This is story from a while back- that I can now laugh at, my oh my at the time was it awful!
My husband travels a bit for work, and so we were just returning from dropping him at the airport. He had been unwell the days prior to leaving with a stomach bug so I had been on the watch for signs and symptoms in anyone else. None until NOW!
When…. It happened… halfway down the M5, at 4.30pm- yep traffic- My darling daughter…’mummy my tummy hurts’
Looking for a vomit bag- no,
Next best thing- my insulated food bag with snacks for the drive- I pick it up and start dumping out its contents everywhere, while bumper to bumpering in the traffic (eyes on the road Rachel) and trying to reassure my daughter it will be ok.
I was not quite quick enough with the bag and….. VOMMIT went EVERYWHERE! I was watching her in the rearview mirror helplessly.
My son, 2yrs old, next to her starts crying and screaming ‘MUMMY… I don’t like it’ my daughter crying between the multiple vomits , so of course the combined screaming and crying woke my sleeping baby and so now… everyone is crying…. Except me… I am just numb!
So what to do… I am halfway down the M5 in traffic, even if I pull over and change her clothes the chair was covered in it and any delay will just mean more traffic. Sigh.
So…. We drive on… My parents live in Penrith so we plan to stop over- bath, change and let me try to deal with the car. All 3 kids crying almost the whole way. My baby hungry now as overdue a feed… & The smell…. Terrible.
At my parents I did what I could with the car, kids all cleaned up- and we drove home. One more vomit on the way home- aimed successfully into the bowl given her, then accidently tipped back onto her… Then the crying resumes… ‘MUMMY, I don’t like it’ …baby woken and now crying… and my poor girl so upset. I am 10 mins from home- so we push on…I pull up the driveway and its raining…Because, you know, of course it is.
And such was the start to my night!
One by one I carried them in, because remember I am solo parenting now. One by one I tended to them- changed and washed my daughter, cuddled and calmed down my son and then sat and fed my baby… Then we all went upstairs to get tucked up in my bedroom.
I realized at that point I hadn’t stripped the bed since my husband slept there- and I was not risking catching anything that he had so…
#1 Linen change… stripped and remade my bed.
I set up Sophia on a mattress on the floor, Alexander in my bed and then Sebastian into his cot.
I then went downstairs to get some respite with ‘Pitch Perfect’ before going to bed, about halfway into Anna Kendricks rendition of ‘No diggity’ I hear ‘mummy….i need help’ This time my poor girl had gone Number 2, and it was a mess ….
#2 Linen change… stripped back the sheets and remade the bed, helped her wash and change again then back to sleep.
I head back down, Then I hear my son crying and calling me… bracing myself for the worst I was pleasantly surprised that he had not vomited- though had grabbed my drink bottle in his thirst and had then spilt it all over himself and his side of the bed.
#3 Linen change… Only water but it was Very wet…. So I stripped back the sheets on his side, laid towels for him and changed his pajamas. Now I cannot be bothered finishing the movie- I need sleep… into bed I get.
About 3 am… I wake to my daughter ‘mummy….I am sorry but I had an accident’ this poor girl- cant catch a break… just a wee thankfully.
#4 Linen change… bed stripped back, new pajamas again. Back to sleep.
My baby continued to wake for feeds during the night, at the 5 am feed I decided to pull him into bed with me for his feed and have a cuddle… he of course proceeded to vomit his feed up everywhere… all over me, all over my pillow and yes… onto the sheets
#5 Linen change……. But as grose as it sounds… I was so tired I just let it be until morning… I turned the pillow, moved over from the wet patch and we cuddled back to sleep.
Needless to say… the load of laundry the next day was ridiculous.. and of course… it was raining… because- you know.. of course it was.
Ahhhhh Love being a mum some days more than others.
