Help a Stressed New Mom Out

[Selenaaa]

Hi moms, I’m a first-time mom with a sweet 7-month-old, and I find myself overwhelmed by anxiety with each little cough or sneeze from my child. My reaction has always been to rush to the doctor, fearing the worst, but after numerous reassurances that all is well, I’m starting to question my instincts. My husband gently suggests that perhaps my worries are getting the best of me.

I feel like I'm always on edge, wondering if I'm missing something important. It’s exhausting and I just don’t know if I’m doing this mom thing right. Does anyone else feel this way?

Do any of you experienced moms have advice on where to find reliable parenting tips? When your little one has minor ailments, do you consult Google, visit the doctor, or seek help on mom forums? Also, is there a comprehensive tool out there that delivers all the parenting information you might need? Can you ask an AI for help?

Would love to hear how you all deal with this. Seriously, any advice would be a lifesaver😭😭

Have you family you can ask these questions to before rushing to get a doctors appointment, any of either of your parents, siblings with kids, etc? Other friends with kids? I would consult google, looking at proper up to date evidence based websites not just random scaremongering ones, I’d ask my mum, I’d ask other mum friends, if I still wasn’t happy with the answers I’d go to the doctor but that’s rare tbh. A cough or a sniffle wouldn’t bother me at all, unless it was with a temp, a rash, a change in temperament etc.

I would use NHS website to know when to consult a doctor. Kids get minor illness, same as everyone, there is a lot you can do to take care of them yourselves, or ask at a pharmacy. I avoid Googling or mum forums for medical advice. but honestly I'd look at your own anxiety around it, you really don't want to pass that on to your child.

Thanks for your advice, it was really helpful!

Thanks a lot! I've used the NHS and realized I still have so much to learn, thanks again.

The NHS website is good, as others have said. A healthy baby doesn't need to see a doctor with a normal viral illness (coughs and colds, high but not crazy high fevers that come down with paracetemol or ibuprofen, tummy bugs where they're not getting dehydrated etc). They get ill sooooo often, especially if they go to nursery, that you do get a better feel for it.

Mine are often sick but rarely at the doctor, just as I don't go if I have a miserable cold.

Thanks for the suggestion. I guess cause he's just a kid, I always worry he's kinda fragile, but after hearing your advice, I feel a lot less stressed about it.

I totally understand the anxiety as I have experienced it too. I mostly go off the NHS website but I think if you’re in doubt there’s no harm in getting them checked out as young kids can deteriorate rapidly if it is something more serious. My GP has an online form where you can describe the symptoms and they can decide whether it needs an appointment. Generally things like a fever that’s not coming down with paracetamol or not getting better after 4-5 days or any concern about breathing or a non-blanching rash.

Out of 3 times we have visited the GP with miserable fevers, one of them needed antibiotics for a chest infection but I wouldn’t have been able to tell which.

Unless he was premature or has other health issues, he's likely a hell of a lot sturdier than you're giving him credit for.