Mom Hack: Kitchen gloves are the perfect way to keep the germs away when opening packages, shopping for groceries, going into elevators, etc. To be extra cautious use hand sanitizer before wearing your gloves and on the outside of the gloves to help kill bacteria that you may come in contact with.
Coronavirus is sweeping the globe, and I have a newborn! I never considered myself an anxious person until I had a baby. Then all of the sudden, I became super paranoid about any illness when it came to my baby. Now, of course, my anxiety is a million times worse because we have to fend off this global pandemic. I am trying to remain calm, but I don't think it is working. Here's my take and let me know if I am not alone in these sentiments.
So far, the most challenging part I have felt as a mother is the constant concern and paranoia that my baby will get sick, end up in the hospital, or worse. For the months leading up to my delivery, I was calling everyone that would be interacting with my baby on the regular and asking if they had their flu shot or TDAP yet (whooping cough).
I was also contemplating keeping my baby away from everyone for three months, which in my mind would be an eternity because, as soon as she came out, I wanted to show her off to the world. In the first month, I was not just nervous about illness, but a million different scenarios would pop into my head. There is a scene in Sex & The City where Miranda says something along the lines of "today I try not to kill the baby, and tomorrow you try not to kill the baby," and that statement has stuck with me like glue.
I was scared to walk up the stairs with her for fear of tripping and falling. I was scared I would drop my cell phone on her if I was breastfeeding. I hovered around my husband or other people when they were holding her ( and had to force myself to back off). I was scared that she would get SIDS, and I would continuously check if she was breathing while she slept. I have recurring dreams to this day that I have fallen asleep in the middle of the night while holding her. I would startle myself awake and frantically sift through the blankets to look for her.
I have calmed down a ton in the last few months but I often wonder if I am an overly paranoid parent. It has not helped that all these Doctors have scared the living daylights out of me with regards to the flu and sickness, advising us not to travel, or go to malls, or the library, etc., etc., etc.
My family thinks I am nuts and ensures me that babies need germs so their immunities can develop. My sister even bought me a baby face mask as a joke so that I would chill out. Ultimately, fear tactics have worked on me, and I am still nervous AF.
Better safe, then sorry, right?
My hands have aged about 50 years since I had her because I wash them so much. They are so dry, cracked, and wrinkled, and I can't seem to keep up with moisturizing them that I have accepted this as a reality of being a mom. So now, fast forward a few months, and I have finally relaxed a little. Adeline has had her four months shots now, and that makes me feel so much better. Then all of a sudden, the CoronaVirus hits, and I am back at ground zero. The paranoia has returned in full-affect, and there does not seem to be any answers out there.
What are the experts saying about Coronavirus and the impact on kids and babies??
The sad fact is, I don't think they have enough information on that, which does not help us mothers one bit. What I have heard is that the virus does not affect infants because the past corona strains have not made them sick (phew). But isn't this a new strain? Plus, everything we hear is that the Coronavirus is affecting those with compromised immune systems, mostly the elderly will be at risk of severe complications, hospitalization, and even death.
Doesn't this mean kids and babies? Especially babies who seem to fall under the category of having a poorly developed immune system? Which is it??? The anxiety goes on again.
If my Pediatrician made me so paranoid about the flu, and Corona is supposed to be 100 x worse than that, why have these questions not been answered? The positive, from what I understand, is that few deaths in children or babies have been reported, which is a huge relief. The LA Times just released information about a study in Wuhan China about the Paediatric hospital for kids with Coronavirus. They reported that there were approx. two thousand children that have the virus. In it the article discussing the study they state;
Among infants younger than a year old, 11% developed severe or critical illness, as did 7% of children ages 1 through 5. Only 4% of infected teens who were 16 or older suffered such serious illness.
"In contrast with infected adults, most infect3ed children appear to have a milder clinical course," the authors of the New England Journal of Medicine study wrote.
Here is the link: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-19/coronavirus-has-claimed-the-lives-of-an-infant-and-a-teenager
The bottom line is that I am scared, and I am not letting my guard down just yet. I do not want my baby to be that one statistic, and I am keeping her away from as many people as I can.
If someone coughs, I literally run the other way. There are a lot of people who will get COVID-19 that are asymptomatic and there are so many people still selfishly walking about because they feel that they could just fight off the virus . I hate these people right now.
So how do we protect our babies from Coronavirus?
We go above and beyond everyone else, stay at home and do our part.
Quarantine ALL family that may be sick. My husband even came home before California's "shelter at home" policy and said he might have a cough. I made him sleep in the other room, wear a mask, and stay away from the baby.
Thoroughly clean you home (that means light sockets, faucets, kitchen handles, phones and keys). I have been trying to clean as often as possible by wiping down as many surfaces in our house that both of us may have touched after being outside.
Sterilize toys with boiling water, soap or wipes more often (Water Wipes work well for this because they are 99% water). Before the lockdown, I had to use a changing table in a bathroom, and I pretty much doused it with Lysol before putting my baby mat on it.
Practice MAXIMUM social distancing. I finally went for a quick walk the other day and walked in circles in a courtyard to ensure "social distancing" (to be honest, I felt guilty for going outside at all). If anyone came even remotely close to us, I put down her stroller hood and walked the other way. I clean off all of my groceries and parcels that arrive at our door.
Is this overkill? Maybe.
It doesn't look like Corona is going away that soon, so I will continue to be the overprotective mama bear that I am for my sake and hers. I still wash my hands ALL THE TIME and so what if they look terrible in the end, it's a small price to pay.
Please let me know what you have been doing to combat Coronavirus?
xo
Tamara
Here is another great resource with some tips and information on keeping your baby safe during this crazy pandemic.
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