I’ve always been really good at handling stress. Honestly, I make to-do lists and I smash them like a boss. Lately, though, it’s something else. These last few days, I’m just overwhelmed.
I swear, no amount of to-do lists, checklists or planning ahead can prepare you for when your child gets sick!
I don’t mean a little sniffle, I mean waking up to your child completely covered in vomit type sick!
Being mom to a toddler comes with a full set of challenges
Yup. It’s a whole new ballgame.
Almost two weeks ago, my husband was taking Oden to school when he threw up all over himself, his car seat and our car. Obviously Oden had to come back home as he was definitely in no shape to go to school.
That night he woke us up with his crying. He had thrown up all over himself and his cot.
We took him to the doctor to get checked and she told us to give him various things to help him stay hydrated and get through it. A few days later he was good as new.
And then he wasn’t again.
OH BOY!
We are now on round THREE of the worst tummy bug ever. You never know how bad it can be until you’re a parent and you’re cleaning up the mess a small child is capable of making while sick.
Never mind the overwhelm you feel as a parent. I’m no stranger to mom guilt but it never ends. Constantly shape shifting.
Helpless. Doing your best to take care of your child and get work done which you now have to squeeze into the one hour that they take a nap. Two if you’re lucky.
You still have the same commitments but you’re a mum and your child is sick so now you’re forced to make do with getting everything done in a fraction of the time.
To say I’m feeling overwhelmed with my life is a bit of an understatement.
Everything is crazy and the other day, I fell apart. Completely apart.
Oden was crying over everything (he hardly ever cries), his tummy was obviously hurting him, he was hungry but didn’t want to eat crackers and dry bread or drink black tea.
He was acting out and throwing things everywhere and eventually, I just cracked.
I held him while he cried and I cried and he cried louder and I cried louder and then he stopped crying, confused and just looked at me.
I don’t like crying in front of my child.
I don’t want him to carry the burdens of my life but in that moment, I just couldn’t anymore. I just had no idea what to do to make him feel better and it made me feel like a completely useless mother.
Of course I know now that this whole experience didn’t make me a bad mother but I had no idea what to do and I felt so alone and so incredibly useless and in that moment it just drowned me in despair.
He’s still sick. We are still taking care of him but I’m not even going to lie, my son being this sick for the first time has been absolutely terrifying for me and it has shown me just how unprepared being a mother feels.
No matter how many lists you make and preparations you take, there’s still going to be that moment when you feel like you don’t know what the hell you’re doing and everything feels awful.
Being a mom just kinda comes with this stuff though doesn’t it?
Not knowing how to make your child feel better, wishing you could take their suffering away from them but instead just watching helplessly while you wait for their treatment to work.
I think feeling overwhelmed is just part of the role sometimes and even more so when your child is sick and you are powerless.
Everyone warned me about school germs but boy oh boy was I unprepared!
I should have made a list of things to expect when my child starts school and reasons why I will feel awful but that won’t mean I’m a bad mum. I should have been prepared to be more unprepared than I’ve ever been. Being a mom is freaking tough!
Yup, now I know better for next time don’t I? 🙂
How do you manage not to fall apart with mom overwhelm?
Phew. I can totally relate. Yesterday, my husband & I had a fight (not a regular thing), & our son (almost four) at some point said: “Enough crying for now, ok?”. We are both so exhausted (moved in the last month, started a new business about six months ago & hadn’t had a holiday in ages). We’re going on holiday on Thursday & even that is overwhelming when you have to deal with a busy & sometimes naughty little toddler, battling sickness & life. So, thanx for sharing. Hope you’re having a super Monday at least. xxx
Ahhh Yolandi my heart goes out to you. I felt exhausted just reading about how much you have going on! No wonder you’re overwhelmed. We wanted to go away last weekend but ended up being too stressed to plan the trip so we cancelled our plans and had a staycation instead! It’s tough juggling a million things but know that you’re not alone. So many of us know what you’re going through. My Monday has been good so far, hope yours is too <3 Thanks for reading xoxo
So sorry you have to go through this. Somehow motherhood teaches you different levels of yourself you don’t know exists, that’s why you stay strong and don’t crack. It’s okay to crack too – this is too overwhelming. Know this: you’re doing a good job as a mom.
Thanks Melissa, it does doesn’t it! It has definitely showed me that you can be strong and still fall apart sometimes. Thankfully he’s on the mend but yikes… what a journey! Thank you for your comforting words <3
I hope Oden feels better real soon! Caring for a sick child, especially when there is lots of vomit, etc. to clean up can be very overwhelming. (Not to add, yucky! I don’t deal well with the vomit-everywhere scenario).
I remember Kai had a hectic fever once and wasn’t keeping anything down; I rushed him to the hospital after going to the clinic and being referred. I jumped in a taxi, child was only dressed in a happy – he was burning up; they thought it might be pneumonia. Luckily not, but he went on the drip and spent the night in hospital.
Thank you! Thankfully he seems to be on the mend again and I hope this time is for good. The doctor says it would be surprising if he didn’t get sick after starting school so yay… 😛 It is SO scary as a parent when your child is sick and honestly, I’m of the opinion better safe than sorry when it comes to doctor visits. Very lucky that Kai didn’t have pneumonia but if you had left it, it might have gotten worse <3
Pleasure