top my Brita off and grab a column of crackers and bring them over to my coffee table.
- Any medicines, tissue/toilet paper, Airborne and cup, and my orange juice go to the table as well.
- Things the baby might need a burp rag, bottles and formula, diapers and wipes anything you can’t think of bring on out to your table too.
- Don’t forget the good ol’ Vick’s too. Some mentholated salve under and around your nose, on your throat and chest will help open up the airways.
Setting up a “sick shop” on the couch is going to keep you from walking to refill your water, grabbing a diaper and help you stay on the couch to give your body the rest it needs. Minimal movement equals more rejuvenation.
3. Drop the guilt
Easier said than done, I know. We as moms are reluctant to do anything for ourselves. Everyone and everything comes before our “me” time, and this expectation needs to be thrown out the window when we are sick! We have such high expectations on us from society to be perfect mothers, it is impossible to keep the house clean, have the kids entertained, have all meals cooked, laundry done and a cup of coffee while we can function; let alone when it takes every ounce of our being to move a muscle. Those dishes piled up, the laundry that doesn’t NEED to be done can wait. What a great time to look like a cool mom too. There are times to pick your battles and when you are sick isn’t one of those times. Kids ask if Cheez-its and cake are ok for dinner, yes yes they are! A few meals that aren’t perfect Pinterest worthy will be just fine and you’ll score some redemption points for being a bum on a couch for a few days. Woo hoo! I only managed to do this for a day and a half before I started going mental with an imperfect house but I buckled myself down on my couch fort and binged Netflix. You can’t see a mess if you’re watching TV, right?
4. Take a WARM bath
As soon as Kevin came home from work when I was on the death couch, I would run and draw a bath. I say warm but really it is as warm as you can tolerate. This being because the only way it will work is for the water to raise your body temperature enough to sweat. If you chose one not as hot it will only benefit the relaxing factors more than the quicker healing effects.
These are what work for me. Obviously your kids will bring home a virus and it will inevitably get to you. For my first time it happened the opposite way. I got Michael sick and felt SO BAD and SO GUILTY. Exclusively feeding with a fever, cough, a runny nose like they just released the flood gates, I was praying he wouldn’t catch the awful cold but he did. Following the tips above to cold killing success I was back to functioning above 60% within a couple of days. If you are reading this and can feel a cold or sickness coming on, grab some Air-Born, a big glass of OJ and draw a hot bath asap mamma! Ever been sick as a mom? How did you cope with it? Leave a comment or send a message and tell me your sick mom stories. Dont forget to sign up for updates on my latest posts!
Remember: There will be so many times you feel like you’ve failed, but in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child you are super mom. -Stephanie Precourt