Does every parent feel like this?

[Heyduggee123]

Bit of background as I don’t want to drip feed

5 rounds of IVF over 8 years
In between cycles my 15 months old DNiece died of SIDS
Last round of IVF we got our amazing, now 2 year old twins
TW1 - very small, still very small. When she was 8 months old she had suspected meningitis which turned out to be sepsis. Absolutely terrifying.

She is currently poorly with a nasty ear infection. She picks up every single bug going. She is on antibiotics, but 3 days in she is still running a temperature and I’m so worried.

This is the part where I’m not sure if I’m “normal” whenever either one of them is poorly, I don’t deal with it very well. It’s like this fog descends, I’m checking their temperature every 5 minutes. Normal things like putting washing on or mundane things feel like I’m climbing a mountain, I can’t seem to keep a straight thought in my head. I am totally unorganised and feel overwhelmed by everything.

As soon as they perk up and get better everything is good with the world again. Everything runs smoothly, I feel like a massive weight has been lifted, I’m organised and on it with daily activities and trips out.

Does anyone else feel like this when their kids are poorly? My DH certainly doesn’t, of course he worries and hates to see them poorly but I feel like I almost shut down from every other activity apart from worrying about them.

Is this just being a parent?

Oh bless you all, good her temp now down a bit, ear infections are rotten my dd had a load of them and ended up getting a grommet in. Not fun. But again it eventually emerged this related to her condition

They're so so common especially in children with risk factors like premature birth, antibiotics should do the job hopefully. 

@The3Ls I'm an ex hcp myself which I think brings a weird mix of apathy for minor things but also when things are worse ALL the worst case scenarios run through my mind! A friend I trained with is a paeds nurse now, she was fine when first working in paeds but when she had her own dc (again after fertility issues and losses how she worked with other peoples dc through all that I don't know!) she of course not only knows but has treated worst case scenario so first few years of parenthood were...interesting for her.

Hope your baby is doing better today.

I don’t think most people feel like this but I know I do. Similar harrowing story of pre-baby trauma. Then baby born literally into a pandemic. Diagnosed myself with PNA but not done anything about it because what’s even to be done nowadays?

Glad to know I’m not alone. Neither are you xx