Being Sick As a Parent Really Hits Different

Reached a major mom milestone recently: I got COVID.

I’ve been MIA because

About a month ago, after coming home from a bachelorette weekend, I felt terrible. So, as one does in 2023, I took a COVID antigen test—and it was positive. Cue the freakout. My mother-in-law was already planning to take CJ to her house for the afternoon, and my husband wasn’t home, so I had a hot sec to strategize.

How the hell was I supposed to quarantine away from the baby I take care of every single day? My husband had already stayed home a few days so I could go enjoy a long weekend away, so he couldn’t stay home all week. My in-laws are always happy to babysit, and we have lots of family in the area that is eager to help, too… but everyone works. We don’t have anyone who’s retired or otherwise available during weekdays to pinch hit on childcare.

Selfishly, I also thought: What about me? How am I supposed to get better if I can’t lie on the couch for a few days watching TV and napping? As many parenting conundrums do, it gave me another level of appreciation for my own mother, who was a SAHM and definitely got sick but just powered through and took care of us anyway. A cold would be one thing, but I had a full-on 103-degree fever. I couldn’t think straight. Knowing I couldn’t turn off my brain and fully focus on getting better made me feel even sicker.

But I had no other option. Luckily, I only had that fever and felt like absolute hot garbage for one day, and it was Sunday so the baby was with my MIL and then my husband; the next few days I still felt like trash but I was able to fake it and function well enough. My husband did morning and bedtime with the baby so I could sleep longer and reduce the amount of hands-on time I had with her.

As for keeping CJ healthy? I wore a KN95 that made my ear bones ache so much I winced every time I took it on and off, let her play alone as much as possible, and crossed my fingers. I was at the tail end of breastfeeding and pumping, but kept at it through the week so I could pass along as many antibodies as possible. And somehow, miraculously, she didn’t get sick. Or if she did, she had no symptoms. My husband was able to sleep in the guest room from the start, and it was easy enough to keep our distance otherwise, so he made it out unscathed too.

And I can now check a big mom milestone off the list. I got sick, we all survived, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be… like most parenting things I am anxious about. (Except, still really, really wishing I got to lie on the couch and wallow in my sickness for at least one day… maybe next time.)

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Things I’m Enjoying This Week

Adding this new section to share things I’m reading, watching, buying, and enjoying enough to share with you.

• Burt's Bees Baby Beekeeper Wearable Blanket: I love this sleep sack so much and it’s so cheap compared to all the bougie ones out there—some patterns are less than $20! We have been using the ultra-lightweight cotton ones all summer, but just switched to the quilted version now that it’s cooler at night. And I just ordered a second one so that we can rotate.

• Planning a cut flower garden: I’m on a huge landscaping/gardening kick right now and have decided that I want to start a cut flower garden so that I can have fresh-cut flowers in my house all next summer. So naturally I’ve been researching cut flower gardens, watching YouTube videos, and shopping for seeds. I haven’t bought anything yet but am just enjoying imagining the colorful combos and how they’ll look in a vase on my dining room table.

• This hilarious Instagram Reel that speaks to my soul as a semi-SAHM. Cleaning the kitchen just takes so much effort, especially after actually cooking!