Owen's had a cold for two weeks, nothing terrible but it involved tons of snot, a hacking cough, low grade fever, no sleep and lots of whining (Joe gets really cranky with limited sleep) Luckily for us, this is the first time that Owen's ever really been sick. Unluckily, we were totally unprepared and had no idea what to expect. I didn't want to go to the Dr., expose Owie to more germs and risk getting sicker for a simple cold. On the other hand, what if it was something more and there was something she could do about it?
So here's my question, when is it appropriate to take your baby in? As a first time mom everything is new, just as it is for your baby. He's never been sick before and I've never had the sole responsibility of caring for someone who is sick. When you're a kid (and even an adult) you can always rely on your mom to make you feel better and take care of you. Now as the mom someone is relying on you for that and trust me, it's not as easy as your mom made it seem! The weight of knowing your baby is relying on you so much to take care of them is never more apparent then when your child is sick. My mom kept telling me to trust my "mommy instincts" and that I'd "just know" if Owen needed to go to the Dr., but I couldn't help thinking, "what if I don't have Mommy instincts yet, or worse, what if they're wrong?"
So here's my question, when is it appropriate to take your baby in? As a first time mom everything is new, just as it is for your baby. He's never been sick before and I've never had the sole responsibility of caring for someone who is sick. When you're a kid (and even an adult) you can always rely on your mom to make you feel better and take care of you. Now as the mom someone is relying on you for that and trust me, it's not as easy as your mom made it seem! The weight of knowing your baby is relying on you so much to take care of them is never more apparent then when your child is sick. My mom kept telling me to trust my "mommy instincts" and that I'd "just know" if Owen needed to go to the Dr., but I couldn't help thinking, "what if I don't have Mommy instincts yet, or worse, what if they're wrong?"
Tuesday, somewhere around 11-5 am (approximate hours I was awake with a screaming baby) I realized Owen was making it painfully obvious to me that something wasn't right. I might not have killer mommy instincts yet, but my baby knows how to communicate and I know how to listen. Wednesday morning we went in right away and discovered he had a double ear infection. Three days later, a few doses of amoxicilin and ibuprofen later, I have my happy baby back.
To my sweet baby boy, thank yo for remembering this is Mama's first go at things too.
