Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Hahahahahaha!  I've been having the exact same experience!  Marc
    sneezes on me once, and that's it!  I've now got violent sneezing and
    stuffy nose for a week!  I always prided myself on being very healthy,
    but I've gotten more colds this past winter than the past 10 years
    combined!  

    I've noticed the same thing - I was rarely sick prior to having Nicole. 
    Now when she gets sick, I tend to get sick too.  Sometimes it's really
    the pits when she starts to feel better just when I'm feeling worse.
    
    -Joy
    

    I have it even worse.   I have three children, so we pass illnesses
    back and forth all year long.  Thank goodness I have a terminal at home!
    
    My husband never gets sick.  I guess that's cuz I'm the family nurse...

	I have one to beat all of yours.. (The ultimate one-downmanship! :-) )

	Katie got a bug at daycare.  She had the sniffles.  Gary got pnemonia
and coughed so hard that he broke a rib!  Seriously!  The broken rib was 
confirmed by an x-ray at the hospital.  

	It seems there's a bug called micoplasma that very frequently gives 
the kids a mild cold and just about *kills* the parents.

Tracey

    Hi Kathy!
    
    Just wanted to remind everyone that we were sick but we would gut
    it out, go to work and then collapse when we got home or pamper our-
    selves!  You could put everything else on hold while you were feeling
    a little under the weather.  But now you get a little under the weather
    and BAM it last for weeks because as they say....Life goes on..... and
    you can no longer put everyone else on hold!  
    
    Of course we do catch more just because we're exposed to more but I 
    really believe we just can't tolerate it as well because now you have
    to keep going and doing.........The kid(s) still have to be dressed,
    feed, dropped off, picked up, feed, played with and LOVED!  I find 
    myself staying home for the little things because I've come to realize
    that if I don't I'm sicker longer because while everyone else is were
    they are suppose to be while I work is the only time I can get any rest
    at home!  
    
    It does get better!
    
    Kathy

    Since my son was born last September, I have been sick just about all
    the time.  It started the day after I got home from the hospital and
    hasn't seemed to stop.  My mom takes care of Stephen while I am at work
    and there seems to be a pattern that Stephen will get sick, then my
    mom, then me. I seem to get it the worst of all.  For some reason my 
    Dad and my husband don't get it.  I have taken more time off from being
    sick in the past 6 months, then I�have in the last 5 years!
    
    I am glad this subject was brought up, I thought it was just me.
    
    Kathy

    One thing I found that seemed to help a bit when I was Mr Mom for
    a while was to be just a little extra fussy about washing my own hands
    and face.  I'd do it after handling the kids, or their hankies which
    they seem to drip everywhere except a garbage bag, as well as before
    meals. By a face wash ... it was more throwing a fair bit of water at
    it as a rinse ratehr than a soap and  water wash.
    
    The other thing is that being well rested yourself really does seem to
    affect your resistance.  The trouble is when your kids are sick, you
    tend to lose rest making you more susceptible.
    
    Stuart

    Knock on wood, I don't seem to get most of Ryan's germs.... though my
    husband gets them all. I think some folks have lower tolerance/immunity
    than others.  I agree though with the comments on careful handling of
    tissues etc. - it makes a real difference in curbing the germ spread.
    

I experienced the same thing with my first, two years ago.  I never was
sick enough to stay home, nor was she sick enough to not go to daycare,
but we ALWAYS had something!  And prior to her birth I *NEVER* got sick.
My husband never seemed to get it either.

This second time has been different.  I continued taking my pre-natal
vitamins *AND* my iron supplements (Ferro Sequels) after she was born.
She is now almost 5 months old and I haven't gotten one thing - I feel
about as healthy as I ever have.  Kimmi Jo is on her 2nd batch of sniffles,
but by this time in Kati's life she had had at least 5, and probably 3
ear infections!

FWIW,
Kristen

    
    Before my youngest son was born (Jan 12, 1991) I hadn't gotten sick
    when my other two had colds or anything else.  While I was pregnant for 
    kevin I had a blocked ear.  After he was born it cleared up and then I
    ended up with a double ear infection in one ear.
    
    Kevin ended up with a Respiratory infection (basically a cold in us 
    adults) 3 weeks ago and ended up in the hospital for a week.  Now he
    gets a little congested and I end up with a cold and sometimes I start
    to lose my voice while talking on the phone.  
    
    							carol
    

    .7 gave good advice.  Most respiratory things are transmitted hand to
    mouth (more than by being sneezed at).  Wash your hand frequently. 
    Have
    other members of your household do the same.  This is a tip I picked up
    at a child care talk - it works.
    

    I second everything said here, especially .5!  When you've got a home,
    spouse AND a family you tend to just keep pushing.  For me anything
    short of not keeping anything down, I go to work with.  Sometimes I may
    leave work a couple hours early, and have my husband do the daycare
    pickup.  It's amazing what just a couple extra hours of zzzzz's can do
    to make me feel better.
    
    But when we commit to have a family we do have to remember my favorite
    rule:
    
    	Mothers don't DO Sick!! (at least until the kids are growns and out
    	of the house!)
    
    Lyn