Fall. Winter. All those germs. My moms’ groups and my Facebook news feed are overflowing with photos of sick kids, minor injuries, and questions from moms wondering what to do. I’ll tell you straight up: IT’S EXHAUSTING! Who hasn’t seen posts like these while scrolling through Facebook?
Video of a baby coughing: “Do you think it’s a cold?”
Photo of a little tummy covered in bumps: “I saw this on my son this morning—do you think it’s an allergy?”
Photo of a red patch on a little arm: “Is this patch on my baby eczema?”
“Can I take Advil while I’m pregnant?”
“My baby has had a fever of 39 for two days—what should I do?”
“My baby fell off the changing table—do you think I should take him to see a doctor?”
If you’re worried about your child, explain to me why you’re taking the time to snap a photo, write a social media post, and wait for notifications!? That’s even worse than Googling it, if you ask me. Not everyone you ask on Facebook is a doctor or a nurse, and between you and me, if you have any in your contacts, why not just talk to them directly? All those people—the 78 other moms in your group, your 300 friends—they’ll all have their own opinions.
All you’ll end up with, though, is 378 different opinions. You’ll end up having to see a doctor anyway. Save everyone some time and just go straight to the source.
Seriously… people are going out of their way to provide resources—use them!!
Pharmacists have extensive training, they work in the field, they know all about pills, and they’ll be happy to answer your questions! You probably have a pharmacy nearby—so go check it out. If not, there’s even an app that lets you ask a pharmacist a question!
At 811, nurses answer the phone. Real, actual nurses. Plus, it’s free! It’s their job to answer your questions. Since you’re taking the time to write a post, why not just call?
Do you have a family doctor? Lucky you! If you can also see them within two weeks, you’ve won the doctor lottery. Give them a quick call if you’re worried.
There’s also the option of going to the ER, even though I know it’s not appealing. But if there’s even the slightest chance your child has something serious, why mess around?
Then again, maybe it’s just me who doesn’t get a kick out of seeing photos of boo-boos when I go on Facebook to relax. I’ve even seen a photo of poop—the mom wanted to know if the consistency was normal. Maybe that put me off a little…
With that said, I wish you, with all my heart, a wonderful winter free of germs, so you won’t have to use all the resources at your disposal! 😉