Wow, it has been a while! My apologies for the length of time between posts, but life has been more than a little hectic. I'll give you all a quick recap of what we've been up to since August, then on to today's topic! We spent 5 long weeks in Barrie, we touched down for 2 weeks back home, then it was off to Collingwood for 4 weeks. That brought us to mid-October... so that was Thanksgiving then K's First Halloween (which, thanks to mother nature, we spent at Toronto's brand new Aquarium- amazing by the way). We welcomed November with a trip to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and then there were 4 days of parenting twins (K and his cousin G- who is only 3 days younger), which was no easy feat- thank goodness for Grammie! Let's see, we also had K's 6 and 8 month appointments, a round of flu shots for the family (shameless plug: get your flu shot!), D's Residency Application deadline, 3 baby teeth, Christmas Holiday planning, 8 month sleep regression, Christmas shopping and K's first fever! Whew. At the beginning of this paragraph, I was just using it as an easy excuse- because who's going to call out the mum of an infant? Haha. But, seriously. Life really has been hectic.
There's nothing like a sick baby to bring even the most confident parent to his/her knees. Unfortunately for us new parents, no two babies get sick in the same way, which means the majority of advice (both solicited and not) is rendered useless the second you try to implement it with your own bundle of joy. That's right, baby sickness is a right of passage for new parents, and as such, must be conquered by using your most basic maternal/paternal instincts (and a lot of coffee)!
I remember in the very early days of mummyhood worrying about baby sickness... "What if I don't realize he's sick?""How will I know if he has a fever?""What if I don't know what to do?""Will comforting a sick baby come naturally, or will I have to force it?". You would think that having a med student as my parenting partner in crime would provide some solace, or at the very least help to calm those (sometimes) irrational new mum fears, but it didn't and it doesn't.
I must preface this by saying that D tries to keep is daddy-goggles on when he is at home, and only busts out the doctor-goggs when I demand it. He has to balance his own unique conflict between being a doctor (to-be) and daddy, and I can't even imagine how tough that may be at times.
Don't get me wrong, D is wonderful, and is going to make a fabulous family doctor (in less than 6 months.. eek soo excited- I digress, sorry.). His diagnoses are almost always bang on, and he can tell me the proper course of treatment (complete with the research evidence to back it up). While the rational, evidence-based side of me is always impressed with my impromptu doctor's consults, the mummy in me doesn't want to hear "There's nothing to be done for fever, the evidence shows we just have to offer fluids and let it run it's course. We can give Tylenol for discomfort though". Gah, how frustrating. While I know he's right, a typical mum could come home and complain to their husband about how the doctors won't do anything for their feverish, sad, cranky, uncomfortable baby. Here I am, sitting at home on the couch beside the guy who is telling me what I don't want to hear. It must really suck for him though, because when K is sick I can totally see his daddy hat, peeking out from behind the stethoscope, feeling horrible that his little guy is down for the count, and wishing that there was something to be done. Regardless, doctor-daddy has saved us countless long nights sitting in emerge, and for that we are pretty lucky.
But on a lighter note, I never realized how many mummy skills I got to practice as a child growing up on a farm. It never ceases to amaze D the kinds of parallels I am able to draw. For example, K is currently experiencing a nasty case of conjunctivitis or as I like to call it "kitten eyes". On the farm, our little baby kittens used to get sick (with who knows what) and occasionally their poor little eyes would glue shut. We would use warm water and a washcloth to unstick them. This feat was not for the faint of heart, as those scared little kittens had dagger claws that they were not afraid to use. Just this morning, I found myself with a warm washcloth, carefully wiping in an attempt to unglue my poor baby's eyelids, and like the kittens he used his baby talons to let me know that he too was scared and not ok with what I was doing (my poor arms and face took the brunt of it). However, when all was said and done, he was much happier to be able to see me and he quickly forgot the whole ordeal (just like the kittens). Now if only I could get my hands on some CefaLak (farmer joke).. Kidding! But we may go tomorrow to pick up some polysporin eyedrops if it doesn't start to clear up on its own by then.
Since K's first fever which lasted three looooong, sleepless nights, he has had a variety of other minor ailments, most currently his "kitten eyes". I must say that I am becoming better at recognizing sickness and tending to my sick little guy. However, seeing him sick still breaks my heart a little (and I don't forsee that changing). So if I could go back and offer "new-mum-me" some unsolicited advice, it would be don't worry too much about baby sickness. It is going to happen, and you WILL know when it does. In fact, there will be no mistaking it, babies are wonderful at letting you know when they don't feel well. As for comforting the sick baby, it will come just about as naturally as breastfeeding (haha). You will need to practice, practice, practice, and just when you think you have figured it out... the baby
will demand something totally different. Don't stress, just roll with it. Grab your bottle of infant tylenol and "Be Ready" (thanks Tylenol Commercial). But in all seriousness, having a sick baby is tough, there is no getting around that. However, when my little guy wakes me up for the 4th time tonight because he feels crappy and his eyes are glued shut, I will hold him tight and give him an extra long snuggle, because he won't be this small for very long, and at this moment all he wants is his mama. Just what the doctor ordered.
Until next time!
-A
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| Happy Holidays Everyone! |
