Sick with a baby

The last time I was sick was in my 9th month of pregnancy. That was terrible! I was sick for about 1 1/2 weeks and could barely get anything done. I couldn't breathe and I worried about going into labor and not being able to push since I would be gasping for air in the process. Luckily, I got better the day before I went into labor. Since then Michael has been sick twice (and he's the one who got a flu shot!!) and I have been fine. I was worried when Michael got sick when Shaelyn was very little - we had just left the hospital and I was afraid we'd be right back admitting our daughter because she had the flu or something. A few of you out there even got tearful phone calls from me (that's right, postpartum hormones...). But each time, Shaelyn and I were able to stay germ free. Needless to say, I am very good at quarantining Michael to his room. However, last night I was not feeling very well and this morning I woke up with flu-like achiness and a fever of 100 degrees. Not the worst I've ever felt, but bad enough that I was worried about having the energy to take care of Shaelyn. Not to mention the fact that of course I was worried about getting her sick. I was exhausted and wondered how I was going to get any rest to take care of myself when I now am responsible for caring for another human being. Typcially in this situation, I would hand Shaelyn off to Michael and I would get some sleep (what is that again?!?), but as luck would have it, Michael is still fighting off whatever sickness he has, so not an option. As it turns out, Heavenly Father answers prayers. I prayed that Shaelyn would allow me to get the rest I needed today, and for the first time since I had her, I got a total of 12 hours of sleep since last night!!!! My fever quickly broke, and by 5:00 pm today, I was feeling like a new woman. So obviously no flu, or I wouldn't have bounced back so quickly. But just the 24 hours or so that I wasn't feeling well was enough to make me incredibly grateful for my usually healthy body. And it reiterated to me yet again that I am no longer my own person, free to do what I want to do. I realize this everyday when I take a shower for an audience of one, but hardly having the energy to take care of myself much less someone else makes me appreciate how much moms really do sacrifice. So to all you moms out there much more experienced than me, keep up the good work!