Anyone Else Under Quarantine?

Updated on October 24, 2009
A.K. asks from Minneapolis, MN
5 answers

Am I the only one going stir crazy? I have a preemie on my hands - he's 2 months old now, but born 6 weeks early - who cannot afford to get sick. With H1N1 scaring the heck out of all of us, my husband and I have decided to avoid all contact with other humans, leaving me (a SAHM) and my 2 1/2 year old boy stranded at home with nothing but the rain to look at. While my 2 1/2 year old is taking it all very well, I feel like I'm losing it. My husband and I do take the kids out to eat every once in awhile, but we're fearful about taking our older child to play with other children, lest he contract either flu strain and bring it home to our infant. Our 2 month old is scheduled to get shots to protect him from RSV next month, but we still won't have H1N1 shots for the rest of us until later in Nov., if at all!

Long story short, my cabin fever is worse now than it was at the end of winter this year. Anyone else experiencing this with their fragile children? Any suggestions for what to do with our time?

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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

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1 mom found this helpful
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B.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have learned we just need to live life. We cannot live scared of everything scared a terroist will blow up a big event or building or were gonna catch aids, or swine flu or meningitis. Gotta live life.

I am also a mom of 2 former preemies. Your preemie is on the list to get a H1N1 vaccine just like my kids with borderline asthma are. The kids who are being chosen have already been notified from their dr. offices and have cancer,aids, and other immunity problems. Sad but your kids have to wait for the vaccine just like mine. I am forced to send my 8yr.old to school every day where it is HIGHLY likely she will contract h1n1. I had to do this last year as well when her sister was a infant(preemie)I have no choice. I was paranoid to go out at first too but said screw it gotta live life. I can't let every scare in America lead us to hybernation. If your husband works and leaves the house or you grocery shop to buy groceries your at risk. Just carry hand sanitizer with you and wash wash wash your hands. Just be smart about where you go and who your around. I believe according to the nurse I talked to last week I did have h1n1 and I'm a stay at home mom. I was prescribed tamiflu and everything. So guess what it wasn't my kids that got it, started it or spread it in our house it was ME. I'm not sure if my kiddos had it or not they ran low grade fevers and one was sick for 24hours the other sick for 5 days or so.

If nothing else put your kids in the car and go for a drive. Go look at the beautiful fall leaves changing colors. Everywhere has germs but pick where you go. During the weekdays M-F public places are less crowded kids at school people at work go out then. Don't go out on the busy weekends. Places like the library or mall are dead. If you walk around the mall and don't touch anything that's pretty safe too. Just bring hand sanitizer with.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

Just so you know, vaccines are not a guarentee of protection..... My cousin (who is fully vaccinated on schedule) has had pnemunia almost constantly since he was a year or two old. And vaccines do have risks and potentially fatal side effects too. I've heard of a ton of adverse effects from the H1N1 vaccine. It was extrememly undertested..... One news report said that most doctors, nurses, and the people who worked on the vaccine are refusing to even get it! SCARY.

Also, be careful with hand sanitizer. It is best to just wash with soap and water. Hand sanitizer if ingested can be very dangerous and even fatal! Practice washing with your son (it'll give you something to do and my kids LOVE playing in soap and water). MUCH SAFER. Then you won't have to worry about your premie getting any sanitizer ingested from nuks, toys, Isaac's fingers, etc.....

~Some things that you could do with your older child. Make some home-made play-doh. At 2 1/2 he should LOVE it. Hey and it's good fun for moms too!

~Does he like to color? I even enjoy sitting down and coloring with the kids from time to time.

~Do you have a friend that you can call? That was my sanity saver when I was doing daycare. At naptime (on really crazy days) I would call my friend and get some ADULT conversation for a few minutes. HELPED A LOT!

~Definitely do the walk thing. Even if it's cold out you can bundle the kiddos up. And infants don't even notice when you put the cover on the carseat. Keeps them very snug!

Make a list of books and have your husband go get them from the library for you. (A good series is the Baxter series. First book is called REDEMPTION. VERY good reads. Branches off to 2 other series following the family so it should keep you busy for awhile. Another book I just read that was funny and a good read: "You'll Never Nanny in this Town Again" by Suzanne ?. It's about a true Hollywood Nanny. And one that would be REALLY GOOD for you is called "FULL HOUSE", it's about the Anderson Quintuplets. I laughed out loud many times during that one!!! Funny, insightful, and really interesting. The mom, Karen Anderson tells her story.

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R.D.

answers from New York on

Hi!
I cannot say that I am in your position yet I am fearful of the swine flu for my family! I live in NY and the pediatrician's are just getting in it now. If you really need to get it and your specific doctor does not have it (as people order and get deliveries at different times) I would have a few walk in medical offices to see if they have it. With a preemie...your family should be at the top of the list!
Good luck! Do you have netflix? I love this as I can have my son watch movies instantly and tv shows on the computer.

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M.M.

answers from Milwaukee on

Can you go for walks around where there arent many people outside? I have no clue of the needs of a premie, but if you stay away from people as much as possible but still get out. Go for nature walks (just keep everyone dressed nice and warm)or go for bike rides (if you have something to put the baby in). At my daughters day care they keep the kids outside for a couple of hours at a time, because they have less chance to get sick as long as they out in the fresh air and not surrounded by the germs inside. I would try to stay away from inside as much as possible, but also away from people. As they say here, there is no bad weather only bad clothes (it works better in Swedish, but as long as you are dressed right outside is the best and healthiest place to be)

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