Every three to four minutes her little body is brutalized by another earthquake of coughs. Her mouth opens, preparing for the epicenter to begin its shift – her lungs, her belly, her throat – all on fire.
Two nights now, no sleep. The coughs wake my sweet girl with every brutal rattle.
I’ve tried everything. Steam. Humidifiers. Propping her bed up. Vicks on her chest. Vicks on her feet. Tea with honey. Triaminic. Popsicles. Water. Juice. (The meds not at the same time).
I feel so helpless. Her head is in my lap. She starts to drift…she is so tired she can’t even suck her thumb. She whimpers even as she falls into clearly uncomfortable, and ridiculously temporary slumber. Even her subconscious knows the sleep minutes are numbered.
I’m her Mommy and yet, I can’t make it stop. It seems so simple really.
A cough. A stupid, body wracking, throat wrenching, belly tightening, chest heaving cough.
And made worse by the notion that I should have taken her to the doctor today – but I hoped we could kick it with rest, tea and snuggling.
She is now approaching 24 hours with no sleep (we suffered through a failed nap attempt today). She is inconsolable, and I am supposed to be the one with the answers, with the comfort.
Word to the wise – coughs do not respond to the Mommy-school-of-simple-solutions. At least not for us.
Being a Mommy is hard.
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