The 411: healthcare and my Mommy guilt
Fuller has been ill since Monday, possibly since Sunday, and tomorrow I will be taking him to the doctor for a looksie. I was trying to explain to my husband that when it comes to parenting, the health issues are the ones that I am always the least confident about.
When Fuller was a few days old I had to call the nurse because it seemed that his eyes had developed an infection. Apparently this was common and she just called in a prescription for him. But I remember that it took some convincing by my parents and my inner self to actually pick up the phone and make the phone call. I didn’t want to be one of those parents. I didn’t want to be the mom who called the doctor at first sniff.
I called a mom friend of mine a week after Fuller’s Thanksgiving because I knew I was going to have to take Fuller’s temperature and I didn’t want to. But it seemed like he had a cold, possibly a fever, and it was high into RSV season. Again, I had to force myself to pick up the phone just to ask to speak to a nurse.
Some people might tell me it is no big deal if I call just to speak to a nurse, and some husband might tell me that speaking to a nurse is cheaper than actually taking Fuller into the doctor’s office, but I still worry that it might be nothing.
And then suddenly the pendulum swings the other way and at midnight you are giving your child a dose of Tylenol and thinking, “I should have taken him to the doctor on Tuesday.” When I did call the nurse on Tuesday she asked me all these questions about his symptoms and I thought the only symptom was just a fever and aches. Now that he hasn’t really eaten in the last few days I am willing to add “loss of appetite” to the list. And chills. Poor baby has chills.
I don’t really have an internet wisdom to find on this particular topic, but I know that there are others out there who struggle with when to call the doctor and trying to find a balance between keeping your kid healthy and not being over protective. I guess the point of me sharing this with you is just to let you know that this is my struggle. And sometimes being a parent is a struggle.
parenthood struggle, child healthcare, mommy guilt
May 19th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
You are right being a parent is a struggle. Also you know what I feel hesitant to call the doctor too thinking its probably nothing but at the same time I’m like what if its not nothing. And the times I don’t call it ends up being a cold or something never anything serious yet but something that I need to know the dosage on medicine or need to come in and get a prescription for some infection. And the times I do call its never anything she ends up having a slightly runny nose that ends up being related to teething. It never fails but hey thats what those nurses are there for!
Victoria
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