My little one is 10 months old and started nursery at the beginning of January. We’ve had so many illnesses and we’re only part way through the month!
Just before Christmas he had a cold / stomach bug, then conjunctivitis, temperature and chest infection, the cold and cough haven’t really gone away since Christmas and now he has tonsillitis. Bless him, I just want to make him better! It’s been a month now of disrupted sleep for him and he must be feeling so rubbish.
We are lucky that we have a very good doctors and also very lucky that my parents are on hand to help us so much.
But the mental strain is just so difficult and all consuming. I dread sending him to nursery each morning (the only option for us, we both need to work full time), I worry immensely at every illness and I question whether I actually do have ‘mum instinct’…I worry I’ll misjudge an illness of his that could be really serious even though I’m straight at the doctors should he get ill again.
I know all of this is building his immune system but I just want my happy little boy back, my baby who usually loves his milk and food and sleeping through, which all goes out the window when he’s ill. I’m finding it so difficult returning from maternity leave, trying to juggle working full time, learning my job again, and managing illnesses. Again, we’re lucky we have my parents help.
Are there any ways I can manage the anxiety around his illnesses? I find it so difficult because he just can’t tell me exactly what’s hurting at this age.
How long does it take for immunity to build up from all these nursery / winter illnesses? Please tell me it gets easier? I’m quite stressed to be honest and I really feel for him being so unwell with one virus or infection after another. I know it could be so so so much worse, I guess I’m just struggling with new mum worries still.
I thought the newborn days were hard but I’m finding this stage a lot more challenging.