Last night we came home from the baby shower. I had a massive headache and an upset tummy, but I figured the glass of wine and beer I had were too much since I haven't been drinking at all. I fed the baby one more bottle and about three sips in, she erupted.
It was the worst thing I had ever seen. She couldn't control herself and was struggling to get it out without breathing it in. I had to roll her over and hold her face down so she wouldn't aspirate. I thought, oh yay, this is going to do wonders for my queasy stomach. I don't want to describe the horrors of the couch, her pjs, all the towels, etc. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of things that need washing when I can do more than sit up. I had to give her a bath, growing increasingly ill too. The headache was the worst.
About five minutes after I put her down, it hit me. Of all the struggles single parents go through, stomach flu has to be one of the absolute worst. I am so shaky that I can barely function. I tried to drink a glass of ginger ale and spilled it all over the end table and carpeting. What I did get into me made my stomach cramp. The baby is acting pretty normal, maybe a little more tired and she has very little appetite, but not too miserable, so if she feels half as bad as I do, she is a little trooper.
It was scary a few times today feeling this badly and not knowing what to do. I didn't want to risk someone else coming over and catching this. I felt too awful to want to subject anyone else to this. Luckily I have the most amazing baby. She napped a few long times today and played happily on the floor and laid with me on the couch. Her new favorite game is Pop goes the Weasel. She was so sweet today and so easy and happy, I felt badly that I wasn't up to doing more for her. We talked and watched the ceiling fan spin, we played with her giraffe and touched the fluffy feathers on her teddy bear shelf. She understands so much of what I am saying already. It was kind of an amazing day just to focus on listening to her and being with her. Minus the fluey symptoms, etc.
But today the goal was to keep her and me alive. That was it. She can't tell me how her stomach feels so I gave her small bottles and didn't push any food. Yesterday she turned her nose up at baby food several times but I thought she was just being picky until it was WAY too late, and I didn't want to push it on her today. I didn't want to eat much either. I had some toast and crackers finally because I was so weak. I am trying to gauge how she feels by my symptoms since they seemed to come on about the same time. Now I know why she was holding her head, poor Lil Bit.
I really missed having my mom around today. She moved near my sister to watch her twins a few years ago and we moved here. I understand that the military life means I don't get to be close to home, but there are days it doesn't feel fair. If I were near Mom, (mother-in-law too) someone would have been here to help with the chores or the baby. Nothing got done and I still feel pretty awful, so I decided until I am able to eat real food and keep it down without cramping, I am going to stay home.
Just another reason, I can't wait to be a two parent family again. Unless you've done this single parent thing, especially with a baby, you just don't understand how hard it is to be so alone with someone who needs your best all the time. I feel like she gets so much less than that from me way too often. My hat is off to all the single moms and dads out there. Y'all are ROCKSTARS. This is unquestionably the hardest thing I have ever done.
Hopefully taking tomorrow will help me recover and if it is just another lazy day playing with the baby, well, there are worse things. I wish I could bottle her laugh so you could understand why I am so in love with this little girl.
It was the worst thing I had ever seen. She couldn't control herself and was struggling to get it out without breathing it in. I had to roll her over and hold her face down so she wouldn't aspirate. I thought, oh yay, this is going to do wonders for my queasy stomach. I don't want to describe the horrors of the couch, her pjs, all the towels, etc. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of things that need washing when I can do more than sit up. I had to give her a bath, growing increasingly ill too. The headache was the worst.
About five minutes after I put her down, it hit me. Of all the struggles single parents go through, stomach flu has to be one of the absolute worst. I am so shaky that I can barely function. I tried to drink a glass of ginger ale and spilled it all over the end table and carpeting. What I did get into me made my stomach cramp. The baby is acting pretty normal, maybe a little more tired and she has very little appetite, but not too miserable, so if she feels half as bad as I do, she is a little trooper.
It was scary a few times today feeling this badly and not knowing what to do. I didn't want to risk someone else coming over and catching this. I felt too awful to want to subject anyone else to this. Luckily I have the most amazing baby. She napped a few long times today and played happily on the floor and laid with me on the couch. Her new favorite game is Pop goes the Weasel. She was so sweet today and so easy and happy, I felt badly that I wasn't up to doing more for her. We talked and watched the ceiling fan spin, we played with her giraffe and touched the fluffy feathers on her teddy bear shelf. She understands so much of what I am saying already. It was kind of an amazing day just to focus on listening to her and being with her. Minus the fluey symptoms, etc.
But today the goal was to keep her and me alive. That was it. She can't tell me how her stomach feels so I gave her small bottles and didn't push any food. Yesterday she turned her nose up at baby food several times but I thought she was just being picky until it was WAY too late, and I didn't want to push it on her today. I didn't want to eat much either. I had some toast and crackers finally because I was so weak. I am trying to gauge how she feels by my symptoms since they seemed to come on about the same time. Now I know why she was holding her head, poor Lil Bit.
I really missed having my mom around today. She moved near my sister to watch her twins a few years ago and we moved here. I understand that the military life means I don't get to be close to home, but there are days it doesn't feel fair. If I were near Mom, (mother-in-law too) someone would have been here to help with the chores or the baby. Nothing got done and I still feel pretty awful, so I decided until I am able to eat real food and keep it down without cramping, I am going to stay home.
Just another reason, I can't wait to be a two parent family again. Unless you've done this single parent thing, especially with a baby, you just don't understand how hard it is to be so alone with someone who needs your best all the time. I feel like she gets so much less than that from me way too often. My hat is off to all the single moms and dads out there. Y'all are ROCKSTARS. This is unquestionably the hardest thing I have ever done.
Hopefully taking tomorrow will help me recover and if it is just another lazy day playing with the baby, well, there are worse things. I wish I could bottle her laugh so you could understand why I am so in love with this little girl.
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