SICK, TIRED, PREGNANT… BUT VACCINATED
Lou woke up on the day of her birthday party with the sniffles and it was kind of like the world was playing a sick joke on us. We’ve been so careful, I only take her out for fairly essential trips, we don’t see people who are sick…. basically all the typical precautions kicked up a pandemic notch or two. Yet, somehow, she managed to get it and since I wasn’t about to hold back on birthday kisses or going into full mommy mode to comfort and take care of her, it was really only a matter of time before I caught her cold. I always watch You’ve Got Mail at the start of every fall, it’s a little tradition of mine to get into the cozy mindset. The change of the seasons throughout the movie is so visually appealing and there is just something about Meg Ryan in full pyjamas and fluffy socks sniffling at her door buzzer that I find sort of charming. Almost makes you want to curl up by a fire with a box of Kleenex and a cup of lemon honey tea. Almost….
Let me tell you, being pregnant and sick is awful. To start, your immune system is naturally suppressed when you’re pregnant (in an effort to avoid your body rejecting the new life growing inside you) so in general we just get the worst of the cold. All your sore achy muscles feel like you’ve been in a car accident. Your already increased body temperature is now fluctuating like a ping pong ball, chills to hot flashes to chills to hot flashes. I notoriously suffer from shortness of breath in pregnancy, and a clogged sinus turns a single flight of stairs into an iron man challenge. The worst part (yes it gets worse) is that it’s impossible to sleep. Sleeping on your stomach is obviously out, and after twenty weeks gestation the combined weight of your uterus and baby are too much to sleep on your back without interfering with the circulation of blood flow to your heart. So you’re left with the options of sleeping on your sides, which is essentially the worst when you’re sick. I turned into a rotisserie chicken trying to clear the nostril of whichever side I was laying on. I have pretty bad sciatica and round ligament so even if by some miracle I would get comfortable from a nasal perspective, my hips would eventually force another position change. Plus with a 8 month belly in the way you can’t get any leverage to blow your nose lying down, so you need to physically sit up (a chore in itself in the third trimester) anytime you need to destroy a Kleenex. You also can’t take any of the good drugs; no Advil, no DayQuil, no NyQuil, not even any of the medicated lozenges. Sure, lemon and honey tea, but like I so fondly discussed with my girlfriend, they’re at best a placebo effect that don’t really do shit without the drugs to do the real work. We just feel so homeopathic washing our acetaminophen down with a cup of nature’s liquid gold.
The way of the world has changed everything too, we’re like biblical lepers. No one wants to come near us and quite frankly I don’t want anyone around us for fear this cold lingers in our inner circle. As much as I’d appreciate the help, I wouldn’t wish the hassle of a cold in a pandemic on anyone and we have too many vulnerable people around us. My parents are taking care of their parents, my sisters have kids and babies, and with our own baby day quickly approaching I so desperately want this virus out of our lives. Doesn’t mean the days aren’t excruciatingly exhausting though. On day four of Lou’s cold and day two of mine (arguably the worst), Lou got a second wind and was not falling asleep for her nap. I’d ordered a soup from Uber Eats and before I could take my first soothing sip I uncoordinatedly spilt it all over my comfiest “I’m sick” sweatpants. I couldn’t go upstairs to get more pants cause I had this futile hope Lou would eventually fall asleep if I stayed really quiet (spoiler alert: she didn’t) so I sat in my underwear and tired cried while I ate my soup. It’s important to note that two days prior I was posting beautiful Lightroom filtered photos of Lou’s birthday party and so I just feel compelled to remind people that nobody has it perfect all the time, and motherhood is a RIDE.
My biggest take away and I don’t care how “controversial” it is… is thank whatever higher power exists that I am vaccinated. I got pregnant at a time where the actual research completed by actual scientists was readily available to me through reliable sources (like my own doctor) and so I was first in line the second my demographic was eligible and I am SO grateful. Lou and I both tested anyways as a precaution for those around us and both were negative for covid. But even after how careful we were, we still managed to get a cold and quite frankly that’s scary. I’m sure after almost two years of “being careful” our natural immune systems have taken a hit, but it’s still a little scary. The percentage of our local population that’s vaccinated is great but it’s not enough to feel bulletproof, especially as a mother. I talk often with my family and friends about how there is this whole demographic of people who’ve essentially been left behind a bit from going on and living our “new normal” vaccinated lives because we’re in close contact with babies and children who can’t be vaccinated. Science shows that a vaccinated persons likelihood of contracting, carrying and passing the virus is significantly lowered, but it’s not gone and that’s still a little terrifying when you have a little life that’s relying on you. So when you feel the start of that tickle in the back of your throat, the first sensation is pure fear. The only answer is herd immunity fast enough to prevent the evolution of variants, so if you’ve been following me on social media for a while, this explains my growing frustration with those who are anti-science. I consider myself a reasonable, educated and responsible person… and those three things can only point to getting vaccinated.
It’s not covid, and no matter how uncomfortable it is to go through while pregnant or watch my child go through, it’s really just that… uncomfortable. So thank the higher powers but mostly thank science. And get vaccinated. Lou and I will once again happily be first in line for our annual flu shots.
