[ILovePie]

I'm feeling today like I really need to put my own needs before DS's and I don't know what to do. He's a very active 12m/o, so I can't just ask him to play on his own or something.

I have my umpteenth cold of this year and a cough and I'm tired. DH is in the busiest part of the year for work, so he can't even come home early. He came home early yesterday...which meant 7PM! Tonight he might be home at 6:30.

I feel terrible because DS deserves to get out and go to the park or something, and I just want to curl up and do something quiet. Or sleep.

What do you do when YOU are sick???

 

[meemee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILovePie I feel terrible because DS deserves to get out and go to the park or something, and I just want to curl up and do something quiet. Or sleep.

Dont guilt yourself by getting into the deserves trip. you need to take care of YOUR self or else there is no one really to take care of ds.

you will be surprised what little ones are capable of. just play it by ear and see how it goes.

my high energy dd stayed with me on the bed and hung out with all her books and toys i put on the bed and stayed with me. she nursed and slept most of the day with me. she stayed on the bed.

if that doesnt work out then its time to call a friend, a teenager to help and play with your son.

 

[hotmamacita]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILovePie I'm feeling today like I really need to put my own needs before DS's and I don't know what to do. He's a very active 12m/o, so I can't just ask him to play on his own or something. I have my umpteenth cold of this year and a cough and I'm tired. DH is in the busiest part of the year for work, so he can't even come home early. He came home early yesterday...which meant 7PM! Tonight he might be home at 6:30. I feel terrible because DS deserves to get out and go to the park or something, and I just want to curl up and do something quiet. Or sleep. What do you do when YOU are sick???

This is not going to make you feel better but I take care of my kids when I am sick. No, I do not go out when I am sick so they miss out on things but I just play with them at home, drink lots of fluids, rest, pray and wait til they nap or until bedtime.

Can you play with him a bit then put him down for a nap and then curl up yourself and rest?

Hope you feel better!

 

[mommariffic]

I just had food poisioning and spent my day puking, shivering, and sobbing

I'm not kidding
My husband took over at 5pm after work and I slept for like, 18 hours. Until then? We watched movies in bed --- I did NOT feel guilty for it. I needed to rest, and if I didn't I would have been ever more sick.

Let your kid relax, play independently, watch movies, etc and hand him over once your husband comes home.

 

[TinkerBelle]

Even a 12 month old can play by himself, with you supervising, of course, from the couch or even curled up on the floor. Also, he won't be scarred for life just because you took care of yourself for a day or two, instead of going to the park.

We mothers have needs too.

I don't get the "martyr" thing at all. If I have to pee, I go to pee. If I need a shower, I get one. If I need to eat, I eat. Of course, I have had to be creative with it all sometimes, but even if my children, as babies, cried for the few minutes it took for me to use the toilet, then so be it. If you hold your pee, you can get bladder infections. If you don't wash/shower regularly, not only will you smell, you can get sick from it. If you don't eat, you can get sick from that, too.

If you don't do your best to rest as much as you can and take care of your needs while sick, it could get worse. My BIL is such a workaholic that once, when he was sick, he didn't rest and ended up in the hospital.

 

[pauletoy]

Sorry you aren't feeling well.

Do you have a fully baby proofed room? If so, put a baby gate or some other road block at the door. Set some toys up in the floor, if you do tv set up a dvd, get your pillow and blanket and lay on the floor with baby. If you happen to dose off, baby will be in a safe room and if there is trouble you'll be right there.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[EzzysMom]

leave everyone's pajamas on, lay on the floor with my boobs exposed and try to keep my eyes open and on her. If I close my eyes she's sure to come shove a book in them

Order takeout/have DH pick something up on the way home, make sure to have soup.

 

[earthmama369]

I turn on the TV or radio for background entertainment, throw a bunch of toys on the floor, tell the kids I'm not feeling well and I need some quiet time to myself to help my body feel better, and I curl up on the couch (or the bathroom floor) and do my best to rest. If it's really bad, and he has any sick days left, dh takes the day off work.

 

[gkb2215]

Turn on the idiot box! We are generally a television-avoidant family, but when we're sick we park our 9-month-old in front of the t.v. and surround her with her toys. And we don't feel bad about it for one second

 

[ernalala]

So-called 'sick days': lying on the couch, having my kids play independently as much as possible, explain I'm ill/not well at all. Only making work of bathroom and food for both me and children, and very very basic. The WORST I had was two times pneumonia once with a baby, once with two under two at home. It's absolute hell. The second time I actually took ds2 in the buggy after I brought ds1 to pre-school by foot to the polyclinic 'nearby' (10 min walk is long for someone with this health problem) and got diagnosed 'pneumonia', once again. The Dr. ordered the service to bring me back home, guess I was lucky. I called dh to PLEASE come home asap if he could. He did, and initially got his boss angry but when she heard why he was about leaving all of a sudden she apologised. I also had other viral and bacterial infections which were also pretty bad and I was still the at home caretaker for me and children included :-(.
When dh is ill he can take sick leave and he has someone to help him out and look after the children 100 percent. The most 'unfair' about sahm is the part where you're getting ill.

 

[mamalisa]

If I'm that sick we don't leave the house, I order up sandwiches from delivery and we watch movies on the couch all day. I don't feel bad for one minute that I'm sick. I think my ds learned a lot about caretaking and understanding other people's needs when I had severe morning sickness that rolled right into bedrest. He's always been a caretaker, but once I was sick he was kind and helpful. He knew mommy needed to be left to rest and get better, just like I have done for him when he's sick.

No one wins if you push yourself too hard.

 

[peainthepod]

I try to power through it but I don't feel at all guilty for staying home and ordering food delivery and letting the housework go. When you're sick, you need rest. Sleep and rest are the most important ways our body fights illness, IMHO.

Feel better and be kind to yourself, mama. Don't let yourself feel guilty for even one second. A day (or three days!) inside watching DVDs and eating takeout never hurt any child.

 

[SmoothieMom]

I suck it up and just deal. I can't rely on my DH. Once when I was really really bad my sister came and took DD for a while, it's hard though she is EBF and I didn't even use bottles then.

 

[Heidi74]

We usually don't watch much TV, but on days that I'm sick the DVDs come on. It's only happened once this year (for about four days), but during that time I spent a lot of time lying on the couch, and DS watched a bunch of Signing Time DVDs and played with his toys. He seemed to understand that I was sick and we spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch. I napped any time he napped, and when he was awake we read a lot of books. DH also tried to come home from work early, and cooked dinner/did housework when he got home. He also took DS outside a lot on the weekend, since we'd been cooped up for a couple of days.

It's not easy, I know...but your goal should be just to get through it. Don't worry about not doing the things you usually do...not going outside etc. Just focus on feeding your child and doing the absolute necessities. Try doing some quiet activities together and don't be afraid to let the TV babysit during that very short period of time.

 

[GoddessKristie]

I have an ongoing illness and most days I am able to get DS outside and he plays around the house a lot, but when I'm having an especially bad day He comes in the bedroom with me and I close and lock the doors. I put him on the bed with me and put some cartoons on. He watches them some, but mostly just plays with a few toys that I bring in. Sometimes I doze off, so I made sure the room was completely safe for him and though he's 2 he can't open doors. At one I wasn't comfortable falling asleep with him in the room, though.
Kids bounce back so fast and I feel it's important for my DS to know that he is not the center of the universe every single day. Sometimes the day just HAS to be arranged around Mommy.
You're right that you need to care for yourself first.

 

[Emmeline II]

Sodium Ascorbate! Great for colds

:. I would get some vitamin D drops as well.