Well our first ever full-blown cold smacked us in the face and left us for dead. By 'us' I mean Amelie. I don't know why I use that stupid 'we' when I'm clearly referring to just Amelie, but I guess it's another mum-way-of-being.
So it started off as having a grouchy, clingy baby who wouldn't eat. I'm used to the grump albeit Amelie has been much happier lately since mastering sitting, I put the clinginess down to the fact that she has learnt to say mumma (and I did do a little happy dance that it came before dadda, and it totally did make me all gooey inside hearing her say it) but the loss of appetite is not characteristic of Amelie at all. Ever.
A few days later, snot. A whole load of it. At first I was quite grossed out - having to use a snot sucker to pump the snot out of your kids nose is not the one. Oh and on the note of honking out a load of mucus - I came across another bizarre thing. I tell Amelie 'well done' and continuously tell her she's being a good girl. Which A: is a lie and B: is more applicable to me. I'm the bloody one doing the job well - wrestling her ever moving head and fighting off her punches all in quest of some snot to relieve her! But I still find myself saying 'good girl' - she's screaming, kicking and punching me in the face..? How is that such exemplary behaviour worthy of praise ? So as I say, I was quite grossed out... Initially. Then I just felt bloody sorry for the bugger because she just couldn't work out that all she had to do was open her mouth and she'd sleep fairly soundly. But I'll come onto sleep (or lack of) in a bit. So my heart ached for this little nugget who was losing fluid from every orifice on her face. Her eyes were streaming, her mouth was like the Niagara Falls thanks to more teeth (she now has 9) and her nose was untameable so was being subjected to me and the dreaded nose sucker! She wouldn't eat, couldn't drink easily and everytime she got herself to sleep, she just woke up within minutes all bunged up.
All the cuddles. That was the way to fix it. I sat upright holding my child through 3 nights and 4 whole days. I'd elevated her with several pillows which did no good, I had sat in the shower with her (for the steam) five times to be exact which seemed to help there and then, but I just couldn't put her down. She could breathe whilst I held her, so that's what I did.
I on the other hand I did not sleep. I knew full well I'd end up getting her cold by the time she's better and still can't decide what's worse - caring for an ill child or being ill and caring for a well child. This has been an 'I don't want anymore kids' moment for sure. I again was at a loss as to how I can help poorly Amelie and I swear it's the worst feeling as a parent when you feel helpless! So I'll share some of the products I got that have been life savers!
To be honest 'I got' is a bit of a lie.. Between screaming, nose suckering, desperately trying to encourage fluid and rocking - I had woken Joe in the middle of the night to go to our 24 hour tesco and get 'the required items'.
Said required items were saline nasal drops as it thins the mucus so it flows out better, plug in Calpol vaporiser which lets out chamomile and lavender amongst other things to help with congestion and aid sleep, and more Calpol - you can never have too much of that stuff. For me all of these worked - coupled with baths and showers to relieve tension and congestion. Last night (about day 6 of the cold Amelie nearly slept through) so the vaporiser is a definite winner for me. I read in my parenting book that the life cycle of a cold is in 9 days - 3 days coming (the ratty, clingy not hungry stage) 3 days here (symptoms like runny nose, cough and temperature) and 3 days going (crusty bogey stage, nice) and it was so true she just changed over night after day 6. I'm ruined and also ill but the main point is that she's fine.
Ergh! What a horrible feeling it is seeing your little love unwell!
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