A Wasted Weekend

What a weekend!  What liberties The Olds take!  They claim they were both ill this weekend so there was more of me looking after them than them looking after me.  Outrageous behaviour, quite frankly.  Daddy had me hunting high and low for his shoes and I even heard him say that he’s getting some steps to the fridge. Mummy hardly played with me at all, and apparently we’re taking out shares in Kleenex and Lucozade.

They didn’t even have the same thing so I guess they could swap in time for next weekend.  I’m going back to nursery for a rest!  Daddy’s had Man Flu for a few weeks now and it looks like he has a sinus infection that’s knocking him out, but he will not see a doctor.  Mummy was vomiting a lot on Saturday (isn’t that a gross word?!)  Last time I did that thing, it was mostly milk so we just changed my top and carried on.  Mummy was looking quite intently into the toilet when she did it, and that made Daddy mad – “Don’t let CB see you,” he said, “She might start sticking her head down the loo!”  As if!  Ambitions of licking the pan are for babies!  I’ve got an idea of what toilets are for now, and while there is a poo fascination, of course, I do understand it’s dirty!

I finally went to bed on Saturday night having spent all my energy trying to engage them in a game of chase, or painting, or reading.  Daddy put me to bed, which is how I know Mummy was really not well.  That, and the fact that she spent the evening at the hospital waiting for pills to stop the barf.  I think the relief she felt that it’s not Norovirus is somewhere about half the relief Daddy and I felt on Sunday morning that it’s not coming our way. 

So, a 24hr bug and Mummy’s better, but she and I still went to see my grandparents for the day.  I ate loads!  Seemed a shame to waste Grandpa’s cooking and Mummy didn’t have much.  I ate my body weight in fruit and wish I hadn’t today – sore nappy region.  TMI?  Sorry, but it’s a post about barfing and poo, and new parents love talking about that!

CB x

Poorly Chatty Baby - Hand, Foot & Mouth

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet over the last few days.  I’ve been a poorly baby: I have Hand Foot & Mouth.

Let’s be quite clear – this IS NOT Foot & Mouth disease!  I do not have hooves.  Foot & Mouth affects cows, sheep and pigs.  Hand, Foot & Mouth is very common amongst babies.   I’ve had to explain that to Granny today who is wondering whether her friends will send her to Coventry (wherever that is) if they find out I have Foot & Mouth.  Which I don’t. 

The Doctor confirmed Hand, Foot & Mouth today.  I’ve got some pretty nasty sores that look a bit like chickenpox but smaller on various body parts – can you guess which ones?  Apparently they should be gone in a week or so.  Doc says they’ll clear up on their own, and because it’s viral, there’s nothing he can give me.  Mummy just needs to make sure I keep my fluid intake up so I don’t get dehydrated.  I’m finding cooler liquids easier to drink – doesn’t hurt as much.

I felt a bit rough over the weekend, just generally unwell, with a bit of a sore throat. Thankfully, my appetite hasn’t been affected though many babies will find they don’t fancy eating at all, usually because it’s just too sore.  The spots were just small and red at that point.

By today, the spots are big ulcers that Mummy’s described charmingly as “minging.”  My mouth is full of them and they’re all over my hands and feet.  And my bottom and, er, ahem, girly bits.  Nobody wants blisters there.   Apparently that’s much less common, but that’s where I have some in addition to the ‘regular’ lesions.

So, what’s is all about? Well, now that we have internet access again, we’ve found out that it’s quite a regular thing in small people and it’s thankfully a mild illness caused by an enterovirus.  It’s very contagious and I probably picked it up at nursery because it spreads easily and is very common amongst babies, toddlers and young children.  Grown-ups can be affected, but it tends to be much milder for them and often they don’t even notice they’ve got it.

And there you have it.  Hand, Foot and Mouth.  While I’m sitting here feeling sorry for myself, I’m trying to think of a better name for it, if not for me, then to save face for Granny and stop her friends disinfecting her shoes when she comes to visit.  Worse still, I’m sounding croupy tonight, too.  Could be a rough ride for Mummy!

CB

Poorly Baby

I’m recovering at the moment from a yucky tummy bug that blighted the weekend somewhat.  You might say I’ve been riding the chunder-bus, and I’ve felt so poorly that I didn’t even care what the wheels were doing or that the wipers go “swish, swish, swish.”

I’ll spare you the gruesome detail as I’m more refined than that (it’s Mummy and Daddy that seem fascinated with my bodily functions).  Suffice to say, it’s just as well they were up together with the laundry because we needed the spare bed linen and the emergency set on Saturday night! 

If I’d felt less ill, I might have giggled at the sight of the two of them rushing around trying to sort everything out and calm me down, bumping into each other in the dark and trying to contain the spread of vomit to what I’d managed to achieve.  In hindsight, it was probably quite entertaining!

Thankfully, it didn’t last more than about 12 hours and I’m feeling great again today.  Apparently, tummy ache is quite common in little people and be caused by all sorts of things.  It might be a bug or an allergy, but it’s just as likely to be a case of over-eating.  Believe it or not, it can also be stress!  You might scoff and ask what I might possibly have to be stressed about, but I’m trying to walk here!  That’s pretty big!

Aside from the vomiting, I’d been bending over a lot and holding my tummy to let Mummy and Daddy know it didn’t feel quite right, and I’d lost my appetite.  They knew straight away I wasn’t myself then!

 

Good old Calpol is a reliable friend in these situations, and my warm bath helped a bit.  It’s important to rest and drink plenty of water.  Not milk so much, but certainly water, and although warm water doesn’t taste that nice, it could help settle an upset stomach.  It might have been a baby that advised this, but apparently ice-cream can be quite good – it’s easy to eat and helps replace lost sugars, with a bit of an energy boost.  I’m not saying it’s true, I’m just telling you what I heard.

We still don’t know what caused mine, but at least it’s gone now. 

CB

A Thoroughly Grumpy Baby

The photographer was at nursery today.  I didn’t smile for him. He looked dodgy, and besides, I just wasn’t in the mood.  To be honest, I haven’t really been feeling myself for the last couple of days.  I’ve been grizzling for no apparent reason and nothing anybody does is right.  I don’t know what I want!  Daddy says I’m about 12 years too early for teenage tantrums.  I think he should get over himself; how often do we have to put up with his sulks and grouches?!

Mummy’s playing it differently.  She’s trying hard to find out what’s wrong.  It’s sweet that she cares, but actually when I’m not sure myself, she just needs to react I’m afraid. Pick me up when I yell, and put me down again when I change my mind.  A baby reserves the right to change its mind at a moment’s notice, without prior warning.

I got up too early, that’s for sure.  I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment, it’s difficult to sleep.  I screamed a while, but I did go back to sleep eventually, after about an hour and a half.  It took  a little longer than it might have done because while Mummy was trying to soothe me, all I could hear was Daddy grumping about how tired he is.  I think I take after him in a lot of ways.  Let’s not even mention what happens when we’re both hungry!

I might have a bit of a cold, I might have more teeth coming through.  I might be too hot, or too cold, or hungry. Thirsty even.  Tired.  Bored. Or a combination of any of the above!  It’s up to Mummy and Daddy to figure it out and act accordingly, and by the time they’re close, the problem might have changed anyway.  Ha ha!  That’s raised a smile and cheered me up a bit.  But only for a bit.

CB

Miserable, Moody & Restless

I feel terrible today.  I felt pretty bad yesterday, but today is really not good.  I’m bored, but I don’t have the energy to do anything.  I want to be cuddled and I want to be left alone.  I’m ravenous yet can’t face eating. 

The worst thing of it is that I suspect it could have been avoided; Mummy took me to the nasty ladies in the blue dresses that stab me in the leg last week, and I think this is a side effect.

She promises me that I don’t feeling nearly as bad as if I got Measles, Mumps or Rubella, but I’m not so sure.  I am feeling pretty sorry for myself!  She assures me that it is better for me in the long run, and it’s no good trying to cast her as Bad Cop to Daddy’s Good Cop, because he was in on it as well!

Mummy and Daddy were confident that the injection was the right thing to do, but I gather that not all parents are so sure because all of the media coverage in recent years.

Here’s the deal (according to me).  Measles, Mumps and Rubella are all pretty nasty if you get them.  People sometimes worry about the combined immunisation because of fears of an alleged link with autism, though that was a long time ago now and extensive research since suggests no link.

Some countries used separate single injections, but they saw no decrease in the rate of autism.  When it comes to jabs in the leg, one is better than three in my view!

The big noise these days is the risks you run in catching one of the diseases through not having the immunisation;

·         Measles is pretty serious anyway with fever and rashes, but can lead to chest infections, fits, even brain damage.  People forget that it can be fatal.  Rarely, but it can be fatal.

·         Mumps causes swelling around the neck and jaws, and can lead to viral meningitis or deafness.

·         Rubella (sometimes called German Measles) starts off with a rash or sore throat, but can cause birth defects in contracted by a woman in the first term of pregnancy.

I don’t mean to scare people! Weighing it all up, I think I’ll get over the holes in my legs (which I can’t even see, if I’m honest!) if it means that I’m protected against those three nasties! 

The chance of a post-MMR complication is tiny, compared to the risks of the diseases themselves, which are potentially life-threatening.  Most babies now across Europe and the US are vaccinated with the combined dose.

CB