Happy Hump Day Mujeres! I am here at home recovering from a bad cold after catching my son's daycare cuddies! Yup, my little nugget has started daycare and unfortunately he was slammed with a really bad cold and cough the first week that then turn into a mild fever with an ear infection. He just couldn't catch a break and since I had to take care of him of course I was bound to catch the cuddies which has prolonged recovery time
To say the least, I am use to recovering in 2-3 days top, but this cold was definitely a brutal one for my son and I. So, it got me thinking how to share a couple tips and pointers to help other moms and woman recover from a really bad cold.
1. Recover: If you are a working mom (like myself) it's important to not push your body. You have to take some days of work to help Rest and Recover. I know this can be overwhelming as we watch our accruals deplete because you also want to take vacation time, but if your company has sick time (use it) if not use your PTO and then ESI can kick in. I wanted to preserve my hours as much as possible because I also need vacation time while also thinking about my son's future doctor's appointment and/or if he gets sick again. (It's not easy to watch your hard couple hours deplete so quickly, but your health does come first)
2. Hydration: Your body is going to need to stay hydrated during your sick days because you will feel your body and joints ache. Staying hydrated can help the body expel the funky stuff out, but also keep your immune and organ system going. Trust me you do not want to experience dehydration because then your muscles will start cramping and twitching. This is also a good time to check your water and electrolyte supply. If your low, make a run to the store, so you have easy access at home to fill up your water bottle and zippy cups for you little ones.
5. Medication: If your cold symptoms get worse and linger with new symptoms such as sinus infection, cough with trouble breathing, fever, and/or ear infection don't hesitate to make an appointment with your primary doctor or call the nurses line to evaluate your symptoms. Once you place the call the RN will inform you which express clinic is closest to you for a same day evaluation because you might needs medication such as antibiotics to help treat symptoms. Since, I took care of my son during his really bad sick days, I ended up catching an ear infection plus cellulitis of the eye due to the heavy sinus congestion. And was fortunate enough to go to the Pediatric and Adult Clinic to be evaluated and get a prescription for both of us. The cold can be cruel because it can start with one symptom and build up from there.
6. Nourishment: During your sick days you won't have much of an appetite, but it's important to eat because your body needs the nutrients for recovery. This is the time to focus on hot foods such as soups, broth, tea, and water intake. You might now have the energy to cook, but when your a mom, you find yourself cooking to help the little ones get better, plus home cooked meals will help with your recovery time. Remember eating is a major form of self care during sick days.
7. Stretch/Breathwork: Stretching is vital to help keep body flexible because you notice when your ill you go into fetal position when sleeping and/or when sitting your slouching keeping muscles and ligaments shorten and cramped causing body to ache more. It's important to include a morning stretch or night time stretch to help body reduce stress and anxiety when ill. Breathwork is also helpful to help keep pulmonary diaphragm active and increase oxygen flow throughout the body to help increase relaxation and reduce stagnation. A combination of both will help the body expel the bad energy that comes with illness.
8. Sleep: Feeling well rested during sick day is Vital! But it can be hard if your taking care of a little one who is also sick. Something I found helpful is to sleep when they sleep because you won't get that window back. So even though it was hard the first day, the second day become easier to take a nap when he has napping, but it's also helpful to go to bed early. Don't stay past 10pm scrolling through your phone and try to catch a Netflix episode because although it's tempting you will feel more restless the next day if the body is not resting. Sleeping will reduce your stress when feeling ill, improve energy, and help recover. Since being in my new place, I have decided to remove all electronics away from the bedroom. Sleep is important because without melatonin, you won't have sufficient rest which will make it harder to recover when feeling ill.
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