Being Sick when you are a Doula.

I was fighting off a cold all week long.  I was still able to do all the mom things I had to do.  I attended a Baby Shower Wed. night, Karate graduation Thursday night, Blue and Gold Dinner Friday night.  I was exhausted, but did it all. 

I fell into bed Friday night, thinking if I can just get a good night sleep tonight, then I will feel better.  Well at midnight my 8 year old started throwing up.  He threw up every 30 minutes all night long, until 5 am.    I kept thinking, “What if my doula client calls me right now?”  Thankfully she didn’t. 

Then my 3 year old woke me up at 6:30.  “The sun is up!” 

So I put on a video and lay on the couch and tried to sleep more.  8 year old woke up and threw up again.  Then I had to get the 11 year old to horseback riding lessons.  By the time I was home at noon, I was SICK!  My head was pounding, my nose was running, the kind where I went through 2 boxes of kleenex in one day. 

I napped from 2-4 and I felt worse when I woke up and had a fever.  I could only sit on the sofa and sit there and just exist.    I thought, “What if my doula client calls me right now?”  I knew I couldn’t go to a birth, I had a fever and could barely sit on the sofa. 

Luckily I have a wonderful back up group.  I called Cindy and she said she was available to be on call for this mom.  So I called the mom and told her that I was out of commission until I called her on Sunday.  She was fine with that. 

I went to bed at 8 PM, with my ringer off and slept all night.  I had totally bizarre dreams all night long and at some point my fever broke and I was all sweaty.  But when my faithful alarm clock “The sun is up” went off at 6:30 I felt alive again.

By noon I was showered and functioning, I called my client back and let her know I was back on call. 

That was not fun.  I also am pretty low functioning today and the boys have pretty much been on the computer or watching TV today and I just don’t even care.  Tomorrow I will be a better mom, today I am just happy to feel somewhat normal again!