How does everyone deal with anxiety over your kids being sick? I feel like I'm doing the best for my kids by not killing their immune systems with vaccines, we eat healthy, take our vitamins, etc. but I get such extreme anxiety when my kids get sick. Up until now we haven't had anything other than run of the mill cough/cold/stomach bugs but my DD starte preschool in August and we've basically been sick almost constantly since then. It's been especially bad since Christmas, and then my DS also started at the same preschool at the beginning of February. (he just turned 2) He's missed more days than he's been so far and this week woke up with a fever from his nap on Monday (they go 1/2 day and come home to nap). He was still sick yesterday but running around and playing, then again woke up from nap really warm. I'm a "treat the child not the number on the thermometer" person, so I tend to only check them if they're acting really sick. He was laying around and really cranky and DH said I think he needs motrin. I decided to check and one thermometer said 104.6 and the other 104.9. Needless to say we were freaked out. Luckily the temp came down fast with motrin & we alternated with tylenol through the night. He's still feeling bad today but definitely not as bad as yesterday since we gave him motrin at noon. (it's almost 6 pm)
Anyway, the point isn't "what should I or shouldn't I do" in this situation, just I'm feeling so anxious about the kids getting sick with really bad things and me feeling that good old mommy guilt for just about everything, including not realizing how sick little man was last night. How does everyone deal??
If its at all possible, keep him out of daycare.. they are a breeding ground for LOTS of germs...if its socialization you are after, a regulare nursery school mite more to your needs for that. Kids his age get sick CONSTANTLY when in daycare, and while they still get sick staying home, the rate of illness is much much lower. In a regular nursery school, most moms are SAHM's and will keep sick kids home...the exposure rate at daycare is much higher for all kinds of germs. In my experience, the preschool years were the worst for illness, and it gradually gets better as they get older.
Both of my kids are in a Montessori school, so there are no kids under age 2. Some of the kids are full day and some are half day like mine. There's just so much he can learn there (especially at his age-they're like little sponges) and I'm limited with how much I can do at home due to fibromyalgia, so I really need the extra help with two very active kids. This is a small school (less than 30 kids total) and they recently sent out an email reminding parents that they have to keep kids home until they're fever/vomiting/diarrhea free for 24 hours so maybe that will help. The constant illness is just killing me because my immune system sucks and I get everything they get, but it hits me ten times harder for some reason. They might only get a snotty nose but I get a hacking cough for 3 solid weeks along with a nasty sinus infection or bronchitis every time. I just have to figure out how to deal with this anxitey over them being sick!
I've read that the height of the fever doesn't necessarily mean a more serious illness and that every child's body responds differently. I know I can't keep my kids out of school forever so that they don't get sick. (they'll be going to public school after the montessori preschool) I just wondered if anyone else who doesn't vaccinate had anxiety when the kids get sick like I do and how they deal with it.
I know my reaction comes from my past at least in part. When I was a kid my mom would freak out when we got sick and ran us to the doctor for every little sniffle, who gave us antibiotics every time, which I believe really screwed my immune system up. (she still tells the story about how I had to take antibiotics at 3 weeks old because I had strep) To this day I get anxiety when I personally get sick, too, and even though I know in my head that everything will be ok it's just so deeply ingrained that sickness means ohmygoshtheskyisfalling. I'm trying to rein that in so my kids don't end up like me. I try to be as informed as I can about illnesses and what to look out for that's more serious or when to worry, when to treat at home and when to go to the doctor. But I still have times when I get anxious and this is the first time either of my kids has had a high fever. Freaked me out!!! I guess I just needed some reassurance and comfort. Lord knows I don't get it from my mother! I don't even talk to her when the kids are sick. She just freaks me out even more.
Quoting ZoeyBethsMomma:I've read that the height of the fever doesn't necessarily mean a more serious illness and that every child's body responds differently. I know I can't keep my kids out of school forever so that they don't get sick. (they'll be going to public school after the montessori preschool) I just wondered if anyone else who doesn't vaccinate had anxiety when the kids get sick like I do and how they deal with it.
I know my reaction comes from my past at least in part. When I was a kid my mom would freak out when we got sick and ran us to the doctor for every little sniffle, who gave us antibiotics every time, which I believe really screwed my immune system up. (she still tells the story about how I had to take antibiotics at 3 weeks old because I had strep) To this day I get anxiety when I personally get sick, too, and even though I know in my head that everything will be ok it's just so deeply ingrained that sickness means ohmygoshtheskyisfalling. I'm trying to rein that in so my kids don't end up like me. I try to be as informed as I can about illnesses and what to look out for that's more serious or when to worry, when to treat at home and when to go to the doctor. But I still have times when I get anxious and this is the first time either of my kids has had a high fever. Freaked me out!!! I guess I just needed some reassurance and comfort. Lord knows I don't get it from my mother! I don't even talk to her when the kids are sick. She just freaks me out even more.
Thanks for this! Glad I'm not the only one who gets nervous about them getting something "big". I also think I need to stop watching House, M.D. (lol) I tend to worry about pertussis and menigitis, etc. and especially with him being at almost 105 degrees it was scary. I wonder if part of it is me being scared that I can't handle it if they get really sick?
Quoting snowangel1979:
I posted before but I'll add lol. Ohh ya I get nervous sometimes, I used to work in the medical feild. Sometimes I think Omg could it be this or that bad disease or this is something that happens at the began stages of such and such. Pretty much I just put faith in my decision and remember no vax is 100% anyways. so there's no telling if they did get a vax preventable disease if they would have still got it anyways. I think It's all that fear that the doctors put in you head and on t.v. That your kids are going to die if they don't get these life saving vaxs. (big eye roll lol)
Quoting ZoeyBethsMomma:I've read that the height of the fever doesn't necessarily mean a more serious illness and that every child's body responds differently. I know I can't keep my kids out of school forever so that they don't get sick. (they'll be going to public school after the montessori preschool) I just wondered if anyone else who doesn't vaccinate had anxiety when the kids get sick like I do and how they deal with it.
I know my reaction comes from my past at least in part. When I was a kid my mom would freak out when we got sick and ran us to the doctor for every little sniffle, who gave us antibiotics every time, which I believe really screwed my immune system up. (she still tells the story about how I had to take antibiotics at 3 weeks old because I had strep) To this day I get anxiety when I personally get sick, too, and even though I know in my head that everything will be ok it's just so deeply ingrained that sickness means ohmygoshtheskyisfalling. I'm trying to rein that in so my kids don't end up like me. I try to be as informed as I can about illnesses and what to look out for that's more serious or when to worry, when to treat at home and when to go to the doctor. But I still have times when I get anxious and this is the first time either of my kids has had a high fever. Freaked me out!!! I guess I just needed some reassurance and comfort. Lord knows I don't get it from my mother! I don't even talk to her when the kids are sick. She just freaks me out even more.
Head Start turned us away. Question
- ZoeyBethsMomma
on Feb. 15, 2012 at 6:57 PM