Learning to be sick as a mum

This past week was flu season for my family. My kid came home from school on Monday hot as a cooking pot and she was coughing up a storm. That was the beginning of the whole experience. Of course, my husband and I took up the job of nurturing her back to health with help from medical practitioners and my mum in-law. 

When a kid becomes sick, it is easy to get engrossed in caring for the child that you forget about yourself. Usually when my daughter or anyone else is sick in my house, I get the other members of my family on immune boosters so that they are not affected by whatever is in the air. But this time around, I was in the thick of it that I forgot about all that. So, as my baby was getting better, I picked it up. As I write this, I am huddled up under a blanket with a bang on my head. I do not feel well at all.

However, this is not a new feeling for me. I have been sick at intervals in the past months. A lot of times I get tired from work or just exhausted from having to do so many things. But I try not to complain. Or I say it in the moment and the next minute, I get back in the grind. I have mastered the art of being sick. It’s a rite of passage. Every mum does it. We never really succumb to how tired we are or how ill we are feeling in our body. We just soldier on.

This time around, I couldn’t do it. I was so sick that I couldn’t even open my eyes. I could not make dinner nor attend to my daughter. So, I had to rely on my husband to care for me and for our family. And when I could open my eyes, I told my daughter how sick Mummy is. She prayed for me and stayed by my side as though trying to watch me get better.

You already know this, but I am going to reiterate it anyway; we don’t have to be strong all the time. The truth is, we cannot be strong all the time. So, before you get to a breaking point, get the help that you need so that when you feel down, nothing falls through the cracks.

Also, men and women aren’t wired the same. You are gonna have to tell him how you feel (and maybe what you need) so that he knows how best to support and nurse you back to health.

Children are more understanding than you think. You can talk to them about what you are feeling (depending on their age). If you are not vulnerable with your kid and your husband, who else would you confide in?

Please get the rest that you need. I love you.