Keeping mom healthy when baby is sick

It has been five weeks since my son came home from school with strep throat. But somehow the virus must have lingered maybe on his backpack or his toothbrush or his delicate skin because this weekend the same virus leveled me. When my son comes down with a cold or fever, I expect to catch his ailment. I usually don’t, which I credit to a healthy immune system that built up strength when as a kid I tangled with a variety of mud, germs and lake water. Besides, people are most contagious up to two to three days before they start exhibiting symptoms. I figure, by the time my son’s fever spikes or his nose starts to drip, the damage has been done.

And when my most precious little boy is miserable sick, I have to love on him. I have to cradle his hot body in my arms and hold the tissue when he blows and press my cheek to his blazing forehead and rub his back when his small tummy turns concave and rejects everything in its grasp.

According to a University of Arizona study, this is one of the many reasons why a woman’s chances of getting sick double when she becomes a mother. And since it is almost impossible for mothers – and fathers, too – to be sick when we have young kids, we must get our germ-fighting game on. Here are some pointers:

Be the Hand-Washing Nazi. Most infections spread through hand-to-hand contact. The Centers for DiseaseControl recommends that you scrub your hands with soap for 20 seconds. If you want to be extra safe, try following up with a moisturizing alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Use Hot Water for Laundry. This goes against the green movement, but when your child is sick, hot water will kill more germs than cold. Some studies show that people who launder their clothes in hot water miss fewer days of work and their children register fewer sick days at school. Oh yeah, and after you handle those dirty clothes, be sure to wash your hands again.

Beware the Favorite Toys. My son’s stuffed kitty and his race cars get sneezed and snotted on more than any other object in the house … besides me. Best to avoid touching those things until my son is on the mend. Once your sick one starts feeling better, be sure to wash and sanitize those toys in a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach to one gallon of water. Drain, rinse and then allow toys to air dry overnight.

Do the Disinfectant Dance. Back when I used to work in an office, I would laugh at people who walked around with Lysol cans spraying their computer keyboards and telephones. But apparently, they are the ones with the last laugh. Those sprays and wipes can kill germs on commonly touched surfaces around the house, too, such as the telephone, remote control and countertops. The most effective disinfectants are those with an EPA registration number and the word “disinfectant” on the label.

Teach Your Family How to Cough and Sneeze. Back in the olden days when I was a kid we were taught it was polite to cover our mouths with our hands when we coughed or sneezed. Turns out, hand-to-hand contact spreads the most germs. The Centers for Disease Control suggests, if you don’t have a tissue handy, to sneeze into your elbow or on your sleeve. If that freaks you out, consider sending your child off with aGermy Wormy disposable sleeve.

Get Plenty of Rest. Sleep is key to a healthy immune system. Be sure your kids are getting adequate sleep so that their little bodies have the energy to fight any germs that latch on them during the day.

Sources:
About.com
Parents.com
CoughIntoElbow.com

Photo, JWJourney

Can cold, wet weather make you sick?

Day after day we have had rain and rain and more rain to the point I believe we may never have to suffer through another drought again. It is frustrating for my little boy whose season-opening T-ball and soccer games have been canceled due to too-soggy playing fields. The five-day forecast has no glimmer of sun, just gray clouds and lightning bolts. I fear this next week of ballgames will be canceled as well.

For entertainment Saturday my son burned some of his energy by dancing in a heavy downpour of rain. I watched from my in-law’s garage and laughed as he tumbled in the wet grass and spun around in the driveway like a dancer. My mother-in-law peeked out the back door and was mortified. “Come in from out of that rain! You will catch a cold!” she cried. I didn’t enforce that order. My rationale – if standing in streaming water made you sick, we would never take showers. I told my MIL that it simply was not true. She said, yes it was.

The old wives tales of getting soaked in the rain or going outside in cold weather without a coat will make you sick have been circulating for more than 500 years. In fact, the common sickness back then was called a “cold” because it was believed that cold weather was what caused the ailment. We now know that colds and flu are caused by viruses that invade the body and take over our defenses. More than 200 different viruses can cause the common cold.

It’s true that colds and flu are most prevalent in the colder months. Some experts say that it is because we spend more time indoors in close contact with other people. The low humidity of winter also helps viruses flourish, especially in noses, which are more apt to be dry and cracked during the colder months.

Here’s another interesting fact about illnesses. The flu tends to be more rampant when temperatures drop below 41 degrees.

Here’s where my MIL may have one up on me on this old wives tale. A UK study showed that volunteers who submerged their feet in 50-degree water for 20 minutes were more likely to develop cold symptoms over the following week than those whose feet stayed warm and dry. Researchers explain this by saying the body can keep a cold virus in check but when exposed to cold, wet feet, the immune system can weaken causing a full-fledge illness.

Coincidentally, my son has cold today. He started showing symptoms late last week, days before he wallowed in the rain. But I still hold firm to my belief that the rain did not cause his symptoms. As long as there is rain in the forecast and my son is hungry for entertainment (and it is not thundering and lightning outside), then he has my blessing to frolic in the rain and find some joy is this never-ending miserable weather.

Sources: About.com, How-come.net, VideoJug.com
Photo, Flickr, markomni