question from Dec 2011 mom!
nikkig7
member
Hi ladies,
I am due in 11 days with my first LO and am mildly freaking out about germs/illness because it is cold and flu season. I would love to hear about some firsthand experiences from moms who have been there. I hear so many mixed things from people ~ from "expose her to germs so she will build her immune system" to "don't leave your house for the first 6 weeks!". It is so hard to know what to do and I want to do what is best for her. The thought of my baby being sick and even hospitalized terrorizes me. I am set to get the pertussis vaccination as soon as I deliver and my DH is supposed to be getting it within the week. I have had my flu shot and so has he, and I plan to breastfeed exclusively. Any tips, stories, etc., that you would like to share with a worried FTM? Thank you and God bless!
Re: question from Dec 2011 mom!
First, CONGRATULATIONS!
Second, it really has to be your call. My little guy was born on January 2nd, and we were home from the hospital January 4. On January 5, he went to Target because I already couldn't stand being stuck in the house.
I had sworn up and down that I wouldn't take him out in the cold until he was at least a month old, but my wonderful husband and I were exhausted from lack of sleep, and we were stir crazy because we were confined to our living room and our little man's nursery since our basement was too cold for a baby. So we went to Target for some diapers, nursing pads, and Lanolin, and then to my parents' house for a quick visit.
It really has to be up to you. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking them out, as long as people aren't dripping snot on them. Just keep strangers' hands off him/her, and make sure that family members wash hands before holding him/her. Also, I would encourage any sick family members to "look but not touch." At least for now!
Good luck!
DS was born Dec 12 & my advice would be to not be paranoid, but just be responsible.
It sounds like you're already doing things to minimize exposure to illness, so that's great!
Ask if people are sick before you visit with them. Ask people to wash their hands or provide them with hand sanitizer. Limit the amount of people & amount of time your baby is held.
You can use something like a moby wrap to wear your baby. That will ensure people don't hover too much.
Also, since you plan on BFing, keep in mind that you'll be BFing every 2-3 hrs, and each session will last at least an hour long. So, the amount of time you're mingling with visitors will already be limited b/c of that. For example, on Christmas Day, we went to my mom's where there were many other adults & kids. We planned on getting there at like 12, but didn't get there till like 2 b/c it's so hard to get out of the house with a newborn! Then we were so tired, we left at about 7. For the 5 hours we were there, I spent about 3 hours in my mom's room by myself BFing, lol!
And lastly, it's great to take precautions & to plan ahead, but don't stress out about it now b/c you never really know how you'll feel or what the situations will be until the time comes. You may just be so exhausted that you don't want any visitors! Or, you may be feeling great & feeling the love & find yourself not minding as much as you thought you would if people hold your baby. KYIM?
Good Luck & congrats!
Congratulations! Many, many easy labor vibes to you.
The real moral of the story when it comes to illness is do not be shy asking people to wash their hands. Have hand sanitizer or Dial ready when people visit and do not think its rude to ask people to use it....like up to their elbows. Along the same lines, it is not rude to politely ask strangers to look, but not touch. When we were in the hospital, we got a little tag for C's car seat that said "It's RSV season. Please wash your hands before touching mine." Between that and the little bottle of hand sanitizer I had tucked next to him in the seat, people got the picture.
I had a preemie and had to learn real quick how to be nice, but very firm because when you have a baby, people have no freaking boundaries.
Good luck, Momma!! :-D
Ginny DX 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Charlie DX Specific Antibody Deficiency & ASD
This!
I had a c/s, so it was a bit easier for me to stay at home since I was recovering for several weeks. My goal was not to go out in public until LO was 8 weeks old. My nephew had spinal menengitis when he was only 6 months old, so I am a bit paranoid too about illness.
Also, we did not go to the "big" family Christmas function with cousins / aunts / uncles and instead just did Christmas with my mom, sisters, and nephews so there was less exposure.
Yes, LOs need to be exposed somewhat, but when they are that little it is better to be safe! They will have plenty of time to get germy as they get a little older and start eating everything in site and strangers start touching them! (ugh!)
This is very true. I think moderation is the key. LO is going to come into contact with germs and some will make them sick, some won't. The only place we took DD for about the first 4 weeks was to the Drs office because I just wasn't into going out. Now think about how many germs there are floating in a drs office compared to Target. My guess is Target is probably cleaner.
But you have to take LO to the Doctor.
So, carry hand sanitizer, ask people to wash thier hands before handling baby, keep those that are sick away, and tell creepy people not to touch your baby, but don't freak out about germs because you'll just go crazy.
And just a warning, I've never been so sick as I have been BFing. I've had more colds this year than the last 10. DD has had 3-4 colds, but she's suffered less and gotten over them quicker than me, and I'm pretty sure that's because she's gotten my antibodies and I'm left to suffer. I've even gotten colds that she hasn't.
Good luck! You sound reasonable and responsible so I'm sure you and baby will do great.
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Yes, this! Also, breastfeeding is a huge help, because your milk will contain antibodies to whatever you're exposed to, and if you stay close to your baby, it will protect him/her, too. GL!
Thank you all so much for the kind words and advice! You have made me feel so much better. Your babies are all so adorable!
Just use your best judgement. I think you can go out, but be reasonable, and don't let snotty sick kids stand over baby or germy strangers poke hands in the car seat.
H was born 12/21, and we went out on Christmas Day to spend it with family. We simply asked if anyone was sick to not hold her (easy to do since I felt like she was permanently attached to the boob at that point!) and that they all had their flu and pertussis shots.
On New Years Day, we took her out to a restaurant with friends, but went at an off hour and asked to be seated away from everyone else.
A few weeks later, we regularly took her to Panera, Target, the grocery, etc. and followed the same procedure as we did at new years (off hours, away from crowds).
I just couldn't take being cooped up in the house - HAD to get out. We had one of those shower cap type car seat covers and it was awesome. Pull the flap up over sleeping baby's head and no strangers ever came near her to poke germy hands in her face.
The doctor told me not to take the baby out for 8 weeks, and I didn't. I sometimes went out to avoid getting cabin fever, but that baby stayed home! (I couldn't go out for too long though, because I breastfed for the first 3 months of his life) I think it's important that they get a chance to build immunity, especially because if they get sick with a fever at such a young age, they need a spinal tap...that freaked me out, so I had no problem leaving him at home.
After 8 weeks, we went everywhere though, so he had enough immunity building then! Plus now he just basically eats everything on the floor, so that's doing it to. FWIW, he has not been sick yet (knocking on wood!)
DH and I never got the flu vaccine last year and we were fine. We'r actually not getting it this year either.
I planned to BF as long as I could so Griff would get all the antibodies and stuff to help him be healthier but I really only BF for the first few weeks. He got his first cold when he was about 3 months.
I was worried about germies too so we never took Griff out as a newborn (well, maybe once or twice to Drs appts). The first time we took him out was when he was 2 months old and it was to a family party. I was worried about all the kiddos touching him and all the adults too but he did fine.
Maybe always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your diaper bag and take it out for people to use before they hold LO. And keep one in the living room or by the front door for when people come over. Most people are smart about it and you won't even have to ask them to wash their hands first but if your family is like my family, you'll have to politely ask them. And who cares if they side eye you and say your being over protective. If LO gets sick, YOU will have to be the one watching them in discomfort and YOU will have to be the one to take care of them. Let me tell you, it SUCKS taking care of a sick LO!
And, with that being said, LOs *do* get sick and eventually yours will too! Thats a part of life.
Awwww Congrats to you!!! I remember being very "go with the flow" before I had my LO. However, when he was born early and at risk for staying healthy/gaining wieght, I became a little strict.
My Mom was going to stay with me the first few days after I returned from the hospital. I had to send her home because she had a cold. We lysoled the house :O) I skipped Christmas because our family is way too big and I feared the college aged cousins being too germy :O) We told people they could visit only if they were healthy. If someone came over with a sniffle, they couldn't touch the baby :O) I asked everyone to wash their hands and I kept a GIGANTIC bottle of hand sanitizer in every room. I wasn't shy about asking people to use it!
After about 2 weeks, we had serious cabin fever. So, we started taking one trip out of the house per day. It was freezing out...but I knew it wasn't the temperature that makes you sick...it's the germs. So bundled LO up and kept him in the stroller/car seat. No one ever tried to touch him in the store :O)
Overall, I kept my house really clean and washed my hands very often. After about 6 weeks I became more relaxed and took LO everywhere and let everyone hold him. LO is almost one and has never been sick at all (neither had I or DH).
Personally, I believe in trying to limit LOs exposure as much as possible for at least the first 8 weeks. They don't really have the ability to fight off illness very well in the beginning so there isn't any point in trying to "build" thier immune system until they're old enough to do so. Besides, fevers in very little babies have to be treated aggressively and the thought of a spinal tap was enough to make me a crazy mama bear for the first few months.
After that, though, bring on the germs. Just make people wash their hands and not touch LO if they are sick. That's all you can really do!
Congratulations! I had DS on Christmas Eve right before a big blizzard, so needless to say, we didn't get out too much because that was just the beginning of a nasty, snowy, cold winter. The doctor told me to keep LO home for the first 8 weeks until he at least went through a few rounds of shots and to keep him away from crowds...no mall, church, etc. We asked all visitors to wash their hands before holding him, and everyone was really great about it...most people just went right to the sink because they knew the drill. We were also diligent about washing our own hands when returning home.
We also asked friends not to bring their kids for visits...toddlers and school-aged children are total germ factories. Luckily, everyone had enough common sense not to come over if they were sick, or "felt like" they were getting sick, or if their little ones were sick. That meant quite a few cancelled visits throughout the first few weeks, but that was fine with us! Better to be safe than sorry.
The only places DS saw for the first 2 months of his life were the doctor's office and the lactation consultant's office...which is also where we went to weekly mom's group. So, we did get out once a week, but that was it.