He smiled and waved at me as I left him at the daycare. This was a new feeling, not one either of us was used to – we were happy to be rid of each other’s company! The past week had been tough.
He had a viral fever which took its own sweet time to subside. The days (and nights) were spent cuddled together.
Mumma, can you please pick me up?
Mumma, can you please hug me?
Crying at the littlest of triggers, or no triggers.
And through it all, we had to be patient and calm. Of course, it came as no surprise that by the end of it we were all happy to get back to our daily routines; we (baby, dadda and Mumma) had certainly had enough of each other.
With the cold and flu season feeling like it’s never-ending (especially for younger children who are still building immunity), here are some important things to keep in mind that can help in dealing with illness, and making the time smoother for the child and everyone in the house.
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Know the basics. Our paediatrician, on one of the first few visits, gave us a list of common symptoms in babies and how to deal with them – without reaching out to her! Fever, cough, cold, vomiting, diarrhoea, and so on. She explained to us the normal time takes for symptoms to appear, peak and subside, and the medication to be given in each case. This gave me so much confidence, and it is definitely a must-do for all mums. Talk to your paediatrician and take a download of common things that you can manage on your own. It saves so much panic and chaos when illness strikes and you don’t need to worry about how soon you can get a doctor’s appointment!
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Read the signs. Each baby is different, they react differently to illness. As a parent, you need to be in touch with your child’s normal behaviour, normal diet, normal illness. Is he/she able to manage a minor fever? Does he/she give you signs of being extra cranky and/or extra lethargic? Some of the signs may be overt, some more subtle. I can tell by my son’s eyes when his temperature is about to rise, and he gets warm on his neck and palms before his forehead. These and other little signs are indicators given by our little ones, we just need to equip ourselves to read them and react appropriately.
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Don’t second guess yourself, or your doctor. There is always the adage that it is better to have a second opinion. But mums tend to take this to the next level and stress out over non-issues. Dr Google is the worst accomplice to have in this – you start out by searching for home remedies and finish by reading articles about “This Couple Ignored a Cough to Perilous Consequences” Oof, it’s a never-ending maze meant to induce anxiety. So take a step back, make sure you trust your doctor and your first instincts when it comes to dealing with a number of common illness that kids are bound to go through.
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Divide duties. My husband and I alternate our days off from work, rearrange meetings wherever possible, and make the best effort to divide the time we need to make for illness. People, and especially elders, like to lovingly say things like “bimari mein mummy hi chahiye” (in sickness, only the mother is needed). But we must resist this self-sacrificial mode. Fathers can be great at caring for kids too – if only we give them the chance! This one is not only applicable to working mothers, who tend to do this instinctively. Even as a stay at home mom, even if you’re used to managing everything for your kids by yourself when sickness strikes, you need to get the dads more involved just to give yourself a break.
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Slow down. As working mums, we’re always juggling schedules. Any free time is used to organize, cook, clean, plan, something. Days off from work are even more precious. But when that off is taken for a baby’s illness, it is important to remind yourself that there it’s ok to have a “non-productive” day. It is okay to not hit the 10k steps for a couple of days, and just sit with baby in your arms. No one is going to come and inspect your cupboard, your fridge, your emails and say you’re off course. Not when it’s a matter of a few days. It sounds like an obvious thing, but mums are crazy temperamental emotional creatures sometimes, and we need to be reminded that it is okay to slow down and just be.
This post was earlier published on the parent blogger community at MyCity4Kids (click here to read)
