Cough and the Common Cold (Photo credit: RobertFrancis)

Back on April 12th, Long Suffering Husband came home sick. Four days later, I had it. It was one of those really cruddy head/chest colds. We were both completely miserable, coughing, junk in our lungs, stuffed nose, stuffed head, etc. I couldn’t take any medicine for it because I’m nursing so I resorted to a variety of strange and embarrassing natural remedies in my desperation to breathe the little said about, the better.

Despite our best efforts, our little one got sick on the 19th. It was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever experienced. To hear that same hacking cough, congested lungs and wheezing inability to breath on such a tiny little person was awful. Even when she’d cry or make her little baby noises, you’d hear that her voice was hoarse and she didn’t sound like herself. We felt so helpless. 

She had to sleep upright so that she could breath and, even then, she didn’t sleep well, waking up coughing or unable to breath every hour. (And she did NOT enjoy the process of getting her nose cleared at all.) We had her in our room at night and were jumping up at every wheeze or cough (and some terrifying noises like she was suffocating) so it was a rough time for all involved with everyone sick and no one sleeping and therefor no one getting better. My parents were kind enough to come in and help and all we did was get them sick as well in exchange.

When my mother went to the doctor and mentioned her concern that we were all still sick (the cold was, at this point, 18 days for LSH got sick, 14 days for me and 11 days for the baby) the doctor told her that we likely had the “Super Cold” that was going around. Apparently the Super Cold is just a normal cold that takes weeks to go away and there’s pretty much nothing to do about it but ride it out.

And ride it out we did. Finally, early last week, the grown-ups started to finally feel a little better and, though the little one is still sick today, I hope that means she’ll be done with it soon.

But the Super Cold left us a lesson in its wake. When the symptoms were at their worst, I don’t mind telling you that LSH and I were very dramatic about it. We were miserable and complained about that, loudly, to anyone who would listen. The Pity Party was on 24/7.

Then the little one got sick and we found ourselves still just as sick but also caring for this helpless little thing. It was, in many ways, an excellent lesson in sucking it up that I think we both needed (*coughsomepeoplemorethanotherscough*). It was also terrifying reminder of how fragile the little one still is and how much she needs us. No matter how crummy we feel, we’re still built much tougher than she is and we shouldn’t take that for granted. It makes you realize how dangerous something like a common cold can be to someone without your immunity advantages.

But the thing that will stick with me the most about this Super Cold was how well our daughter handled it. She could barely breathe, she was coughing almost non-stop, and she’d had barely any sleep. We knew it was just a cold that would go away eventually, she literally had no idea what was going on and, for all she knew, this was never going away. Just like me, she couldn’t take anything for her symptoms. And yet, while LSH and I were both ready to hide under a bed for a week and whimper, she was a champ.

Even at the worst of it, she was playing, smiling and laughing as ever. And when I think of that hoarse little giggle, the big toothless grin interrupted by coughs, it makes me realize that us grown ups have, clearly, forgotten what even a baby knows brand new to the planet: Whining doesn’t do a damn bit of good so you might as well make the best of it.

I, for one, plan to remember that.