No. 73: The Ultimate Companion for When You or Your People Are Under the Weather

Save this for the next time you feel like hot garbage or you have sick littles to take care of. Trust me.

After months of secret planning, O’s brother and sister-in-law surprised their kids with a cousin reunion at our house in Texas last week. I contacted the kids’ school in advance so we could turn their schoolwork in ahead of time, I put together a chill but full itinerary that catered to both my niece and nephew and the adults and we decorated the house like a boutique hotel to make the experience as special as it could be. At the end of another long, full day, I told O with such gratitude, “my prayer for weeks before the trip was that everyone would stay healthy so no one would miss out. This is such a gift.”

No less than five hours later, Lema came down the stairs in the middle of the night trying to rush to the downstairs bathroom in efforts to not wake up anyone upstairs. He didn’t make it.

And threw up on the stairs.

My kids aren’t throw-up-y kids. We’ve only been hit with stomach bugs a few times in my nine years of motherhood and friends, there are few jump-scares like the sound of a dry heave or the four most threatening words in the English language, “I just threw up.”

We kept him separate, a brutal choice since it was his cousins’ last day in town, and I pulled out the same protocol I whip out whenever sickness has entered the chat. Thankfully, a week later, the other kids are all in the clear. Unfortunately for O and I (and my poor sister-in-law) we weren’t so lucky. I ended up with a rogue illness that seems like a super fancy flu-meets-strep combo while O came down with a brutal strand of whatever Lema had. Oshiolema was sick for a total of six minutes and took out three adults in his sneaky contagious period ahead of time. Ah, to have the immune system of a nine year old boy.

O was laid out on the couch for 24 hours straight hardly able to open his eyes and completely unable to keep anything down. This meant that since I could walk and hydrate, I flat-out couldn’t be sick. I did the bare minimum survival tasks—nursing the baby, making a crockpot meal, sanitizing—and napped whenever I could sneak one in. And after the grogginess and fog during the thick of sickness, in the boost of energy and clarity that comes after the worst of it, this post came to me.

I hope you save this and share this and tuck this post away for the next time you face a throat thing or a stomach thing or any thing in between. This is another post too long for email so be sure to expand it at the end of the post or click here to read it on Substack instead.

Hydration is the quickest way to stay healthy and this self cleaning bottle has owned the market for years. In my most recent bloodwork we found out my Vitamin D is shockingly low which leaves so much of my immune system unsupported. A daily supplement is best for all of us since the majority of Americans are completely deficient. Our whole house will take Oscillococcinum around the clock when we feel symptoms coming on and daily as a preventative method when something is going around. It’s magic. While I’m not an essential oil guru, I do use them to pull out all the stops when I feel it necessary. This oregano, germ fighting oil and immunity aid are a great place to start.

I avoid most medicine and always have, especially while breastfeeding, but there are a few things I recommend to everyone and always have in the house. This Genexa Cold Crush is wonderful and it is Wellness Mama approved for years now which is the only stamp of approval I need. I love that the kids can take it as well and they look forward to it like I used to look forward to amoxicillin as a kid. Anyone else sneak sips of it in the fridge? Just me? The probiotics are something I never, ever skip. I’ve taken this exact probiotic every day since 2019 and I up the dose whenever needed.

Detox baths or relaxing soaks can be a lifeline when you don’t feel well and I always make sure to get my kids in a tub with Epsom salts when we’re trying to draw out some of that bacteria. This bath soak along with this bath soak are my favorites when I’m sick. Herbal tea is such a great way to boost immunity and also to comfort you once you’re under the weather— Peppermint tea is my favorite every morning and night when I’m not breastfeeding but I also love it to soothe my stomach (along with this gum, always.) Chamomile with honey and a drop of essential oil is a miracle worker for sore throats. The salt, electrolytes and potassium in LMNT are also a crucial piece of the puzzle which is why I continue my daily dose. Lastly, I didn’t include this but my mom swore by Zicam when we were growing up and it has magical powers so I always have some on hand.