Working with a sick baby sucks

Ughh…. The Baby’s cold has reared its ugly head again and brought along a double ear infection for the ride. He had a 103-degree fever this morning and was up most of the night. Luckily, they got him right in at the doctors and gave him some antibiotics that should clear it up pretty quickly. I swear, that he’s been sick since the beginning of October.

I feel guilty when I go to work and my son is sick. I have only a few days left for the holidays. I used six weeks of vacation and sick leave when he was born. People are sympathetic with the “That’s just daycare for you,” “Get used to it,” and “Oh, he must be a daycare baby!”

Are we horrible parents? Do we value material comfort and status quo more than the comfort of our own son? So far he’s had three colds – all with bronchitis – and a double ear infection. But then I think about quitting my job and I also feel guilty. How could I take daycare away from The Baby? He loves the action. When I post and say that I think he gets bored with us, I’m serious! He loves being around and watching all the kids. They provide stimulation that I can’t. This, of course, isn’t to mention the loss of my income and the loss of our medical benefits, which I carry.

I know this is an issue that all working parents deal with – moms in particular. I’m just venting. I’m tired. I’m cranky. I just ate a really mayonnaise-y sub, a brownie (#2 of the day) and a handful of chocolate covered pretzels. I feel fat and bloated on top of it all.


From the pump room:
Oh, crap. Something is wrong with my pump. Milk keeps getting backed up in one of the horns. It’s not draining into the bottle. I have to break suction and then the backed up milk flows into the bottle. I have an Ameda Purely Yours. I’ve changed the white valves and those clear cup-like things are in good shape. There doesn’t seem to be a hole in the plastic tubing. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.