Another First... Sick Time

Firsts are amazing, especially when it is your first child. The first time he rolled over, first tooth, first word, first steps. Being is sick is one first I could have done without experiencing for Jack. It started Saturday with a terrible cough, runny nose and fever. Ugh, he was so miserable and I felt terrible. By the way, this also happened to be the day we were starting the project of putting up a new backsplash, and when I say we, I mean Steve and his dad. The house was not only a disaster, floors too much of a mess to crawl around on, but Jack was not his happy baby self.

I guess in a way I am lucky. Jack is 10 months old and this is our first battle. I nearly made it all winter with nothing more than a runny nose for a couple days. What is it, Spring starts this weekend, oh so close! I was hoping that my breast feeding him for nine months would ward off the evil germs for a while but these things happen. Not sure where it came from but boy did it hit him good. Its Wednesday and hes still not better. I did take him to the doctor Monday to be sure there was no infection, and thankfully we're clear, just a good old fashioned cough/cold. The horrible part is that he is too young to take anything to clear up the cough, it will have to run its course.

So on one hand I am bummed, I feel helpless, Jack is feeling terrible and I can't do anything to help. On the other hand, I am glad to not fill him with medication in hopes that his immune system will get stronger and be able to fight off infections efficiently in the future. I guess through this experience I have come to the conclusion that when possible I would like to avoid prescriptions but when there is something more serious than a cough or cold then I am okay with giving him something to help his body fight off the infection. You hear too many stories about vaccines or medications becoming ineffective because of over use, our bodies just become immune to the medications. Maybe this is what leads to the superbugs that are drug resistant. With technology always comes unintended consequences, I guess that is one of them.

So, feeling helpless I looked up some natural remedies that could help him feel better.... So figured I'd share what I found. On a side note, Vicks baby rub (which is not medicated) works wonderfully in soothing him at night. So I found a website, www.naturalbabyworld.com which gives several suggestions. One, humidifier, check. Warm bath with essential oils such as eucalyptus, sage or thyme, apparently the vapors can assist in opening the airways allowing easier breathing. So I must take a trip to the store and find at least one of these. They also provide a recipe for a baby rub (similar to the Vicks rub I mentioned except theirs is all natural): "Start with 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 drops of essential oils to the olive oil. Good oils to use are eucalyptus, sage, rosemary and peppermint oil. A mixture of eucalyptus and rosemary works really well at night, since the eucalyptus will calm your baby’s cough and allow her to breath easier, while the rosemary helps calm her down and drift off to sleep.Mix the olive oil and essential oils well, then apply the mixture to your baby’s chest and back. If the baby is small, swaddle her in a soft blanket, otherwise keep her back and chest as covered as possible with a thicker, tight fitting shirt to build up body heat which will allow the essential oils to vaporize. As baby breathes in the fumes, breathing will get easier."


So hopefully you find those suggestions helpful... I will be giving them a try.... On a biology note, apparently it can take the immune system 3 to 5 days to kick in, so I will hang in there and keep hoping that each day brings a healthier baby.