Forest's First Flu

Hi there. I have a few posts that were lined up to publish but they’ve been put on the backburner for the time being. For the past 4 days Forest has been battling the flu so it's been 24/7 all-hands-on-deck. It started with a mild cough and fever but quickly escalated to a high grade fever, listlessness and general misery. 

I didn’t suspect the flu since he’d been vaccinated (and because I also don’t watch the news so was completely oblivious to the fact that this year’s vaccination is only 23% effective again this season’s main strain of the virus). Fortunately, I followed my instincts and got him an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible which is where he tested positive for the flu and was prescribed Tamiflu to fight the virus. He also has an ear infection but that is small potatoes compared to the symptoms of influenza. 

The first 48 hours were really rough. 

Cool baths to fight fever. Forest was NOT a fan.

I tried to keep a cool head in front of Forest but inwardly I was panicking. The poor child was shaking with chills and would cry constantly unless I was holding him. 

He also couldn’t seem to sleep without being held upright on my chest which lead to a very sleepless night for yours truly. It brought me back to his newborn days of colic and erratic sleep. I felt very helpless to help him and consumed with worry. I mean, the flu is really stinkin’ dangerous, especially in children under 2. Twenty one babies have died already this flu season, so we are taking it very seriously. 

I feel like we are out of the woods now that his fever has stayed below 101 for 24 hours, but we’re still obsessively monitoring his breathing, temperature and fluid intake to make sure all is well. Jon and I managed to snag some Tamiflu before our area completely ran out, so we are hoping and praying that with some anti-viral meds and a miracle we will be able to stay healthy through this crisis. 

It’s times like this that we especially miss living near family. We are living our dreams of experiencing the wider world, but in times of vulnerability it can feel so isolating. On night one of the flu, as I rocked Forest for 5 hours straight, I remember desperately thinking ‘I just want my mom’ before realizing with shock that I AM the mom. I have to stay strong and calm and buck up and rise to the challenge.  I can’t just fall apart with fear or worry or exhaustion or germophobia. 

I have let my flu-infested baby cough and snot all over my face while he slept in my arms. I have held sippy cups and food pouches to his mouth while we watched episode 1,342,875 of Baby Einstein just to keep him distracted enough to actually ingest something. 

I have never been a great caretaker, but once again God is using parenthood as a way to humble and refine me.  If you’re the praying sort, would you please pray that Forest’s health continues to improve and that God gives us the stamina and continued health needed to care for him? Thanks! I’ll keep y’all posted.