I came down with a pretty bad cold the other day. I was laid up on the couch, drifting in and out of sleep, while my husband and our two girls played around me in the living room. I felt helpless. I wasn’t the one taking care of the children or maintaining the house. I was stuck on the couch while my husband gracefully managed the rest.
As a mama, I don’t know what’s worse. When you’re the one who gets sick, or your kids? Regardless, someone’s down for the count. This time it was me. It was Saturday morning when I woke up not feeling great. I knew I had come down with something. Thankfully, since it was the weekend, my hubby was home to help out and let me rest. However, when you have a six month old that still breastfeeds around the clock, it’s not like I ever got more than an hour or so stretch of sleep during the day. That’s what is tough in this season of raising littles. As a nursing mom, I make that sacrifice to provide for my baby over myself. It seems like a no-brainer, but when all you want to do is catch some sleep when you’re sick–it can be a challenge. Another thing with nursing and getting sick, is making sure I’m still drinking enough water and eating something throughout the day so my milk supply doesn’t drop. Also, refraining from taking over the counter (OTC) meds to help ease the congestion, fevers, etc. isn’t recommended while breastfeeding. I’ve actually been pretty great over the last few years about stopping all of the OTC stuff and taking a more holistic approach to my health.
There’s one brand in particular that I use when I think I’m about to get sick–Boiron. They are strictly a homeopathic medicine company. I’ve used the ColdCalm and SinusCalm (Amazon affiliate links) tablets and love how they’ve helped stop a cold in its tracks. It works best when you take it right at the start of your symptoms, not when you’re already snotting and coughing everywhere. I also load up on Vitamin C when I’m under the weather. Even though you might not want to eat or drink that much, it’s important to stay hydrated and eat better nutrients. It may be tempting to reach for the cookies or bag of chips when you feel ill, but if you eat the fruit and skip out on the super inflammatory foods then your body will thank you.
With a fever, pretty bad fatigue, and nasal decongestion for three days, I was ready to start feeling better. I woke up on day four with a renewed spirit. I wasn’t completely better, but I was functioning enough to be at home with the kids without any help, cook meals, and do a load of laundry. I still rested during nap times and took it easy even though my mind wanted to accomplish a ton of other things. I knew those things could wait another day or two. No need to push myself. If anything, getting sick like this was a lesson to give myself more rest! I told my husband that and he agreed. I’m not one who rests often, but maybe I need to be more intentional about incorporating a little more down time into my schedule–even if it’s just laying on the couch reading a book for thirty minutes.
In conclusion, thank the Lord for your health, mamas! It sure took a toll on me those days when I was down for the count. I just have to remind myself that a viral cold like I had will keep me down for several days and then life will resume like usual–but in the moment, it all but seems like you’re suffering and it won’t ever end. Anyone else second that? Thankfully, cold and flu season is coming to an end soon and warmer weather is on the horizon. Our chicks are loving the warmer temps we’re getting. Missed my last post about us getting baby chicks? Check out how We’ve Been Busy to get the recap.
Be blessed mamas, sisters, and friends–and stay healthy!
Leave a Reply