Better out than in? 7 truths when gastro pays your family a visit
Sickness is never a welcome visitor in any household, but I’ve come to accept that my kids falling ill is just a rite of childhood passage. I mean kids HAVE to get sick from time time to build up their immunity, right?
That said, there is one bug I wish I could slam the front door on forever, to stop it from entering my home and running amok.
I’m talking about gastro. That hideous, messy, strikes-everyone-down, most vulgar and unwelcome of visitors. It came to stay with my family earlier this week, and I’ve realised a few evil truths about it. Allow me to share …
1. It’s sneaky
Gastro pretends to be something else until it really, really isn’t. At first you think your little one is just tired and maybe coming down with a bit of a cold, and then the insidious beast strikes. When your toddler wakes from her day sleep sitting in a sea of vomit, you know what you are really dealing with. And then it Will. Not. Quit. Ugh!
Read more about little ones and sickness:
- 7 ways to help your sick bub at night
- 9 thoughts mums have when her kid wakes up sick on daycare day
- When should you call it quits and keep everyone home
2. Double whammy
What’s more, gastro isn’t just your regular 24 hour vomiting bug. Oh, no, no, no. When it attacks, it really attacks. While one of my sons was vomiting in the toilet, I was changing the other one’s soggy nappy – and let’s just say it wasn’t soggy because of wee. #Help
3. My child prefers to vomit ON me
While my eldest has perfected the art of spewing into a little bowl that he carries with him around the house, my other one still sees ME as the best place to unleash all that gastro yuckiness. Along with cleaning them up and changing sheets, I have to dive into the shower – multiple times a day. So gross.
4. I will run out of washing detergent
Which leads me to the next truth. My washing load will explode whenever gastro pays us a visit. Between clothing and bedding changes, not to mention towels, my washing machine is working overtime. As such, I will inevitably run out of washing detergent and need to dash next door to borrow some.
5. It will rain
Then, once I have washed and washed and hung everything out to dry, it will rain. BECAUSE IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH GASTRO! Humph, a few bolts to the clothes line and my dryer is going in sync with a washing machine which is busy doing yet another load.
6. I will make jelly
I’m paranoid about keeping the fluids up to my boys when they are losing them faster than I can say, “Here, have a drink of water,” so I make jelly. And lots of it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at jelly again without feeling a little sick. Jelly = gastro for me.
7. Just when it looks like we are in the clear …
I will feel a tummy rumble. “Oh gawd nooooo,” I think. Then, when my husband gets home from work also looking a little green, I know we are next on the hit list. Just in time for the weekend. Quick, make a broth of chicken soup! Nope. Too late.
Gastro, please pack your bags and don’t come knocking on my door again!
