*Disclaimer: I share graphic details in this post. Hope you don’t have a weak stomach.
So if you all have kids I’m sure you’ve experienced the joy of sharing germs. If you don’t yet have kids read this and be prepared. It sounds bad, and it is, but if your ready for it you can get through it as painlessly as possible. While I was pregnant with the surrogate my son who was two at the time came down with a stomach virus. He first vomited on a Monday night. Over and over again. My husband and I took turns cleaning him and his bed up all night long. Tuesday was a day of resting and diarrhea. Wednesday he was mostly just tired and recovering. Wednesday night both my husband and I started getting sick from both ends. At some point I traveled downstairs to see if the couch would be more comfortable for me (at 39 weeks pregnant mind you). It wasn’t but it did allow me to use the bathroom without having to share with John. Halfway through the night I called my OB office because I couldn’t tell if my cramps were from the virus or from labor. He told me to try to wait it out since I had a regularly scheduled check up the next day. We called my in-laws at 6 AM and asked if they could come help with the kids since we were both so sick. Ended up nixing that plan at 8 AM. Instead I left the kids at home with hubby and had the in-laws drive me to the OB. I showed up 4 hours early for my appointment but that goodness I did. I was 3 cm dilated and taken over the the hospital. Once all the blood work, exams, and IV placements were done I was ready to have a baby. The up side of being in labor with the stomach virus? The IV fluids and nausea meds let me recover so much faster. The downside is when you get discharge you go home to a house where your husband and four kids are still sick.
This is what I recommend to help deal with any virus that comes your way at any time of your life.
First always have the essentials on hand. Don’t wait to get them when you have already succumbed to the germs. Beat them to it. Here’s what I recommend.
Force of Nature: I didn’t have this with my stomach bug catastrophe but I use it daily now. Especially since I have daycare kids in my house everyday its a great, natural way to keep things clean and prevent germs from spreading. One initial investment then you only need to get the refill capsules.
Lysol Disinfecting wipes: I keep these on hand to wipe doorknobs, chairs, and other hard large surfaces.
Lysol Wide Spray: If you don’t want to use Force of Nature or fell you need something different for certain things than Lysol wide spray is the way to go. I like wide spray the best because it lets me sweep the whole space quickly. I prefer the ‘fresh beginnings’ scent but they have a lot to choose from.
Bounty Paper Towels: I have tried a lot of paper towel brands. This is my personal favorite for cleaning hands, faces, counters, floor spills, bathrooms. Use this to soak up small spills, spit ups, and oops.
Microfiber Cloths: These are great because they are inexpensive but reusable. I can throw them in the wash and reuse many times. If they happen to be really gross or start to look flat and less absorbent I don’t feel bad throwing them away. Keep a stack in the laundry room or linen closet for carpet cleanups. Also great for the garage and car.
All Free & Clear Detergent: With eczema a problem for a couple of my family members I like this detergent. We’ve been using it for years and have had no irritations. Keep a good stock of detergent for all the bedsheets, pillows, and plush toys.
Second thing you need to remember is that unless you have a teenage daughter that holds up in her room 90% of the time and is only out to eat at weird hours of the night then EVERYONE is going to get sick. Ok, so one of you may get lucky and miss it but its better to assume the worst.
That being said prepare for step three. Decontaminate everything 10 times. All those things I told you to keep on hand, your gonna use them, a lot. Repeatedly. Also if you get a really ridiculous insane bug that is like the plague then you might want to consider replacing pillows or other fluffy items that may become, shall we say, soiled during the germfest. Otherwise you just need to wash all the washable items on a hot cycle. This includes pillows, blankets, stuffed animals that cuddle with the kids all night, even soft toys that might not get cleaned well with just a spray of Lysol.
After your house is all better give it a few days just to make sure there isn’t a relapse before risking spread to others. Good luck and happy cleaning.
