{7QT} Sickness Aids

Baby Zana has been sick this week.  Sicker than I've ever had a newborn be before.  We think that it was RSV or something like it.   I have spent many hours of rocking and praying and staying awake in the night.  It was a long, scary week.   She's finally on the upswing today and I am so so thankful for God's mercies and care!

Here's seven things that have been saving us this week:

1.  A nebulizer
I'd never used one before, but then I'd never had a tiny baby with such shortness of breath before!

2.  This Breathe oil blend.  
I use essential oils often and I know that the commonly used respiratory oils such as the mints and eucalyptus are not considered safe to use on little babies.  This blend has all safe oils for little ones.

3.  The Nose Frida
This is so much more effective than the bulb suckers!  And the force of the suction can be more controlled by you.

4.  My essential oil diffuser
I've been diffusing calming and breathing-promoting oils all week.

5.  The Boppy
This was one of the ways I kept Zana elevated while she slept.  I felt I had to watch her so closely and was afraid to sleep myself!  But I couldn't hold her every single minute of the day and night and so this gave my aching back a break.

6.  Warm, misty showers
Zana loved them! I'd never showered a baby this little and thank goodness she wasn't opposed to or scared by it.  It calmed her and opened her airways.

7.  My family
My husband has been so caring, so present, so reassuring and optimistic through this whole week.  My big girls are wonderful too -- cooking breakfast and doing some of their school work independently and even spontaneously cleaning the family room!  And my mother-in-law, the rock that she is, has been there to offer me her many, many years of child-caring experience.  She is constantly a gold-mine of knowledge, plus there is the fact that she is willing to drop everything and come, even in the middle of the night when you're tired and scared and thinking about going to the emergency room. . . 

My favorite thing about this week was when I would watch Sparky, rough and boisterous as he jumps up on my bed, suddenly lower his voice, speak softly to her and then oh-so-gently trace crosses on her forehead and cheeks.  It brought tears to my eyes.

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