Posted by: Alex
One of the most frequently asked questions to new moms who return to work is “So what did you do with the little one?”. If you say he’s at crèche, that’s usually followed by “So was it difficult dropping him off on his first day?” My honest answer: “Not really” I knew he was in good hands, and I was going to pick him up in a few hours, and I thought that he might benefit from someone a little more creative and entertaining than his mom for a bit.
What was difficult was at the end of the week, when he came down with his first fever, and then the next week, when he was full-blown sick with a cold: sore throat, phlegm in his throat & lungs, coughing. That’s what was difficult to handle. Then I did feel like an awful mother, subjecting my baby boy to that because I was selfish enough to go back to work.
He has recovered now, and without the use of antibiotics, thankfully, but not before he infected me, my mom and his dad. When I mention this to anyone else with small children in crèche or nursery school, they all smile knowingly and say “Ah, crèche syndrome”. My head knew it would happen, but my heart didn’t realize how awful I would feel when I couldn’t make my little boy better right away. That and knowing that I subjected him to the germs in the first place … Well, it was a rough week.
Now the poor boy is subjected to so many temperature checks that I swear his bum cheeks squeeze together when he sees the thermometer coming. Yes I know I could take an armpit temp, or get a fancy ear or forehead or dummy-shaped thermometer, but my reference book says bum temp’s are the most accurate, and if I’m not going to be a stay at home mom I must at least be accurate. I take his temp when I know its fine, and when I know it’s not. I obsess about it if I put him to bed without a temp check, and then do one at his midnight feed when I’m supposed to be doing my best not to wake him up completely. *sigh* At least he’s healthy again, for now.
Anyway, for June, and any other readers who are into photos of gorgeous baby boys, here he is. Click to enlarge.
March 13th, 2009 at 4:20 am
He’s just yummy!
(thanks for the pics, sorry you’re sick. us too)
April 8th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
What a handsome baby you have.
I was going to put you on my blogroll, but I see you don’t have a live feed.
April 8th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
and I thought that he might benefit from someone a little more creative and entertaining than his mom for a bit
~ That is one of the things I say that to my friends who are moaning in guilt about leaving their children with day cares. Mom can get, well, old, with the same stuff all the time, creativity can bloom elsewhere, and the time away can be good for both parent and child.
I came to you by way of Donna’s blog. ~Mary