Emetaphobes - how many children do you have?

[StarlightIntheNight]

I have had emetephobia since I was a child. Thankfully, as I got older it subsided a little. It was bad during my primary age, as sometimes a child would vomit in the class and I would freak out, tummy ache etc. But as we got older, children managed to go to toilet so I didn't have to be around the vomit....so thought I got better of it! Anyway, I had two dc (luckily 20 months apart!). Pregnancies were a dream and felt great through out. Im happy I had the second one before the older one properly vomited otherwise I might have been scared to have another. My eldest had bad reflux, so would spit up during every feed. I was fine with milk spit up...thank goodness! But anyway, now my school aged dc (age 5 and 6) attend a school, where every freaking year the vomiting bug goes around. My ds had it 10 days ago (he was sick 20 times!!). And we were about to start trying for a third. I suddenly got a fear of having to worry about a third child when they get a sick bug. ARGH. So I am now thinking not to have a third. But I can't help but feel very sad at not having a third.

How many kids do you have? How do you deal when they are sick? Do they ever grow out of this phase of being prone to catching these nasty bugs that go around the school?

Ha NONE. Sorry no help at all when you have been so helpful to me on my thread!

I just couldn't face the guilt of knowing I wouldn't be able to help my children when they were sick, so I chose to be childless. But I was never very keen anyway, it wasn't really a sacrifice, just one aspect of a conscious choice.

They do grow out of it. If you want a baby then that is far more important for your future mental health. I have two, in answer to your question btw!

Two, and a stepson who was always mega sicky (and only grew out of it at about 7).

They do grow out of it. But also... it's basically exposure therapy. I can cope when it's my own; I still run and hide when someone else's does and I have horrors at parties (and invasive thoughts when I'm on public transport particularly- in case of travel sickness) but I'm MUCH better than I was.

My dd is about to turn 7 :) So I am hoping she has grown out of this phase. My poor dd probably has the phobia because of me :( My ds is luckier as he has a stronger tummy...so was not sick as much so did not see my fear as much as my poor dd. They both know I can't handle it. But I have my coping mechanisms. They know if their tummy hurts to go straight to toilet and call for me and I will come to them. When they vomit, I leave them and tell them "I will be right back!" and I tell them from another room "I am just getting something, I will be back, you are doing so well, you are being so brave!" My poor ds handled it so well when he was sick 20 times!

I do think I want another one and I should not let this fear stop me...I don't want to have regrets when they outgrow this to think, dang I could have had another one!

When I was little the last time I vomited was age 6 and was not sick again until I was 30.

Elephantina, I thought you were still undecided for kids? From your post it seemed like you were thinking of it but worried about the pregnancy part? If its the fear of pregnancy, some people never get sick during pregnancy (I never did and not during birthing the two dc either). But I admit the first 5 years are tough if they get sick. But actually, more so the first 3 years. After that, they seem to be able to know when they are going to be sick and can tell you so they can get to toilet etc. The worst for me was when my dd was 2 and sat in my lap and then vomited everywhere (including on me!) and my ds was a baby at the time, crawled over quickly and started playing with the vomit splashing it around!! It was like a horror film for me....true HELL. Before that when my dd was sick I had handled it okay. But after that my emeptephobia went into overdrive!!

I have three children having thought my phobi would stop me having any. I’m so glad we went for all three. Over the years the vomiting bugs have been hard but exposure again and again has meant I’ve become a bit habituated and no longer have quite the same panic I used to. I still hate it though and if anyone mentions a tummy ache just before we are due to go on holiday or drive a long way I go into comeplete melt down mode. I also feel awful as DC3 has definitely learnt the phobia from me.

Anyway, despite those down sides the joy of having three massively out weighs the moments of horror. We have such fun together and what I lack in mothering skills when they have the occasional bug, I make up for in other areas.

I had an age gap similar to what you would have OP and nOw my eldest looks after my youngest when they are sick so it’s a double bonus.

Me, no! I haven't posted about pregnancy, my post was the one about a visitor being ill a few hours after leaving our house, and me panicking that they were contagious pre-vomit.

I'm 46, bit late to be undecided haha!

Ah, sorry for the confusion Elephantina. There was another poster as well that posted about the emetephobia and pregnancy in conception section and I confused that with you.

ObamaLlama, I am wondering if it could also be genetics that causes the phobia? Maybe your youngest also just got the gene for the vomit fear? Otherwise, why wouldn't your older ones also have it? I felt bad about my older dd. But then I wonder, why doesn't my son have it? He seems to think its more funny and no worries at all. Where as, my dd cries etc if she thinks she will vomit. Or maybe its because my dd has seen my bad reactions more then my son as she is a more sicky child. It does help to have someone in the house to help take care of the sick child. My dh works long hours so is usually not home or not helpful when they are sick in the night. SO ANNOYING! Esp he knows my phobia. GRRRR. But I am lucky to have an au pair, who is not afraid of this....so she sat with my son when he said he felt sick and for the first few vomits, until I said I was okay to deal with it (after the vomits are just water I'm fine to deal on my own).

I have two, both under 5 and it's really hard. I'm hoping it improves as they get older. I'm constantly watching them for signs of sickness.

I have one. I had hyperemesis while pregnant- I was hospitalised because of it.
I just power through my own and other people's vomiting. I feel I have no choice but to do this.
It is my Achilles heel.