I’m not going to lie; the last few weeks have been tough.
It all started mid February when Elsie came down with Croup for the second time. Thankfully only a mild case but she wasn’t herself for a few days. No sooner had she recovered we found Mabel in a pool of vomit in her cot. Literally felt like throwing myself under a bus there and then as I knew the next few days would be hard work.
Mabel continued to be sick after everything she ate and was only keeping milk down. This was on Friday. By Saturday lunchtime Mabel had kindly shared her illness with Elsie and Elsie brought up her lunch at the table much to the other kids amusement.
On Sunday, during our usual trip to take Logan back to his Dad’s house, Florence complained of a tummy ache. By Sunday evening we were scrubbing vomit off the grout between the kitchen floor tiles. Whatever Mabel had was eating us up one by one.
That evening Matt began to feel ropey too. By Monday we’d all had a dose of illness however poor Mabel was still suffering so the following Friday we took her to the doctors.
As we thought it was just a tummy bug and she got over it a few days later but our house had been turned upside down. I’d done about seven loads of washing before breakfast as bed sheets and towels had been covered in vomit during the night. We threw away most of Mabel’s sleep suits as the explosive nappies were on another level and her poor little bum was so incredibly sore with nappy rash that she cried in pain at every nappy change.
We’ve been using Bepanthan Nappy Care Ointment to soothe her nappy rash and I can’t rave about it enough. We’ve used other creams in the past but their either incredibly messy and stain the clothes she’s wearing or they just don’t work. Bepanthan forms a breathable and transparent layer on Mabel’s skin and the addition of pro-Vitamin B5 aids her skins natural healing process.
I like that Bepanthan comes in a tube with a flip lid so that their are no small parts for the baby to get hold of and it’s easy to squeeze out one handed if need be and it also comes in a variety of sizes so we can take it out and about or keep a mega stash in the nappy change box at home. The instant relief on Mabel’s face when the cream is applied is obvious. We always make sure we apply a generous layer before bed so she’s kept moisturised and protected throughout the night.
I have been at breaking point several times over the last few weeks. The constant wake ups during the night, the crying, the conveyor belt of washing and folding that never stops, the beds that need changing and the toilets that need bleaching. It’s just never-ending. But then they all need cuddles and so everything stops. We’re so behind with chores at the moment but I guess that’s how it’s got to be for now.
Despite all her illness Mabel has managed to master sitting up unaided for short periods of time and eating. I mean she was eating before she got ill but she’s really taken off now and will quite happily pull a sandwich off your plate given half a chance. I really need to spend some time looking up some baby friendly first foods. I know she can basically eat what we do but a lot of it is still too spicy, too chewy or just too lumpy for her so I’d like to find a few recipes that she can manage that the other kids will eat too.
Last week she had fish, mash potatoes and a few baked beans and she loved it! I just made the mash super creamy and took the fish out of the breadcrumbs and voila – a baby friendly meal but also suitable for the older kids. My heart is in my throat every time I watch her eat; earlier today I gave Mabel some eggy bread and she must have choked about three times during the course of the meal! Mabel’s still a toothless wonder as well so until she gets a few little pegs I feel reluctant to give her anything too chewy/crunchy. The nappy rash cleared up following Mabel’s illness but now she’s suffering again so I don’t think teeth are too far off. Thankfully Bepanthan seems to be doing the trick and keeping our little lady happy.
With regards to sleep Mabel has decided 5am is the new 7am. I’m not sure why the sudden change but she’s like clockwork and so Matt and I take it in turns to get up with her. Mabel’s still taking a feed at night but usually it’s just the one. We feed her before bed, around 6:30pm, and then she’ll be in bed and asleep by 7:30pm at the latest. We’ve been lucky with bedtimes so far – all the kids have been good at actually getting to sleep and for that I’m thankful. We do seem to have a bunch of early birds on our hands though.
The last few weeks I’ve also been trying to get some ‘real’ clothes together for Mabel. She’s been living in sleep suits but now she can sit up and the weathers getting a little more Spring like I thought it might be a good time to start dressing her in the mornings. Does that make me sound lazy?
